Kohm was in a zone for La Salle

There was no match for the La Salle mens swim team this year, and senior Zachary Kohm was a major reason.
Kohm, selected Athlete of the Year for mens swimming and diving, was a driving force for the State Champion Explorers.
“Winning another state title and adding to La Salle’s tremendous legacy in Swimming and Diving was a tremendous feeling,” he said.
Kohm and the Explorers persevered through unforeseen adversity to have one of the program’s finest seasons in its proud history.
“This was my first swim season at La Salle since transferring before the pandemic last year and I couldn’t be happier and more proud of the team,” Kohm said. “Coming into La Salle and being accepted by this great group of guys was truly a blessing and winning the state title was just icing on the cake. All the guys did their part and were amazing.”
Kohm was at his best at Bucknell.
The senior earned the silver medal in the 200-yard freestyle, racing to a time of 1 minute, 36.63 seconds (just a tenth of a second behind Daniel Boone’s Chris Guiliano).
Kohm then joined Dan McBryan, Andrew Acker and Quinn Buck to place second in the 200 freestyle, with a time of 1:23.74. Kohm motored to a 20.52 split.
He was just getting started.
La Salle’s versatile freestyler brought home the gold medal in the 500, cranking out a winning time of 4:24.84.
Added to that, he anchored the winning 400 free relay to cap off the meet, teaming up with Buck, Connor Goodyear and Harry Hearn for a first-place time of 3:02.87.
“Zach was a fierce competitor from our first practice all the way to him anchoring the gold medal 400 freestyle relay at states,” coach Stephen Duncheskie said of the standout, who earned All-American honors in all four events.
“It means a lot to me to be considered a state champion,” Kohm shared. “I went out there and did my thing and left nothing in the water. I wasn’t exactly shooting for a first place in the moment, I was just trying to do my best so my team could potentially bring home the championship and I collected the first place along the way.
“I couldn’t be happier with the way the meet went and the way that race went. Individual achievement means a lot to me, and I am super psyched about getting first place, but the collective achievement of winning the state championship means more to me.”
Nothing embodied that more than the 400 free relay, a perfect way to climax the weekend at Bucknell University.
“The gold in the relay was absolutely the best way to finish the meet. Finishing on top was a feeling like no other,” Kohm said. “Being out there with my teammates and laying it all on the line, knowing you put your everything into it and winning is a feeling like no other.
“The other teams put up great efforts and gave it their all and it was just a great race to end the meet. I have to give North Penn their credit. They put up such a good race and in the end we came out on top. You can’t talk about the 2021 State championship 400 free relay without including North Penn in there. They raced their butts off, props to them.”
Kohm certainly found a home at La Salle.
Said the senior: “Transferring in and being accepted immediately into the culture and the family that is La Salle College High School, I just couldn’t ask for more. My coaches and teammates all trusted me and gave me a chance to win the race and the rest is history. I wanna take a moment to thank them for putting their trust in me and giving me the leadership role so quickly and treating me like I’ve been there for years.
“I am really truly thankful and blessed for the opportunity the coaches, swimmers, LSCHS administration, and state officials gave us to be able to have this state championship in the most hectic of years. It was amazing and thanks to everyone who was involved.”
Kohm has Georgia on his mind.
“I want to try and win a SEC and potentially an NCAA title,” he said of his future as a Bulldog. “What really helped me make this decision is how the Georgia team treated me as family. Just like La Salle, coach (Jack) Bauerle developed a culture of acceptance and family and it just felt like home.
“The environment, the people, the place, everything just felt right. I couldn’t be happier with my decision and the opportunity I have in front of me.”

2021 All-Area Boys Swim Team
200 medley relay: La Salle (Paul Brosky, Gavin Brooke, Tim Grossi, Quinn Buck).
200 freestyle: Harry Hearn, La Salle, Senior.
200 IM: Paul Brosky, La Salle, Senior.
50 freestyle: Quinn Buck, La Salle, Junior.
Diving: Conor Gesing, Abington, Junior.
100 butterfly: Tim Grossi, La Salle, Junior.
200 freestyle relay: North Penn (Max Bachman, Matt Harkrader, Mason Potts, Nick Clark).
100 freestyle: Max Bachman, North Penn, Senior.
500 freestyle: Zach Kohm, La Salle, Senior.
100 backstroke: Pat Hemingway, Bishop McDevitt, Senior.
100 breaststroke: Joseph Hong, Pennridge, Senior.
400 freestyle relay: La Salle (Quinn Buck, Connor Goodyear, Harry Hearn, Zachary Kohm), 3:02.87.

The La Salle mens swimming and diving team was a fierce unit that could get after it in any event, and not surprisingly, the 2021 All-Area Team has a certain Explorer flavor to it.
“From the start, we appreciated every chance we got to step on our pool deck to compete during practice,” said coach Stephen Duncheskie, who guided La Salle to the PIAA-3A State Championship. “The senior class set the tone day in and day out with their hard work and determination.
“Our home meets were probably some of the most memorable we have had in quite some time. This team welcomed the chance to defend their PIAA title from 2020 and performed unbelievably at this year’s State Championship meet.”
Bookending every meet for La Salle were the 200 medley (Paul Brosky, Gavin Brooke, Tim Grossi, Quinn Buck) and 400 free relays (Quinn Buck, Connor Goodyear, Harry Hearn, Zachary Kohm). Harry Hearn (200 free), Paul Brosky (200 IM), Quinn Buck (50 free), Tim Grossi (100 fly), and Zach Kohm (500 free) all had tremendous seasons in their respective events.
Buck and Kohm each won individual golds at states.
Also racing to the top spot at states was the North Penn 200 free relay team of Max Bachman, Matt Harkrader, Mason Potts and Nick Clark. That foursome, along with 100 freestyle standout Max Bachman, helped power the Knights to sixth in the team standings in Class 3A.
Abington’s Conor Gesing was again the top diver in the area, rising to silver medal honors at Bucknell.
Bishop McDevitt’s Pat Hemingway (100 back), along with Pennridge’s Joseph Hong, saw outstanding seasons in their events culminate with state medals in 2021.