February 24, 1979 — Freshman Kathy Engle becomes the first athlete from Palmerton Area High School to qualify for the state swimming finals, to be held at Penn State University. Engle punches her ticket to the PIAA championships by placing second in the 100-yard breaststroke at the District 11 meet at William Allen High School. Whitehall’s Diane Heydt, a teammate of Engle for the Allentown “Y” swim club, wins the event with a time of 1:12.439. Engle also participates in the 100 butterfly at districts and finishes in seventh place.