Looking over the results of the Emmaus swimmers at the PIAA Swimming Championships, which were held last weekend at Bucknell University, it’s easy to see the battle between the young girls swimmers and the upperclassmen boys swimmers. Much of the success on the boys side came from senior swimmers, while the sophomore class had big finishes on the girls side.

Senior Ethan Carr gave a strong showing with a fifth-place finish in the 200 individual medley at states and then put together an 11th-place finish in the 100 backstroke. Carr picked up his first medal in the IM, setting a new team record with a time of 1:51.75. Carr also teamed with fellow seniors Connor DeJohn and Andrew Vanim, with some help from freshman Devin Metzger, to finish 11th in the 200 freestyle relay, where he set the pace with the team’s fastest split time of 20.73.

“Ethan Carr did great,” said Emmaus head coach Tim O’Connor. “He has always had a knack of not making the moment too big, but instead focus on taking advantage of the big moment. I know he was super excited with how he swam on day one, and he hung in there on day two and matched his best backstroke time (:51.05).

“He has been a pleasure to coach. I hope all of our returning kids - boys and girls - learn from Ethan in his approach to competing against the best because without that intensity it just won’t happen.”

Early in his high school career, DeJohn was a football player, who also swam. After giving up the gridiron, he concentrated on swimming and continued to develop even up until his final high school swims at states. In addition to his spot on the relay team, DeJohn finished 21st in the 100 freestyle and 27th in the 200 freestyle.

“Connor has come so far just these past two months,” said O’Connor. “He has learned so much regarding how to swim his 200, and he did his best time (1:44.14). He swims stronger and stronger and has been very good at reflecting on his swims and applying it quickly to the next opportunity.

“Both he and Ethan, as well as the other seniors, Nate (Luey), Jason (Yerger), and Andrew (Vanim), I have seen over the past weeks point out areas of improvement for others. I hope the other swimmers were listening. These guys are figuring out so much and wish they had someone who got through to them when they were that young because maybe they would have gotten even further.”

Jason Yerger, a senior, finished 30th in the 100 backstroke for Emmaus, completing his high school career on a good note.

Vanim, who finished tied for 30th in the 500 freestyle, still has work to do, since the diving portion of the PIAA Championship had to be pushed back to this Saturday because of a reworked schedule caused by the biggest snowstorm of the season last week. O’Connor believes that Vanim will continue to open eyes at states as a diver.

“Everyone is excited to see Andrew dive. He is so ready to go to states and improve, and with Andrew, the sky is the limit,” said O’Connor.

Sophomore swimmer Chelsea Gravereaux finished ninth in both the 100 and 200 freestyle events at states. Fellow sophomore Katie Champagne picked up a 12th place finish in the 100 backstroke and was 26th in the 200 IM. Yet another sophomore, Reilly King finished 29th in the 500 freestyle, giving Emmaus some young swimmers to build on for the future.

Champagne and Gravereaux teamed with sophomore Abby Heilenman and senior Marissa Decker to finish 14th in the 200 freestyle relay, while Champagne, King, Heilenman and Gravereaux - the four sophomores - finished 14th in the 400 freestyle relay.

“On the girls side, they did a really good job,” said O’Connor. “I am sure they all wish they could have medaled, but they are not easy to earn. Chelsea did best times and the experience for all of the girls was great.

“Marissa earning a trip her senior year was so awesome to see. She was a girl who really never swam and here she qualified for one of the best meets in the country. Our four sophomores gained some more experience and I know it will pay off. They are such a great group and a pleasure to coach.”