Lock Haven Swimmers End Season on High Note at YMCA States

All athletes experience highs and lows at some point in their competitive sporting career. Lock Haven’s 10-and-under girls have been on this rollercoaster ride in championship swimming the past couple weeks.

The low feeling came two weeks ago at the first event of the YMCA Central District meet, the 200 yard medley relay.  The girls were seeded 7th and were pumped for the upcoming race as top six automatically qualified for YMCA States.  And hard-charging the foursome were as the finished in the four spot.  The excitement was quickly crushed as an official notified the team that they had been disqualified on one of the relay starts.  Spirits were dashed temporarily. 

But as the meet progressed, the 10-and-under girls saw that they were hanging with some of the elite programs and were placing high in their events.  The day’s extreme high waited in the wings until the very last event, the 200 freestyle relay.  The foursome of Ana Persun, Kate Butzler, Camryn Bair, and Lilyann Gugino were aggressive enough to not only win but break the meet record by 1.5 seconds.  In addition, enough points were accumulated throughout the day that the girls won their age group.

Fast forward to this past weekend with YMCA States at Penn State’s McCoy Natatorium.  Every coach worries about a letdown after some monumental achievement or win but Lock Haven’s Jim Merinar was pretty optimistic.  “Not only were my 10-and-under girls positive and sharp the past two weeks of practice, but as were the other 24 State qualifiers”, he said.  “I knew these girls could carry the momentum from Districts into this State meet”. 

That momentum into States had to wait a bit as the 10-and-under girls watched team after team swim the 200 medley relay.  It was only the very next event, the 200 freestyle that Lock Haven started to make up lost ground. 

While Bair was seeded 5th, she quickly moved into third after the start and held that position for the first 100 yards.  In the next 50 yards, she passed Bellefonte’s Katie Rarrick to trail behind the leader; Greater Johnstown’s Sasha Innis.  A great burst of speed in the last 50 yards was enough to propel her to a win by .38 seconds.  “I wasn’t nervous and just wanted to drop time”, said Bair.  “I was on the outside lane and was able to see everyone.  I just sped up and went faster as we got closer to the end.”

Top 12 finishers of the 200 yard freestyle.  Winner Lock Haven’s
 Camryn Bair upper, far right and Bellefonte’s Katie Rarrick (4th) upper
row, fourth from the right.

The same 200 freestyle didn’t sit too well with Rarrcik.  “I didn’t do well and felt sluggish”, she said.  She finished fourth and was looking up the podium stairs to Lock Haven’s Bair.  “I told my coach that I didn’t like looking up at anybody”, said Rarrick.  She soon got her chance to back up those thoughts in her signature event, the 100 backstroke. Seeded first, she held off hard charging Sarah Fox of Upper Main Line YMCA to win by half a second.  “I knew people were coming after me,” she said, “I needed to go faster as I could tell the competitors were close”.

Lock Haven’s 10-and-under girls had outstanding swims throughout the day as each one produced points and several podium finishes.  But it was their last event of the day, the 200 yard freestyle that put an exclamation point on their season.  Lock Haven was seeded in the two spot behind Corry YMCA.  But the girls were able to cobble together fast enough times to easily beat Corry by 2.73 seconds.  “Lock Haven hasn’t won a State YMCA relay in 31 years”, said coach Merinar.  “My recollection is a little fuzzy with age but I can’t recall the girls ever winning a State relay in our long swimming history”. 

While the girls were able to beat Corry YMCA in the final relay, they were unable to amass enough points to unseat their lead and placed second in their age group (out of 36 teams).  

Full results can be found here.