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Glory days: William Penn's swimming history by coaching eras


COACH JOHN WEIMER (1935-36)

State champions

1935: Donald Houseal (diving)

1936: Donald Houseal (diving)

State team titles: None

Regional titles: None

District 3 team titles: 1935, 1936

COACH CHARLES BOECKEL (1937-56)

State champions

1937: None

1938: 150-yard medley relay (William Jones, John Reidle, Carl Schaeberle)

1939: Harry Schaeffer (diving), Claude Hinkle (100 backstroke), 150 medley relay (Johnny Reidel, Gordon Koons and Ira Metzer)

1940: Bill Schmidt* (100 breaststroke), 150 medley relay (Claude Hinkle, Don Holtz, Eugene Lauer)

1941: Bill Schmidt* (100 breast), 150 medley relay* (Eugene Lauer, Morgan Hein, Schmidt)

1942: Bill Schmidt* (100 breast), 150 medley relay* (Richard Potts, Morgan Hein, Schmidt)

1943: Richard Potts (100 freestyle)

1944: Donald "Irish" McCloskey (100 back)

1945: Donald McCloskey (100 back), Richard Mylin (100 free)

1946: Bruce Ness (diving)

1948: Tom Benner (100 free)

1949: None

1950: Tom Benner (200 free), 200 free relay* (John Koch, Carl Brothers, Frank Nauss, Benner)

1951: 150 medley relay (Joe Niedzielski, Mike Andrews, Frank Nauss), Charles Weaver (diving)

1952: 200 free relay* (William Becker, Doug White, Jim Musser, Gary Hibner)

1953: 150 medley relay* (Mike Andrews, George Bell, Charles Bechtel), 200 free relay (Doug White, Jim Musser, Gary Hibner, Bechtel)

1954: 200 free relay* (Lee Engdahl, Phil Swisher, Doug White, Charles Bechtel)

1955: Charles Bechtel (200 free), Charles Bormuth (100 back), William Lynne (100 free), 150 medley relay (Bormuth, Jack Eichelberger, Phil Swisher), 200 free relay* (Ken Ilgenfritz, Lee Engdahl, Lynne)

1956: Jack Eichelberger (100 breast), 200 free relay (Barry Kent, John Mirtz, Gary Billet, William Lynne), 200 medley relay (John Binder, Eichelberger, Kenny Ilgenfritz, Lynne)

Team state champs: 1939 (first in school history), 1940, 1941, 1943, 1950, 1951, 1953, 1955, 1956

Eastern Regional champs: 1939, 1940 (tied with Allentown), 1941, 1942, 1943, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1952 (tied with Allentown), 1953, 1955, 1956

District 3 team titles: 1937-53, 1955-56

COACH DONALD HOUSEAL (1957-1963)

State champions

1957: John Mirtz (50 free), 200 free relay (Mirtz, Jack Gingerich, Barry Kent, William Lynne), 200 medley relay* (John Binder, Jack Eichelberger, Terry Slonaker, Jim Beattie)

1958: Terry Slonaker* (100 butterfly), John Binder (100 back), Mike Schaeberle* (100 breast), 200 medley relay (Slonaker, Binder, Schaeberle, Jack Gingerich)

1959: Mike Schaeberle* (100 breast)

1960: Bill Groft* (50 free), Groft (100 free)

1961: Bill Groft (50 free, tie for first), Groft (100 free)

1962: Jim Massam* (100 back), Bill Groft+ (100 free)

1963: Bill Groft* (200 free), Jim Massam* (100 back)

Team state champs: 1957, 1958, 1963

Regional champs: 1957-61, 1963

District champs: 1957-61, 1963

COACH BILL SCHMIDT SR. (1964-1979)

1964: Doug Owen* (200 free), Ron Brillhart* (200 IM)

1965: Doug Owen+ (200 free), Ron Brillhart+ (200 IM)

1966: Tobin Gerhart (200 free), 400 free relay* (Gerhart, Ron Brillhart, Bob Sahms, Jim Gingerich)

1967: Bob Sahms (100 fly), 400 free relay (Sahms, Tobin Gerhart, Bill Schmidt Jr., John Schrantz)

1968: Bob Sahms* (100 fly), Dave Anstine (100 breast)

1969: Bob Sahms* (100 fly), Tom Schaeberle* (100 breast), 200 medley relay (Dave Anstine, Tom Schaeberle, Sahms, Neil Beck)

1970-79: None

Team state champs: 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968

Regional champs: 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968 (meet discontinued after 1968 season)

District champs: 1965-68

* — Indicates state record

+ — Indicates tied a state record

Note: The PIAA officially sanctioned a team state champion from 1981 to present day. Before then, newspaper articles documented what team won the state championship and a trophy was sometimes awarded but a state championship team was not officially recognized by the PIAA.

Sources: The Gazette and Daily, York Daily Record, The York Dispatch, Reading Eagle.