Upper Perk swimmers Noel Fresa and Kyle Kovalenko did not quite reach the lofty goals they set for themselves at last week's PIAA AA State Championships, but the two emerged from the snow-delayed event at Bucknell with the determination to build on the experience.

        Even though there were no medals, Coach Brien Kalnoski was very happy with the performance of his swimmers.

        "Noel and Kyle did great for their first PIAA AA State Swimming Championship meet.  Noel re-broke the 50 free team record that she had set at Districts."

        Fresa did meet her personal goal in the 50 freestyle, dropping her time. She came in 18th, 10 places lower than her seeding, in 24.82.

        "It was really fun," the freshman said. "It was really hard competition; everyone is so fast. It was a great experience."

        In the 100 backstroke, Fresa had trouble with her turns which added time. "The 100 back wasn't what I wanted. It wasn't the best race," Noel reflected.

        But Kalnoski added some context to the results, which for his swimmers, were typical of competitors coming off a second taper.

        "In the girls' 100 back, 59 percent [of the swimmers] added time," he said.

        Those who do improve their times tend to do only a little better than their District times.

        "Noel improved .14 in her swim but had a big move of 10 places," noted Kalnoski.

        Kovalenko, a sophomore, moved up a couple of notches from his seed time in the 100 breaststroke, finishing 29th in 1:02.24, which was only .02 off his personal best from Districts.

        Kovalenko's perspective went way beyond the individual satisfaction a State swimmer enjoys.

        "It meant a lot to represent Upper Perk at States for the high school. I'm part of the team, and with the team we have unity. And with that comes responsibility to honor and respect the team as you compete in the pool."

        The meet was delayed for two days by the late winter snowstorm, but neither the swimmers nor their coach felt that the layoff was a factor in the swims.

        States capped a successful season for the 13 Upper Perk swimmers who made up the boys and girls teams.

        "We do a lot with small numbers," Kalnoski noted. "The dual meet season is based on depth of numbers, which we clearly do not have."

        The coach is proud of the fact that the team did manage two league wins this year, but the goal was to be ready for the postseason, which they were.

        "We work hard during the season, and we peak at Districts; 96 percent of our times were lifetime personal best times at Districts," Kalnoski said.

        Kevin Himmelwright was the only senior, and now Kalnoski has a couple of young State swimmers to spearhead his program and serve as examples for the returnees.

        Fresa and Kovalenko are already eager to return to States next season and apply the lessons learned at Bucknell.

        "I'll be a lot less nervous next year because I know the meet; I know the pool," said Noel. "I'll be more prepared for Districts next year. More level-headed about everything."

        Kalnoski sees even better days ahead for his two swimmers. "Kyle and Noel have tremendous potential to place in the top 16.  To do this they need to continue to work hard in the off-season both in and out of the water."

        Fresa has gained some perspective that she will convey to her teammates next season. "I'll tell them to have fun with it. Don't be nervous about it. You do what you do, and if it's a bad race, it's a bad race. That happens. Just have fun."