Trojan Double Victory Over Emmaus, The Streak Is Broken

In the Parkland Natatorium on December 21st, a loud and energized crowd experienced an incredibly close meet by the Parkland and Emmaus swim and dive teams. This was a meet that you did not want to miss. Both teams had large loyal followings with many swim and dive alumni home for the holidays ready to witness history being made. For the first time since the 2004 dual meet season, Parkland’s Coach McPeek led the boy’s swim and dive team to victory over the Hornets 97-89. On the girls side, the Lady Trojans again took down the Hornets 106-80. Each race and place counted in what will be a night to remember for all of the Trojans and their supportive fans.

The meet kicked off with the girls 200 medley relay where Parkland’s relay clocked in at a time of 1:47.32, exactly 1 second away from the current school record. Leading off the relay was freshman Sydney LaBaugh, followed by sophomores Kelsey McPeek and Milla Hahn, and anchored by senior Madison Roseman. In the 200 free, LaBaugh continued that momentum and took gold in a time of 1:55.14. Emmaus’s Mia Baldwin (2:02.00) and Gabriella Antunes (2:05.65) finished 2nd and 3rd. That event was followed up by a Parkland 1-2 finish in the 200 IM, where senior Sophia Cerimele had a time of 2:07.08 and Hahn had a time of 2:10.99. Emmaus’s Georgia Magditch took third in 2:14.13. Right before diving, Gloria Klees from Emmaus placed first in the 50 free with a time of 24.90. She was followed by Roseman (25.65) and Klees’ fellow teammate Izzy Sparaco (26.00). As for Parkland’s diving team, there was a 1-2 finish to help contribute to their win. Johanna Cook secured first with 178.35 points and Sam Schultz took second with 165.85 points.

After diving, Hahn grabbed first in the 100 fly in a time of 58.57, followed by Emmaus’s Sophia Harmon who went 59.89. In third was Parkland junior Julianne Zaffiro with a time of 1:01.81. Next was a close race in the 100 free. Klees took first in 54.13 seconds, followed by McPeek (55.14) and Roseman (55.62). Cerimele took her second individual win of the night in the 500 free with a 5:02.89. She was followed by Magditch (5:26.37) and Ella Rafeld, a sophomore from Parkland (5:36.01). Another great relay performance was put on by Parkland’s 200 free relay team McPeek, Roseman, Hahn, and Cerimele. They clocked in at a time of 1:40.15 to take the win. LaBaugh secured her second individual gold of the night in the 100 back with a time of 57.46. Emmaus’s Mabry Krause touched at 1:02.60 and Zaffiro had a great finish of 1:03.25 to take third. In the last individual event of the night, the 100 breast, McPeek went a 1:05.74 to secure first. Emmaus’s Harmon (1:11.82) and Druthi Reddy (1:14.58) placed 2-3. Parkland’s 400 free relay team consisted of Cerimele, Zaffiro, junior Mackenzie Platt, and LaBaugh who touched at a time of 3:37.72 to finish off the night and secure the victory.

As for the boys, an Emmaus 19-year winning streak was broken but it was not easy for the Parkland Men’s Team to accomplish. It took a full team effort and a lot of 2-3-4 finishes as Parkland flexed its team depth in many races. The 200 medley relay event was won by Emmaus’s Griffin Messenlehner, Carson Mosel, Anderson Borst, and Garrett Longbons in a time of 1:39.85. In the 200 free, Emmaus’s Logan Shriver took first in 1:46.21. He was followed by Parkland junior Pedro Teran (1:47.39) and freshman Dominic Faenza (1:47.96). As we moved on to the 200 IM, Emmaus’s Logan Hartman finished first in a time of 2:00.27, Parkland junior Colton Chung took second in 2:02.89, and Borst took third in 2:03.49. A tight race followed in the 50 free, where Messenlehner won in a 22.20 only .02 seconds ahead of Parkland freshman Jacob Piccini. Piccini’s teammate, sophomore Thomas Price, finished third in 23.26 seconds. The Parkland boy’s diving team impacted the overall score with a huge 1-2-3 finish. Bradley Kunz with 250.25 points, Harry Epstein with 183.55 points, and Charlie Epstein with 174.25 points.

After the impressive diving performance, Chung and Price had a 2-3 finish in the 100 fly with a 54.57 and 55.22 behind Borst’s 52.99 finish. Next was another close race in the 100 free where Messenlehner took his second individual gold with a 48.70, Piccini followed with a 48.81, and senior Dannik Khais from Parkland placed third in 49.09 seconds. Shriver followed this event and took his second individual gold of the meet with a 4:48.44 in the 500 free. Faenza placed second with a time of 4:54.73 and his fellow teammate freshman Pierce Brundage followed in 4:55.94. In the 200 free relay, Emmaus won in a time of 1:31.05 with the team of Borst, Julian Vlaeminck, Reid Lovett, and Shriver. Emmaus’s third double individual winner of the meet, Hartman, claimed his second gold in the 100 back. He clocked in with a time of 54.29, followed by Teran’s 54.76, and Parkland junior Gabe Krizel’s 57.28. In the last individual race of the night, freshman Ethan Coleman from Parkland had a meet-clinching swim in the 100 breast to take first in a time of 1:02.34. Longbons finished in a close second with a 1:02.65 and Brundage took a very important third with a 1:04.67. Shriver, Vlaeminick, Messenlehner, and Hartman finished off the meet with an impressive 3:16.49 finish in the 400 free relay. Parkland’s 2-3 finish in the relay secured the victory and finally broke the 19-year-long drought.

Both Parkland and Emmaus put on unbelievable performances for the packed natatorium. This meet was a great test for both teams as they now transition over to their winter training and prepare for the rest of their 23-24 schedule. The Parkland Boys Team will advance to 4-0 and the Lady Trojans will also advance to 4-0 on their season. We expect to see improvement throughout the winter as the swimmers and divers continue to train, compete, and prepare for districts.