Gutshall, Padilla, other PAC hopefuls ready for District 1 girls swimming championships

Spring-Ford’s Ashley Gutshall and Phoenixville’s Kenzie Padilla have already earned numerous district and state medals during their stellar high school swimming careers and they’ll be trying for more during this weekend’s District 1 championship meet at the York County YMCA’s Graham Aquatic Center. The girls sessions for both Class 3A and 2A will begin Friday and Saturday at 10:45 a.m.

Gutshall has already enjoyed quite a senior season. She set a Ursinus College pool record in the 50 freestyle in the last regular season dual meet against Owen J. Roberts. Then she topped that mark with a time of 23.78 seconds while winning the Pioneer Athletic Conference championship two weeks ago. She also won three gold medals in relay races during that meet.

This weekend she’ll be trying for four medals in Class 3A. She is seeded third in the 50 free and seventh in the 100 free. The Ram relay teams are seeded first in the 200 medley, third in the 200 free and fourth in the 400 free races.
Gutshall is a two-time state medalist in the 50 and 100 free.

Padilla, also a senior, won PAC gold medals in the 100 butterfly and the 200 free. She is seeded second in the district in Class 3A in the 100 fly and fourth in the 500 free. Last year, she placed fourth and sixth in the state respectively, in those events.

Other high seeds from the PAC in Class 3A include Methacton junior Madison Wimmer, seeded fifth in the 200 free and sixth in the 500 free.

Phoenixville sophomore Maddy Deeney is seeded sixth in the 200 free and 12th in the 500 free. She won the PAC gold medal in the 500 free and finished second to Padilla in the 200 free.

PAC 100 backstroke champion Maris Sadowski, a junior, is seeded eighth in that event and 14th in the 200 free. She won four gold medals at the PAC meet, the other three in relays.

Owen J. Roberts senior Eliana Crew is seeded 13th in the 50 free, Spring-Ford junior Sydney Koehler eighth in the 100 breaststroke and Boyertown senior Tamara Engler is 16th in the 100 breast, an event she won at the PAC championships.

Sydney Koehler, sister Abby Koehler, Gutshall and Sadowski make up the three Spring-Ford relay teams. Last year, the 200 medley team finished fifth in the district.

Owen J. Roberts relay teams are seeded seventh in the 200 medley, eighth in the 200 free and 10th in the 400 free.
In Class 2A, Pope John Paul II sophomore Shae Gonzalez is seeded fifth in the 200 free after finishing fifth in the district last year and teammate and freshman Annette Testa is seeded sixth in the 200 IM.

For Upper Perkiomen, freshman Beatriz Santos is seeded second in the 100 fly and 100 back and sophomore Charlotte Forte is sixth in the 500 free.

For Pottsgrove, junior Bayley Richard is seeded fifth in the 100 back and sixth in the 200 IM, freshman Elsa Lucas is seventh in the 100 fly and Falcon relay teams are first in the 400 free relay and second in the 200 medley relay.

Friday’s schedule will include the 200 medley relay, 200 free, 200 IM, 50 free, 100 fly and 200 free relay. The meet will conclude on Saturday with the 100 free, 500 free, 100 back, 100 breast and 400 free relay.