A Warwick High School sophomore made a splash at the PIAA Class AAA Swimming and Diving Championships at Bucknell University in March 2015, finishing 14th in the state in the 500-yard freestyle.
A personal best in the consolation final
He qualified for the consolation, or B, final after swimming 4:41.22 in the preliminary heats, earning the 16th seed. In the final he dropped more than a second and a half, touching sixth in the consolation heat in 4:39.37 for 14th place overall.
“The final time of 4:39.37 was a best time for him for both high school and USA Swimming,” his father said.
He also competed in the 200-yard freestyle, finishing 20th overall in 1:44.20, just outside the finals.
A year-round swimmer
The sophomore trains year-round with the Diplomat Swim Club, which practices at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster.
Swimming runs in the family. While his father accompanied him to the state meet, his mother was at a meet in New Jersey with the couple’s two younger children, who also swim competitively. A younger brother swam for Warwick that season, and a younger sister also trains with the Diplomat club.
The 500 freestyle
The 500-yard freestyle, 20 lengths of a 25-yard pool, is the longest individual event in high school swimming. It demands a combination of endurance, pacing and a strong finish, and swimmers often describe it as the toughest race on the program. Breaking 4:40 is a benchmark of an elite high school distance swimmer.
How states work
Pennsylvania’s state championships bring together the fastest swimmers from each PIAA district. In Class AAA, the state’s largest schools, swimmers earn their spots through district meets, and the top 16 from preliminaries return for an evening of finals: the top eight in the championship heat and places nine through 16 in the consolation heat. Scoring a top-16 finish as a sophomore puts a swimmer among the best in the state with two years of eligibility remaining.
Bucknell University’s Kinney Natatorium in Lewisburg has long hosted the state meet, drawing teams and families from across Pennsylvania.
Warwick swimming
Warwick’s swimming and diving program competes in the Lancaster-Lebanon League, where dual meets against schools such as Manheim Township, Hempfield and Cedar Crest are often decided by a handful of points. Many of the league’s top swimmers, like Warwick’s state qualifier, also train with area club teams during the off-season, giving them the extra yardage needed to compete at the state level.
Looking ahead
With a best time in hand and state experience behind him, the sophomore was positioned to move up the standings in the seasons to come. For Warwick, a top-16 state finish was another highlight in a winter that also saw strong postseason showings in bowling and basketball.
Fans could watch video of the race, recorded by LititzDailyNews.com, at the time of publication.
The state swimming championships
The PIAA swimming and diving championships, held each March, bring together the fastest high school swimmers in Pennsylvania. Qualifying alone requires meeting demanding time standards or placing high at districts, and races at states are often decided by hundredths of a second.
Training behind the times
Swimmers at this level typically train year-round, combining early-morning pool sessions with dryland strength work and club meets. Taper, the period of reduced training before a championship, is carefully planned to help athletes peak.
Representing Warwick
Qualifying for states puts a swimmer among the best in Pennsylvania, and Warwick’s state qualifiers carry the pride of the program and the Lititz community with them to the pool deck.
This article was originally published in March 2015.