Jersey Shore Swimmer Wins Title at YMCA States

Emma Butzler was part of a contingent of six Jersey Shore swimmers that advanced to YMCA States this past weekend at Penn State’s McCoy Natatorium.  Her season ending swims propelled her onto the podium three times over the course of the meet.

Butzler’s first race, the 100 yard butterfly, was against nationally ranked Marget Shelly of Chambersburg.  Butzler took the race out fast and was ahead of Shelly at the fifty yard mark by 2/10s of a second but was unable to keep the fast pace and fell slightly behind in the second fifty yards.  Shelly touched the wall about a second ahead of Butzler, who took second overall.

Emma Butzler, third swimmer from top, with fast start
to take the 50 yard butterfly at YMCA States

Butzler’s next race, the 50 yard butterfly, was one she had won back at the 2011 YMCA States.  This event had her as the race favorite and she did not disappoint the small Jersey Shore crowd.  First off the starting block and into the water, she led the whole race to the wall and dropped 29/100s of a second to capture the state title.
 

Her final race of the day was in the 200 yard individual medley where she was a second seed to Ally Armbruster of Boyertown YMCA.  Her first leg of the race, the butterfly, had her out in front of the field by 1.2 seconds but started losing ground in her backstroke.  She lost a little more ground to Armbruster in the breaststroke and started to close the gap in the freestyle but ran out of water to finish second.

Shore’s other point winner was 10-and-under, Taylor Fleming, who finished tenth in the 50 yard butterfly and also swam the 100 yard individual medley later in the meet.  Jersey Shore just missed placing another swimmer when Gabbie Moore dropped 3.64 seconds in the 200 yard backstroke to finish thirteenth.   Other teammates that made YMCA States were Sam Keegan in the 50 and 100 yard breaststroke, Jordan O’Connor in the 100 backstroke, Isabelle Griswold in the 50 breaststroke.

Lock Haven’s sole representative was Ethan Dale who swam the 100 yard breaststroke and placed top twenty.