PIAA Championships: Hatboro-Horsham girls take Class 3A

LEWISBURG — With everyone dripping wet and the reality of the moment beginning to blissfully sink in, the Hatboro-Horsham girls savored their very first moments as PIAA State Champions.

“Too many emotions to describe right now,” said a smiling Kathy Jia, just after she and the Hatters emerged from their celebratory plunge into Kinney Natatorium’s depths. “It’s so surreal. I want to cry, I want to laugh. I’m just so proud of everybody. We all worked so hard for this.”

Jia helped apply the finishing strokes, her gold medal in the 100 breast part of a remarkable Day Two for the Hatters.

Hatboro-Horsham racked up 227 points, pulling way from Runner-Up Conestoga (164), to take Class 3A in what was a charged atmosphere out at Bucknell University.

“(From the beginning of the year), we definitely had the potential,” Jia said. “But it was the work and the journey to get there. And I think everything that we’ve done, we’ve done it well.”

Sister Annie Jia captured the silver in the 100 free (49.67) to get the Hatters started on Thursday.

Soon after, Upper Dublin’s Meghan DiMartile capped her amazing season with a gold medal in the 100 back (54.13).

The Hatters finished it off in style, with Jia winning gold in the breast and then the 400 free relay team of seniors Vivi Vergara and Sara Bozzomo, and freshmen Sarah Parker and Annie Jia pushing to a first-place time of 3:23.63.

“We have a lot of seniors and this was a great meet for them too. I’m so proud of them,” said Kathy Jia, a junior.

The Hatters were fresh all season and peaked at all the right times. Tremendous leadership paved the way.

“Our coach is so good at that,” Kathy Jia said of Kip Emig, who has over 300 wins at Hatboro-Horsham.

This group also has quite a future. But the celebration for 2022 had just begun.

“I think I’m gonna lose my voice,” Kathy Jia said.