Centre County swimmers ready for 2021 PIAA championships after last year’s cancellation

Stephanie Delaney paused for a moment. “I’m sorry,” was all she could muster out. A few hours later Marion Ulmer took a long pause, then a deep breath.

“I’m sorry, that’s sort of tough,” Ulmer said, her voice softening with every syllable. “It was a tough day. It’s hard not to get emotional.”

Both Delaney and Ulmer are high school swimming coaches, one at Penns Valley — Delaney — and the other at State College — Ulmer. Neither couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed at the thought of last year’s swimming championships.

They will be coaching their teams this weekend just over a year after the swimmers at each school had their opportunity to compete taken from them in a flash because of the coronavirus pandemic. This time, those swimmers will have their shot at state medals as they compete in the 2021 PIAA Swimming and Diving Championships.

The Rams and Little Lions are two of three Centre County schools — along with Bellefonte — with student-athletes participating this weekend.

All three schools have dealt with difficulties over the past year, but Penns Valley and Bellefonte have both had to relocate practices. The Rams have practiced at the State College YMCA, while the Red Raiders have traveled all the way to Tyrone to get ready for postseason meets.

Penns Valley’s logistical issues were doubled by schools participating in “virtual meets” this year, where schools would swim at their own facilities and then compare their times to determine a winner.

That wasn’t a possibility for the Rams, according to Delaney.

“We didn’t have that ability because we didn’t have a pool,” she said. “So we needed to hop into schools that would allow us to swim and take the necessary COVID precautions so we could compete in the same pool. We’re very thankful for those teams that would host us at their pool.”

State College shared issues that most schools faced — the uncertainty of the season, the virus protocols and whether or not the team was in school or learning remotely — but still managed to qualify for 10 races on the girls’ side and 11 on the boys’ side. The upside for the group — which is co-coached by Ulmer and Aaron Workman — is enormous.

Several Little Lion swimmers have a chance to fight for gold this weekend after already setting multiple pool and school records this season. A win at states would earn any Little Lion a banner that will be hung where the team’s home pool resides.

“Jade Castro has an awesome opportunity in the 100 backstroke,” Ulmer said. “She has an eye on that banner. She’ll also be in the 100 fly and has a good chance of scoring well there. Maddy Koehle and Mackenzie Pagett both have a shot at scoring well at the 100 breaststroke, they’re both in the final heat. We also have John Brownstead in the 200 freestyle set up to do well. It’ll be an exciting meet. ... It’s a really exciting opportunity for the qualifiers this year.”

Penns Valley doesn’t have the number of qualifiers that State High does — Anna Butler and Delaney’s daughter, Maggie are the Rams’ lone swimmers at states — but that doesn’t take away from the accomplishment.

Delaney has seen both athletes grow as swimmers and is excited for their opportunity. The coach was merely a parent last year and has been thrust into a coaching role this season. Her role last year gave her a different perspective on the shutdown than that of a coach. She was able to mourn with her daughter and the rest of the Rams.

“The girls were on deck, ready to swim and get in the water for their sessions. As they were entering the building, that’s when they called it,” Delaney said. “They never got to finalize that season.”

Both Delaney and Ulmer mentioned the difficulty of their swimmers missing out on last season’s states — State High had a few swimmers finish their finals, but plenty more who never did when the meet was called.

They understand the sacrifices all of their swimmers have made to get from that point — one of sadness, frustration, despair and confusion — to what could come this weekend — the triumph, the nerves, the excitement and the opportunity — and they’re both hopeful that they will all be recognized for what they’ve achieved, regardless of the outcome.

“For all of the athletes, the adversity that they’ve overcome is something to be acknowledged,” Delaney said. “We’re excited that this year they have the opportunity.”

Until then, Delaney and Ulmer are grateful that they’ve had a part in making this season a success and getting to this point. Coaches like them, along with those involved in the swimming community, have made it possible to host a state championship meet after not completing last year’s championships.

Ulmer is glad the work put in by the swimmers will now come to a head. They’ll have an opportunity to put the COVID protocols, last year’s lost championship and any other obstacles out of their minds.

“As a coach, that’s what you want for your kids,” Ulmer said. “We work hard as coaches to make sure that — all of the other things — they don’t have to worry about. When they dive off that block, it’s them and the water. They just get to swim as fast as they can, and they don’t have to worry about the other stuff.”

This weekend — for the first time in two years at the state championships — will just be about the swimmers and the water.

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Jon Sauber

Centre Daily Times

(814) 231-6461

Jon Sauber covers Penn State football and men’s basketball for the Centre Daily Times. He earned his B.A. in digital and print journalism from Penn State and his M.A. in sports journalism from IUPUI. His previous stops include jobs at The Indianapolis Star, the NCAA, and Rivals.