The Parkland swimming and diving teams ended an outstanding season last weekend by competing in the PIAA Class 3A Championships, held annually at Bucknell University’s Kinney Natatorium

The Trojan girls team, which had just five swimmers competing at the meet, saw two school records fall while earning medals in three events. Parkland’s boys team brought one medal home from the meet and saw several seniors finish stellar careers at the state championships.

The first state medal and record to fall came in the girls 200-yard medley relay.

Three members of this year’s relay team (juniors Kelsey McPeek and Milla Hahn and sophomore Sydney LaBaugh) were part of last year’s medley relay that held the school record until last Friday. Freshman Baylee Kish replaced graduate Sophia Cerimele on this year’s relay.

Parkland was seeded third in the event and placed fourth in preliminaries to earn a place in the championship final. In the final, the foursome swam a school-record time of 1:43.39.

“I was really excited about how we swam,” said McPeek, who also earned an individual medal at states. “We got third overall and we broke our school record, which was really exciting. We were all really happy with that. We wanted to place high in the state and try to break out record again.”

“We were hoping to get top three,” said LaBaugh, “And that’s exactly what we did. It was so exciting. The energy was amazing.”

LaBaugh had the team’s highest finish in an individual event with a fourth-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke last Saturday. Seeded fifth at 56.27, LaBaugh swam a school record time of 55.89 to post the second-best prelim time in the event. She swam the final in 56.27 for a fourth-place medal.

“I was so proud of my best time,” said LaBaugh, who broke Kristen Shickora’s record of 56.19. “It was so unexpected. [In finals] I just left it all in the pool and I’m really happy with the outcome.”

LaBaugh also swam to a 12th-place finish in Friday’s 200-yard freestyle an was part of the Parkland 400-yard freestyle relay team that finished 21st in 3:39.68. The other members of that relay were Hahn, freshman Farrah Hahn and McPeek.

McPeek earned the Trojans’ other individual medal at states with a seventh-place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke.

Seeded eight in the event at 1:04.25, McPeek swam the prelim in 1:04.08 and finished in 1:03.48 in finals to earn the medal.

“I don’t think it’s exactly my best,” she said. “But I gave it all I could and it’s pretty good for where I’m at, so I’m pretty happy about it.”

McPeek also swam in the 50-yard freestyle at states, finishing 26th.

Parkland junior Johanna Cook came one place away from earning a medal in diving at states, finishing ninth with a score of 393.15.

Milla Hahn was one of two Trojans who swam two individual events in one day at the state meet.

She competed in individual medley, finishing 14th in 2:09.28. She also placed 19th in 100 butterfly in 58.15. Also a member of the medley relay, Hahn swam in five races last Friday at Bucknell.

Kish competed in the 100-yard backstroke at states, placing 19th.

Parkland’s boys team was led by junior diver Bradley Kunz, who finished fifth at states with a score of 462.10.

The District 11 runner up, Kunz was seeded 11th for the event at states with his score of 434.50. He performed even better under the brights lights of the state championships to earn his first state medal.

Parkland’s boys team saw several seniors competing in their final high school swim meet, including three who have been with the team all four years in Gabe Krizel, Pedro Teran and Michael Toth.

Teran qualified for states for the second time in his career and swam in two events at the meet for the first time. He qualified for the B final in 100-yard backstroke. Seeded 17th he finished 16th in the event last Saturday.

Teran also swam in the 200 freestyle at states, placing 19th. He was hoping to make it to states his senior year, but was more focused on doing what it would take to get there.

“It wasn’t necessarily a goal,” Teran said of qualifying for states. “It was a by-product of my goal, which was to swim the best I could. I didn’t want to end this season with any regrets.

“I don’t really care what my time was. I know I gave it all I had and I’m pretty happy with the outcome.”

Krizel felt the same way. He qualified for states for the first time in his career and finished 26th in backstroke. But the times and places weren’t as meaningful as the hard work and experience it took to achieve them.

“I don’t have any regrets. I swam my perfect season,” said Krizel, adding that his goals had more to do with “doing your best and being your best self. It’s not even about swimming. It’s about coming out as a better person. I’m going into life with the same mentality I have in the sport.”

Toth also swam in states for the first time in his career, finishing 24th in the 500-yard freestyle. He always hoped to swim at states and when his chance finally arrived he found the meet was as enjoyable as he hoped it would be.

“It was all that and more,” Toth said. “You don’t understand how awesome this is unless you get to come.”

Parkland junior Thomas Price is the other Trojan that swam in two individual events on the same day at states. His events were not just on the same day, but also back to back.

After swimming the 50-yard freestyle prelims in 21.39 for 21st place, Price jumped right back in for the 100 butterfly and cam one place away from earning a place in the B final with his 17th-place finish in 51.38.

A pair of Parkland sophomores also swam for the Trojan boys team at states last weekend.

Dominic Faenza made the B final in the 500 freestyle and finished 16th in 4:38.21. He also competed in the 200 freestyle and finished 19th. Classmate Jacob Piccini swam in the 100 freestyle at states and finished 30th.

Two Parkland boys relay teams came one place away from reaching the B final.

The Trojan 200 medley relay team of Krizel, Ethan Coleman, Price and senior Doug Bell swam the event in 1:35.60 for 17th place. The 16th-place team from Abington edged the Trojans by .02 for the final place in the consolation final.

Parkland’s 200-yard freestyle relay team also finished 17th. The foursome of senior Eric Friday, Faenza, Piccini and Bell finished in 1:26.67. They finished .17 behind the 16th place team for the final spot in the B final.