Wildcats Shine at Williamsport Invitational, Hughes and Bair Break School Records
WILLIAMSPORT-The Central Mountain swim team made a statement at the Williamsport Coaches Invitational, with both the boys’ and girls’ teams delivering standout performances as they gear up for the PIAA AAA District 6 Championships.
The girls finished third out of 17 teams, just one point shy of second place, with multiple swimmers securing district-qualifying times. Senior Camryn Bair led the charge, breaking her own school record in the 200 IM with a winning time of 2:11.64, improving upon her previous mark of 2:14.69 set earlier this season. She later teamed up with Abrianna Hosley, Gabriella Hosley, and Anna Stahl to claim gold in a thrilling 200 Free Relay. Seeded seventh and racing out of Lane 1, the Wildcats defied expectations. Bair (24.52) gave the team an early lead, with Stahl (27.52) and Abrianna Hosley (27.34) keeping them ahead before Gabriella Hosley (26.14) out-touched Williamsport’s A relay by just 0.06 seconds to secure the win.
Abrianna Hosley also struck gold in the 500 Freestyle, swimming a personal-best 5:33.92—an impressive 11 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. The Wildcats continued their dominance in the 100 Breaststroke, with Bair (1:06.51) and Gabriella Hosley (1:12.17) finishing first and second. The 200 Medley Relay team of Abrianna Hosley, Bair, Gabriella Hosley, and Stahl set the tone early, winning their race in a season-best 1:55.05, edging out Jersey Shore by 1.39 seconds.
Four additional Wildcat swimmers hit district-qualifying times: Sloane Coakley (200 Free & 100 Back), Evelyn Albright (50 Free & 100 Fly), Erin Packer (500 Free), and Zoe McElroy (100 Back). In total, 10 Central Mountain girls will advance to the district championships.
On the boys’ side, senior Jonathan Hughes delivered two dominating performances, highlighted by a record-breaking swim in the 200 IM. Entering as the favorite, Hughes aimed to surpass the school record of 2:04.74, set by Ethan Dale in 2016. He wasted no time, splitting 26.58 in the butterfly before maintaining a strong pace through the backstroke (31.68) and breaststroke (34.38). He closed with a 30.35 in the freestyle to finish in 2:02.99, shattering the previous mark by 1.75 seconds. Hughes later secured another gold medal, winning the 100 Breaststroke in 1:01.45.
Junior Rhys Swift also had a strong showing, taking bronze in both the 200 IM (2:22.57) and the 500 Freestyle (5:33.06). Swift (200 IM) and Jacob Rembold (100 Backstroke) punched their tickets to the district championships with qualifying times.
With 12 boys and 10 girls qualifying, the Wildcats will be well-represented at the PIAA AAA District 6 Championships, set for February 21-22 at Penn State’s McCoy Natatorium.
