Souderton ended the PIAA Class AAA girls swimming and diving championships on a high note.
The Indians - who finished second to three-time champion Emmaus in the team scoring - garnered three gold medals at the meet, which finished up on Saturday at Bucknell University. The Green Hornets had 237 points to 212.50 for the Indians.
Paige Whitmire won the 100 backstroke in a state record time of 54.45. The old mark was 55.08 by Tricia Weaner of Gettysburg Area in 2006.
“I don’t think it’s hit me yet,” Whitmire said. “I’m so excited and happy.
“In the 400 free I knew I had to go all out. I definitely felt it but we wanted to win so badly.”
Angela Severn won the 500 freestyle in another state record time of 4:48.13. The old record was 4:48.43 set last year by Jaime Malantra of Parkland, this year’s second place finisher.
“Looking back on this year, I feel so good,” Severn said. “This year I dropped so much time here.
“It’s so much fun having Paige as a friend and a competitor pushing me. It’s been great for me.”
Whitmire and Severn were joined by Chloe Thomas and Missy Doll to win the 400 freestyle relay in yet another state record time of 3:25.30, beating the time of 3:26.65 set by Emmaus in the preliminaries that day.
Doll was a medal winner in her own right, getting seventh in the 100 freestyle in 51.60.
“It’s so much fun to be part of a team that’s this successful,” Doll said. “Everyone cheered for everyone else, and we really pulled together. I’m really looking forward to next year.
“We lose a lot of seniors but we have a lot of new people coming in..”
Also for the Indians, Mariel Kush was 10th in the 500 freestyle in 5:02.44, Ashley Kichline was 15th in the 100 backstroke in 58.94, and Lauren Peachey took 29th in the 100 breaststroke in 1:09.25.
Upper Dublin’s Megan Lafferty took second in the 100 backstroke in 54.74, which also bettered the state record, but was not enough to surpass Whitmire.
She was also on the 400 freestyle relay with Carolyn Meier, Erin Regan and Kelly Ashmead, which won the consolation final in 3:32.95.
Melanie Busch of William Tennent took fourth in the 100 backstroke in 55.68.
For Hatboro-Horsham, Jessica Healy took 14th place in the 100 backstroke with a time of 58.44 and Alyssa Guminski finished 27th in the 100 breaststroke in 1:08.55.
Council Rock North’s Madison Meyer finished 15th in the 500 freestyle in 5:05.45.
She was also on the 400 freestyle relay, along with Maggie Dillione, Bizzy Millen and Kate Dillione. The relay finished in 16th place in 3:37.04.
Kate Dillione was 26th in the 500 freestyle in 5:14.25 and Tori Hall was 27th in the 100 backstroke in 59.88 for CR North.
Alli Ludwick of Pennsbury took 21st in the 100 breaststroke in 1:07.61, a tie with Katie Wiechelt of Cumberland Valley.
North Penn’s Nicole Dibonaventura took 21st in the 500 freestyle in 5:09.85.
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