Earlier this week, Whitehall head swimming coach Pete Rile not only lost a noteworthy wager, but he also marked an event that had occurred in 17 years.

At the team's annual banquet, Rile lost a wager with his team and the result was the shaving of his ponytail, a fixture he sported for 17 years. It was also the time period since the Zephyrs has medal winners at the PIAA Swimming Championships.

Sophomore Mina Feyrer took home a sixth-place finish in the 100 butterfly in a time of 56.86 and senior Brooke Gilson achieved the mark at Bucknell University last weekend when she finished eighth in the 500 freestyle in a time of 5:01.40. Gilson, who had a remarkable season, was seeded third in the event.

Also, freshman Alexus Merkert finished 11th in the 100 butterfly in a time of 57.56. Overall, the team scored 29 points for a 23rd finish among 57 teams in the Class AAA bracket, the highest finish ever for a Whitehall team at states.

"I told them if we had a medal winner, I would shave it (ponytail) off," stated Rile. "But it was certainly worth it. We had a great season and we did really well at states. We were all really pleased with our performance there.

"We had some great performances at districts when we had a good run in the (1990s), but this was our finest showing there."

Along with a strong showing at districts and states, the Zephyrs also enjoyed a solid overall regular season.

Gilson will be among nine seniors graduating from the Zephyrs unit. She and teammates and fellow seniors Allison Emick and Emily Bryk paced the team in distance events this season.

"We'll certainly miss them," added Rile. "Those three really set the mark for our distance events all season. We'll have some gaps to fill, but we should have a strong unit again next year."

Feyrer and Merkert both will return to a program that will again be among the perennial powers in the Lehigh Valley Conference.

"We had some young swimmer this past season, and they really came along," said Rile. "We'll have a number of juniors and seniors back for next year. As long as they continue to work, we'll be right there with our program."