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Lebanon County swimmers set for state meet


It's time for the area's top swimmers to head up Route 15 North in pursuit of state meet glory.

Specifically, Lebanon County will send five individuals and two relay teams to the PIAA Swimming Championships that get underway on Wednesday.

Trekking to Bucknell University's Kinney Natatorium to compete against the best scholastic swimmers the state of Pennsylvania has to offer are Cedar Crest's Caitlyn Gelgot, Annville-Cleona's Cole Connelly and Adam Fox, Palmyra's Teag Culver and Joshua Wakefield and Palmyra's 200 and 400 freestyle relay teams.

Making up Palmyra's 200 free relay will be Wakefield, Culver, Joey Giordano, and Tanner Yaw, while Ryan James joins Wakefield, Culver and Yaw on the 400 free relay.

Leading the county contingent will be Culver, coming off a double bronze medal performance at the District Three Class AA Championships two weeks ago. After taking third in both the 200 and 500 freestyle at districts, Culver, a senior, is looking to close his career with a trip to the medal stand at states. He's seeded 11th in the 500, and 14th in the 200.

Based on seeding, though, Culver's best shot at a medal comes in the 200 free relay, where he, Wakefield, Giordano and Yaw are seeded seventh in AA. The Cougars' 400 free relay has secured the No. 10 seed.

Wakefield owns the county's best individual seed, checking in at No. 10 in the 50 free on the heels of a fourth-place effort at the district meet. He's also set to compete in the 100 free as the 23rd seed.

Joining the Palmyra crew in boys Class AA competition will be Annville-Cleona's Fox and Connelly. Fox, also a standout football and track and field athlete for the Little Dutchmen, has qualified in two events - the 50 and 100 freestyle. He's seeded 15th in the 100 free and 21st in the 50. Connelly, meanwhile, snared the 13th seed in the 200 IM.

Gelgot is the lone female swimmer from the county set to compete at Bucknell, having qualified 18th in the 50 free in girls AAA. Gelgot will also be the first county competitor in action, hitting the pool on Wednesday, when the girls AAA preliminaries get underway.

Boys AA action begins on Friday and wraps up on Saturday. Culver (200 free), Wakefield (50 free) Connelly, Fox (50 free) and Palmyra's 200 free relay will hit the pool on Friday, while Culver (500 free), Wakefield and Fox (100 free) and the Palmyra's 400 free relay will help close out the meet on Saturday.

For a complete state swimming schedule, visit piaa.org.