Parkland has a long tradition of athletic prowess in the water, and the swim and dive team’s recent performance at the PIAA state championships can prove it. To start, swimmers and divers had to qualify for states by participating in the District 11 championships (which Parkland did absolutely stellar at, with multiple podium positions achieved). In total, 7 girls and 8 boys made it to states.

At states, all swimmers and divers gave it their all and notably diver Bradley Kunz (12) placed fifth in the Class 3A one-meter diving competition and later managed to win the Morning Call’s Athlete of the week. 

The girls also did very well, earning third place in the 200 medley relay! 

On qualifying for states, swimmer Micheal Toth said, “It felt fantastic, it’s that feeling that you get after you accomplish something you’ve been working towards for a while.”

And when asked about advice he had for younger swimmers, he said, “You have to practice a lot, and you have to push yourself during those practices. Also, if something is wrong medically, it’s better if you take some time off to recover than go to practice and not give yourself time to recover.”

Congratulations to the PHS Swim and Dive team for making it to states and to individual swimmers who made it!