The last thing Freedom swimmer, Sam Magnan, expected was a top seed, let alone a silver medal in the 500 free at the Class AAA PIAA State Swimming and Diving Championships on Saturday at Bucknell University.

"I looked at the board, and my parents, and everyone cheering, and my coach. I felt relieved and happy, and I dropped seven seconds," Magnan said.

The Patriot sophomore finished the 20 lap race in 4:29.60. The gold medalist was Zach Buerger of North Allegheny, who finished with a time of 4:28.12.

"He took it out much faster, and he was much bigger. At about lap 13, it was pretty much me and him," said Magnan.

At the preliminary swim, Magnan was simply fighting for a spot in the final at all. Little did he know, he would be seeded first.

"It gave me a definite boost of confidence. I ended up swimming for the win more than the time," Magnan said.

As the top seed, Magnan swam in lane four, while Buerger was in lane six.

"I felt almost better than I did in the morning [during prelims], and built my lead on the two kids next to me. On my flip turns, I could see lane six, and I was trying to catch up to him," said Magnan.

As the second fastest 500 free swimmer in the state in Class AAA, Magnan will have two more years to not only defend his silver medal, but to go for the gold.