State College swimmer Molly Workman claims 4 gold medals, sets PIAA record at states
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- Molly Workman won four golds and set a PIAA 50 free record.
- State College relays took two golds, including a dramatic 400 free comeback.
- Workman was named Class 3A Girls Swimmer of the Meet; she's headed to Virginia.
For the past four years, mid-March trips to Lewisburg for Molly Workman have concluded with the State College swimmer departing the state swim meet at Bucknell University with no shortage of medals.
Workman, however, saved her best outing for her last, as the Little Lions senior won four gold medals at the 2026 PIAA Class 3A Swimming and Diving Championships at Bucknell’s Kinney Natatorium. The State High girls team finished fourth with 149 points at the meet, which saw Class 3A wrap up Thursday and Class 2A finish Saturday.
Workman set a PIAA record with a time of 22.22 seconds in the 50 freestyle, winning her third gold medal in as many years in the event. And her 48.48 in the 100 freestyle was good enough to claim gold, which was also her third first-place finish in the event in the past three years.
But, of the four gold medals Workman collected, the one earned as part of the Little Lions’ 400 freestyle relay produced perhaps the most memorable moment of her final PIAA appearance.
“With our relays, we were underdogs in our mindset, so going in and winning those on top of my individuals was the perfect way to end my career,” said Workman, who is headed to the University of Virginia this fall to swim.
In one of the meet’s most dramatic finishes, the State College quartet of Workman, sophomore Isla Reite, junior Gabby Siekman and freshman Ellen Woodruff came from behind to bypass Fox Chapel and win gold in the 400 freestyle relay with a 3:24.98 finish.
“Isla Reite led us off with just a huge time drop both in the morning and at night,” said State College coach Aaron Workman, the father of Molly. “Gabby and Ellen both had their lifetime best splits to get Molly in a position to do her thing — throw down a 47.5, 100-freestyle split, which was just pretty incredible.”
State College also nabbed gold in the 200 freestyle relay, as Workman, Reite, Woodruff and junior Molly Staniar collectively swam a 1:33.11 in the event.
At the conclusion of the Class 3A competition, PIAA officials crowned Workman the Class 3A Girls Swimmer of the Meet.
“My friend who was on another team won (Girls Swimmer of the Year) the past three years, so it was sort of an elusive award,” Molly Workman said. “Finally getting it senior year was pretty special.”
Siekman and Reite each placed 13th in their respective events of the 200 individual medley (2:07.48) and 50 freestyle (24.13). State College’s 200 medley relay team of Siekman, Reite, Staniar and freshman Emmi Schwab also placed ninth with a time of 1:45.55.
Also competing in individual events for the two-day meet were fellow State College student-athletes in junior Emily Lindsley (200 freestyle), freshman Emmi Schwab (100 breaststroke) and senior Varrah Gramling (1-meter diving).
The State College boys battled an additional opponent at the state meet, as illness struck the team at an inopportune time. Overall, no boy came away with a medal.
Senior Leo Garlicki, juniors Luke Flickinger and Hudson Pell-Gibson, and sophomore Evan Koehle represented State College in the 200 medley. Flickinger (100 freestyle), Koehle (500 freestyle) and Garlicki (100 backstroke) also competed in individual events for the short-handed Little Lions. As did junior Jack Rivera (1-meter diving).
“The boys had an amazing year for the number of kids we had,” Aaron Workman said. “We had a great group that made the state meet. Unfortunately, the timing of some sickness and pretty significant flu (with) one of our best swimmers just snowballed. ... It was just a tough meet. We live to fight another day.”
Bellefonte, Penns Valley compete
The Rams sent four swimmers to Bucknell to compete in Class 2A action. None were able to make the podium, but two did make the finals.
On the girls’ end, senior Charlotte Delaney swam the 500 freestyle in 5 minutes, 13.76 seconds — more than 5 seconds faster than her time in prelims — to collect a 12th-place finish. And, on the boys’ side, freshman Jack Wolfe was 15th in the 100 butterfly with a finish in 53.66.
Wolfe (500 freestyle) and Delaney (100 butterfly) also competed in other events. Also representing Penns Valley at states were junior Mila Klena (200 individual medley) and freshman Eleanor Gillan (100 backstroke), in addition to the 200 medley relay team.
Bellefonte junior Sydney Fetters was the lone Red Raider at states. She participated in the 100 backstroke but did not advance past preliminaries.