As expected, the PIAA Swimming and Diving Championships were a success for Parkland swimmers. Siena Salvaggio won her third and fourth state gold medals of her high school career at the meet, while Tori Connolly also made it two straight seasons with a medal at the state meet.

On the final night of the competition, the two swimmers set personal best times, with Salvaggio posting a :49.34 in the 100 freestyle and Connolly 4:57.75 in the 500 freestyle event.

Salvaggio took gold in the 100 after capturing gold in the 50-yard freestyle event earlier in the meet. In the 50 freestyle, Salvaggio finished with a time of :22.93 just .18 seconds away from tying the state record for the meet. Even though she turned in an amazing time, Salvaggio had to fight for the gold medal, coming from behind to beat Claire Walsh of Penncrest by .27 seconds.

“That [the 50 freestyle] was a definite highlight,” said the Penn State-bound Salvaggio. “It was the first time that I finished under 23 seconds, so that’s something to really remember. I just had to rely on my training and make it all count to get that win.”

Salvaggio was quick to thank her teammates for pushing her to attain back-to-back golds in the 50 and 100 freestyle events.

“The last four years have been amazing,” said Salvaggio. “Having Tori and Kira (Karopoulos) to train with has been a big help, because we all push each other and support each other. I’m going to miss them next year.”

Connolly took fifth in the 500 freestyle event and noted that she had a lot of help in not only making it to states, but in being able to medal in back-to-back seasons.

“Coach (Rob) Robitaille has been great,” Connoly said. “I’m very thankful for everything that he’s done for me during my career at Parkland. It’s also been great to have someone like Siena who is there to not only tell me when I’m doing good, but to be a good enough friend to tell me when I need to step it up.

“This was a great way to finish my high school career. I really enjoyed competing for the last four years and working to get to this point. I’m really going to miss my teammates and the coaches, because it’s been a lot of fun and I learned so much.”

In relay events, Connolly and Salvaggio teamed up with Allie Lin, a freshman, and Zoe Sheridan, a sophomore, to finish 10th in the 400 yard freestyle.

In diving, Parkland’s Chris Lehman finished 13th among boys, while Kelsey German placed 12th and Serena Johnson was 16th in the girls competition.

The Parkland girls were the highest-finishing Class AAA team from District 11, placing 10th overall, while the boys finished 47th in the competition.