PIAA SWIMMING: Chambersburg's Abby Stauffer and Nick Cover look to finish strong at states

This is what Chambersburg swimmer Abby Stauffer has been preparing for all season.

After earning a pair of medals and breaking two school records in the District 3 Class AAA Championships, Stauffer will look to roll that success over into the PIAA Championships on Friday and Saturday at Bucknell University. Fellow Trojan Nick Cover will also participate in the diving championships after a fourth-place finish in districts.

Stauffer finished second in the 200 IM at districts, breaking a school record with a time of 2:03.22. She also broke a school record in the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:04.76, good enough for sixth. Stauffer and the Trojans hope she can improve on those numbers at states.

"Abby put a lot of time in the water before districts," Chambersburg coach Donnie Miller said. "We didn't back off much at all. She was still doing two practices a day, and we were happy with her times. Now, we've started to taper her swimming to get her rested and ready to put up her best times this weekend."

Stauffer said, "I'm excited to see how that works out. Most swimmers have been tapering off for a while now, but I've kept working."

Stauffer will compete in the 200 IM on Friday – she's seeded fourth – followed by the 500 free on Saturday, in which she's seeded 14th. And with it being her last high school meet, Stauffer plans to leave it all out in the water.

"It's hard to believe that this is going to be my last meet," Stauffer said. "It feels like just yesterday that I started my freshman year. I'm just hoping to improve on my times and place better than I did last year (she was fourth in the 200 IM)."

Miller said, "I think Abby is going to swim very fast and do very well. She's worked hard all season, put the time in both in and out of the water, and this will be the culmination of all the hard work and effort that she's put in."

While Stauffer is a veteran to these kind of meets, Cover is not. The freshman will be making his first appearance in the PIAAs.

"I've been working on all of my dives," Cover said. "I've been really focusing on my entries and some of my more difficult dives."

Cover knows he's going to be in for quite the experience at states, admitting that the atmosphere will definitely have a different feel, but Chambersburg diving coach Ryan Crider thinks he'll be able to handle the pressure.

"I think he'll be fine," Crider said. "Nick is a true competitor, and he has his head on straight when it comes to diving. It should take little effort to get him ready for this."

Cover goes into the championships seeded 14th, but he is hoping to finish better on Saturday.

"I'm hoping for a medal, so the top-eight is my goal," Cover said,

Crider said, "We don't know what to expect from guys outside our district, but we think a top 5-10 finish would be a great showing for Nick."

If both Stauffer and Cover live up to expectations, the Trojans could be in for a successful weekend.