Tight Races Highlight Opening Days of Pennsylvania YMCA Festival

Daniel Diehl

A number of tight races, particularly on the girls side, have highlighted the first two days of the Pennsylvania YMCA Festival.

The apex was Friday where back-to-back races on the girls half of the meet were decided by two-hundredths of a second each to end the night session. Meaghan Harnish of York YMCA just held off the charge from Grey Davis of Cavalier Aquatics/Piedmont YMCA in the 400 individual medley, her time of 4:15.43 getting to the wall .02 ahead. Davis closed with a frenetic 56.37 free split on the last 100 to close the gap.

In the concluding event, Alexa Fulton of Upper Main Line YMCA and York’s Emily Way were neck and neck in the 200 freestyle, Fulton getting her hand to the wall first in 1:49.33, a margin of victory of .02.

The Pennsylvania YMCA Festival, hosted by York YMCA’s Graham Aquatic Center, is one of five nationally. Two were held last week, and the PA meet is concurrent with ones in Wisconsin and New Jersey this weekend. The meets, hosted by local YMCAs for swimmers with nationals cuts, have been created in 2021 in lieu of cancelled national meets.

Harnish’s IM triumph was her second win of the meet, complementing a victory in the 200 breaststroke Thursday night. Davis had won the 100 butterfly on the opening night. Third in that IM race, York’s Riley Trout, won the 200 back Thursday, another tremendous race with Anya Mostek of Phoenixville Area YMCA that Trout prevailed in by .15 seconds in 1:57.31. Mostek would win the 100 back Friday night.

On the boys side, Daniel Diehl of Cumberland YMCA had a busy Friday. He won the 100 back in 47.39 seconds, outlasting Tommy Janton of YDE Western Wahoos. Diehl then turned around to win the 200 free in 1:35.99, just .26 ticks ahead of Cavaliers’ Thomas Heilman.

Janton won the 200 backstroke on Night 1, with Jack Christian second. Christian would take third in the 100 back. Heilman won the 100 fly on Thursday.

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