(EDITOR’S NOTE: Since May of 1999, the Times News Sports Department has featured an On This Date practically every day, highlighting an event that happened in the past. With the coronavirus putting a halt to sports locally and nationally, the On This Dates have been expanded to the stories that actually ran in the next day’s newspaper. Today’s On This Date story is from March 18, 2006).

By Mike Haines

mhaines@tnonline.com

LEWISBURG - The PIAA Championships are for truly elite swimmers at the high school level. The thing is, Kristen Shickora and Allysa Vavra aren’t just elite swimmers at the high school level.

The pair of TIMES NEWS area sophomores are much more than that. They’re some of the best in the nation. Shickora and Vavra are so good they use the state meet as a tune up, a steppingstone on their way to next week’s Junior Nationals in Orlando, Florida.

At Friday’s opening day of states, Vavra set a record only to break it later in the day.

Saturday at the second and final day of the state meet, Shickora was the one rewriting the record books. She set a new state record in the 100-yard backstroke by completing the event in 55.64 seconds to knock down a record that had stood since 1999.

“I could have [been faster] but I’m not shaved and tapered for this meet,” said the 15-year-old Marian Catholic student. “It was the best I could do and I’m really happy with it. My main meet is next week.”

Vavra and Shickora began a two-week tapering process less than a week ago to be at their peak next week at Nationals. But the two were just as good as everyone at states this past weekend.

In two days Shickora took a silver (in Friday’s 50-yard freestyle), a gold in the backstroke and broke one state record.

She came into the meet with a seed time of 55.82 seconds from districts. She posted a 56.66 in preliminaries, then dropped over a second in the finals. The record wasn’t something she was focused on, but she’ll take it.

“I wasn’t really thinking it, but it’s cool to say that I have one I guess,” Shickora said. “I felt good. My first two turns weren’t all that great, but my third one I tried to pull it together and make it a little faster. I think that’s what made the difference from the morning swim.” Vavra earned individual gold and silver, as well, winning the 200-yard individual medley on Friday in record time. The record she broke Friday was one she had set hours earlier in the preliminaries.

On Saturday, Vavra, a 16-year-old Panther Valley High student, returned for the 100-yard breaststroke and earned a second-place finish.

She swam the event in 1:03.03 behind Mailory Dietrich of Oakland Catholic, who put in a state record swim of her own by finishing in 1:02.55.

Vavra’s breaststroke was faster than her District 11 Championship time of 1:03.18 and better than her prelim time of 1:03.41.

“I’m just happy I bettered my time,” she said. “[Deitrich] gave me a great race. I don’t usually get to swim against her so it’s some good competition. I haven’t had competition all year and I had some good competition [at states] and I’m really happy about that.”

Vavra, who swims a 200-yard breaststroke when she competes outside the scholastic arena, was trying to get in a quicker first lap than usual.

“I’m more or less of a distance 200 breaststroker,” she said. “Taking it out a little faster is hard. I really worked on it this year and at least I got my best time [at states].”

“It was a gutsy swim,” said Panther Valley head coach Diane Heydt. “She took it out hard because we were trying to get her into the low 1:02. She did what we asked her to do; she just ran out of steam at the end.”

Vavra led Panther Valley to a third-place finish in team points. The Panthers, which used just five swimmers in the meet, scored 130.5 points to finish behind Oakland Catholic (184) and this year’s state champs, Hershey (270.5).

Helping the team score all those points were junior Amanda Terray and freshman Sami Vavra, Allysa’s sister.

Terray came back from a sixth-place finish in Friday’s 50-yard freestyle to tie for second Saturday in the 100-yard backstroke, posting a time of 57.48. Terray bettered her 58.00 from districts and her 57.80 from prelims.

Sami Vavra swam in the consolation final of the 100 breaststroke and earned ninth place. Her time of 1:07.45 was better than half of the eight swimmers who made the championship final, but swimmers in the consolation final can’t place higher than ninth and are not awarded medals, which go to the top eight finishers.

The Panthers’ Nicole Taras (200 freestyle relay) and Laura Tatusko (medley relay) were also part of this year’s state team, which contributed to the team finishing a couple spots better than its goal of a top-five placing.

“We’re getting there,” Heydt said. “Success breeds more success and enthusiasm. I’ve got more kids coming out for the team that would have never thought about it before. And it helps having people at the top show them the way.”