LEWISBURG — The bright lights and the loud atmosphere of the PIAA Swimming and Diving Championships can be intimidating for a young swimmer.

An upper deck full of rabid fans screaming loudly every race.

A pool deck full of swimmers and coaches you’ve never met, all going about their business with great intensity and focus.

The PCN TV cameras following your every move.

The pressure of succeeding at the top level of your sport increasing as the time of your race approaches. The realization that all the work you’ve put in over the course of the season and offseason comes down to how you swim in one race.

Add it all together, and it can create a level of nervousness and anxiety that may be too much for a high school teenager to handle.

Talent is a big reason the swimmers who walk into Bucknell University’s Kinney Natatorium over the next two days are there. But as the old sports cliche goes, you can’t win on talent alone.

The key to success is the mental approach those talented swimmers possess as they get set to compete on the state’s biggest stage.

Those who handle it successfully, those who come in with the right approach, those who overcome the butterflies and nervousness, those who stay loose and carefree …. those are the swimmers who usually achieve their time goals and potentially leave Bucknell with a medal.

Savannah Wilson is a perfect example.

The Tamaqua senior will compete at states for the third straight year this weekend, swimming on the Blue Raiders’ 200 medley and 400 freestyle relay teams and competing in her specialty, the 100-yard breaststroke. A three-time District 11 champion in the event, she’ll enter Saturday’s race seeded third.

Last season, Wilson placed seventh in the 100 breaststroke to capture a state medal. She said the difference between her sophomore year, when she was 17th, and last year was her mental approach.

“My sophomore year, which is the first year I went to states, I ended up 17th and I added a second and a half,” Wilson said at the Schuylkill League’s group practice last Saturday at Blue Mountain’s Glen Belmont Natatorium. “What changed between sophomore and junior year was the way I thought about it mentally.

“Sophomore year, I let all that nervousness and anxiousness consume me. And it showed in the pool significantly.

“Last year, I focused on my taper but I also focused on just being happy with myself no matter how I performed. I did want to get top eight, I knew I had that going for me. I just wanted to make sure that I wasn’t constantly worrying about everything when I was on the pool deck.”

Having the right mental approach will critical for the 27 Schuylkill League swimmers and divers who will compete over the next two days.

Wilson is one of several Schuylkill League swimmers and divers that enter the two-day Class AA competition in position to secure a state medal. Action begins at 8:05 a.m. with the boys’ preliminaries and will conclude around 9 p.m. Saturday with the final girls’ championship and consolation races.

Here’s some facts, figures and things you need to know as the Schuylkill League looks to extend its PIAA medal streak to 10 straight years.

If you go …

Bucknell University is located on Route 15 in Lewisburg. As you enter the campus off Route 15, the Kinney Natatorium is located on your left in the same building as the gymnasium. Parking is available on the street and in adjacent lots.

Tickets are available online at www.piaa.org. There are separate tickets for each session, each day as the balcony is cleared after each session.

 

If you don’t go …

The consolation and finals for both boys’ and girls’ both days will be televised live by PCN. There’s live streaming available through PCN as well.

Or, you could just follow me on X @pubsportsboss and on the T102 Sports Now. I’ll be posting live updates and stories all day, both days on both social media and our website.

Schedule

The following is the schedule for the PIAA Class AA Swimming and Diving Championships at Bucknell University’s Kinney Natatorium:

TODAY

7-8 a.m. — Boys’ swimming warm-ups

7:05 a.m. — Spectators admitted to balcony

8:05-9:35 a.m. — Boys’ preliminaries in 200 medley relay, 200 freestyle, 200 IM, 50 freestyle, 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle relay

9:50-10:50 a.m. — Girls’ swimming warm-ups

9:55 a.m. — Spectators admitted to balcony

10:55 a.m. to 12:25 p.m. — Girls’ preliminaries in 200 medley relay, 200 freestyle, 200 IM, 50 freestyle, 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle relay

12:30 p.m. — Spectators admitted to balcony

12:40-3:40 p.m. — Boys’ AA Diving Championships

3:55-4:25 p.m. — Boys’ swimming warm-ups

4 p.m. — Spectators admitted to balcony

4:30-6:10 p.m. — Boys’ consolations/finals in 200 medley relay, 200 freestyle, 200 IM, 50 freestyle, 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle relay

6:25-6:55 p.m. — Girls’ swimming warm-ups

6:30 p.m. — Spectators admitted to balcony

7-8:40 p.m. — Girls’ consolations/finals in 200 medley relay, 200 freestyle, 200 IM, 50 freestyle, 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle relay

SATURDAY

7-8 a.m. — Boys’ swimming warm-ups

7:05 a.m. — Spectators admitted to balcony

8:05-9:35 a.m. — Boys’ preliminaries in 100 freestyle, 500 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 100 breaststroke, 400 freestyle relay

