Sykes, Glinecke earn silver at District 1 Championships
Philadelphia >> Methacton’s Emily Sykes knew she could do a lot better than what her seeding time showed.
So when her name was read off in the second to last heat of the 100-yard breaststroke, the junior knew she had plenty to prove on the final day of the District 1-AAA Championships at La Salle University.
“I wanted to put a scare into the final heat,” she said afterward. “I knew that I could do a lot better than my qualifying time. So it was up to me to go out and prove it.”
With the stage set, Sykes posted a 1:03.73 – good for three seconds off her qualifying time – to take first in her heat and eventually capture the silver medal. She finished behind only Avon Grove’s Olivia Paoletti, who set a new district-record of 1:03.03.
At the conclusion of day two, Sykes and Pottsgrove’s Emily Glinecke each sported a silver medal. Phoenixville junior Maddie Cooke took fourth place in the 100 breast.
“I felt like kind of an underdog,” Sykes admitted, “but that’s fine with me. I knew what I could do, so I’m glad to be able to go back to states.”
By the end of the meet, North Penn captured the District 1-AAA title with 343 team points followed by Pennridge with 196.5. Methacton placed 10th with 82 points followed by Phoenixville in 14th (62) and Owen J. Roberts in 18th with 44 points.
In AA, Villa Maria captured its 14th consecutive title with 567.5 points. Gwynedd Mercy followed with 338 team points while Upper Perkiomen finished sixth with 108. Pottsgrove took ninth place with 83 points.
Sykes also swam the first leg of the Warriors’ eighth-place 400 free relay which closed the meet with a school-best 3:34.69. The contingent included senior Sarah Lebold, sophomore Anna Price and freshman Victoria Zang on the anchor.
Though they didn’t automatic qualify for the state championship, the Warriors could be up for time qualifications. In addition to her 100 breaststroke and possibly the 400 free relay, Sykes will also be focusing on the 200 IM, where she earned sixth place on the opening day of the meet.
“Our relay did awesome,” said Sykes. “We got Sarah (Lebold) to the podium for the first time in her career. That’s what we all talked about before the relay. We came together and we said ‘let’s close this out right.’ I’m really proud of the way we finished it.”
Glinecke brought a similar mentality into her final 100 breast event, which she still holds the record from last season.
“I looked around and thought to myself ‘This is it,’” she said after the meet. “This was my last chance, so I knew I wanted to make it count.”
Glinecke posted a 1:04.48 in the event, finishing behind only Gwynedd Mercy’s Annie O’Dare (1:03.98). The silver medal was her second of the weekend, after she captured third in the 200 free on Friday.
“There were a couple things that I know I need to work on for states,” she said. “My pull-ups weren’t as good as they should have been and my turns weren’t great.
“All in all, I’m pretty happy with my times, though. Most importantly, my record still stands,” she said with a laugh.
After battling illness over the course of the past couple of days, Cooke admits she was much happier about day two’s results.
“All I thought about today was just getting to states – nothing else,” she said. “That mentality actually worked really well. I was happy with my time and the way I swam.”
With some rest and the ability to practice fully again, she’ll look to turn heads at states, similar to how Sykes did on the final day of districts. Along with the 100 breast, Cooke will also be competing in the 50 free, where she placed fourth on Friday.
“I know I won’t be a top seed in anything,” she said, “so I’ve got to bring the right approach with me. It would be easy for me to sit here and be angry about the past week, but that won’t change anything. I’ve just got to get ready to get back there.”
Perkiomen Valley’s 400 free relay closed out the meet with an 11th place finish in the 400 free relay. The relay, which included Megan Gray, Kayla King, Elizabeth Turner and Elle Thorneloe, touched at 3:35.80.
NOTES >> Upper Perkiomen’s Kirsten Siwy finished sixth in the 100 free with a 54.38. … Pottsgrove’s Courtney Sheffer finished 12th in the 100 back with a time of 1:04.47. … With her older brother Logan Thorneloe (Perkiomen Valley ’15) manning the lap-tracker, Elle Thorneloe posted a 5:20.92 in the 500 free.