9:50-10:50 a.m. — Girls’ swimming warm-ups

9:55 a.m. — Spectators admitted to balcony

10:55 a.m. to 12:25 p.m. — Girls’ preliminaries in 100 freestyle, 500 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 100 breaststroke, 400 freestyle relay

12:30 p.m. — Spectators admitted to balcony

12:40-3:40 p.m. — Girls’ AA Diving Championships

3:55-4:25 p.m. — Boys’ swimming warm-ups

4 p.m. — Spectators admitted to balcony

4:30-6:15 p.m. — Boys’ consolations/finals in 100 freestyle, 500 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 100 breaststroke, 400 freestyle relay

6:15 p.m. — Boys’ AA team awards

6:30-7 p.m. — Girls’ swimming warm-ups

6:35 p.m. — Spectators admitted to balcony

7:05-8:50 p.m. — Girls’ consolations/finals in 100 freestyle, 500 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 100 breaststroke, 400 freestyle relay

8:50 p.m. — Girls’ AA team awards

Schuylkill League qualifiers

The Schuylkill League will have 27 swimmers and divers competing this weekend at Bucknell, the second-highest total in league history. There were 28 qualifiers in 2005 and 2019.

For a detailed look at the league’s qualifiers, visit https://www.t102sportsnow.com/2026/03/12/piaa-swimming-preview-meet-the-schuylkill-leagues-state-qualifiers/

Schuylkill League practice

Kudos to Blue Mountain coach Pete Sarnes for scheduling a group practice of the Schuylkill League’s swimmers and divers Saturday at the Glen Belmont Natatorium.

Nineteen swimmers and two divers attended, putting together a nearly two-hour workout and building camaraderie among the participants.

Having friends from other schools at states to cheer you on is an underrated advantage and helps ease the nervousness and anxiety before each race. The Schuylkill League’s state qualifiers have been tight-knit groups over the years and this year’s contingent is no different.

As an example, the group did a “Birthday Swim” for Blue Mountain swimmer Gabe Kamarousky, who turned 18. Teammate Zach Scala also did one. The group then sang Happy Birthday to Kamarousky. What’s a “Birthday Swim?”

Here’s a look:

 

 

Haven tandem excited

Schuylkill Haven will send two swimmers to Bucknell, sophomores Ethan Miller and Hope Stauffer. I talked to them about states during the Schuylkill League practice session.

Here’s that interview:

 

Schuylkill League Medal Haul?

The Schuylkill League has been fairly successful at the PIAA Swimming and Diving Championships in the two decades I’ve been covering states.

Not counting when states was canceled in 2020 due to COVID — I was en route and turned around — this will be the 21st year I’ve covered the state meet.

There was the heyday of Schuylkill League girls’ swimming in the mid-2000s when Lindsay Guers, Kristen Shickora and Allysa Vavra led a continuous parade to the top of the medal stand. Recently, it’s been the boys who have dominated as Danny Berlitz (4), Noah Powers (3) and Reggie Crawford brought home gold medals.

How will the Schuylkill League fare this year? If history is any indication, there will at least five medalists.

Here’s a look over the years at how the Schuylkill League has fared since the PIAA Swimming and Diving Championships moved to Bucknell for the 2004-05 season:

 

Schuylkill League Swimmers in postseason
Year	Dist. 11	District 11	State	State
	champs	medals earned	qualifiers	medals
2025-26	13	43 (33 ind., 10 relay)	27	???
2024-25	14	49 (36 ind., 13 relay)	26	8
2023-24	14	56 (42 ind., 14 relay)	16	5
2022-23	15	54 (39 ind., 15 relay)	23	8
2021-22	15	58 (42 ind., 16 relay)	24	7
2020-21	11	49 (37 ind., 12 relay)	14	5
2019-20	7	46 (33 ind., 13 relay)	19	States ppd
2018-19	12	48 (36 ind., 12 relay)	28	5
2017-18	11	45 (31 ind., 14 relay)	19	5
2016-17	8	40 (28 ind., 12 relay)	20	5
2015-16	10	39 (27 ind., 12 relay)	13	5
2014-15	6	36 (25 ind., 11 relay)	11	None
2013-14	2	24 (15 ind., 9 relay)	9	2
2012-13	None	18 (11 ind., 7 relay)	9	None
2011-12	None	15 (8 ind., 7 relay)	13	1
2010-11	3	14 (11 ind., 3 relay)	7	None
2009-10	1	20 (12 ind., 8 relay)	8	None
2008-09	4	23 (16 ind., 7 relay)	12	2
2007-08	9	34 (25 ind., 9 relay)	10	7
2006-07	11	36 (27 ind., 9 relay)	21	18
2005-06	10	36 (26 ind., 10 relay)	23	17
2004-05	12	36 (28 ind., 8 relay)	28	12
— Compiled by Leroy Boyer