Callie Snodgrass Leads Clarion County YMCA Swimmers At State Championships

Photos by Wendy Snodgrass and Susanne Fenske: Above: Riversharks – 2023 States Team – Ashlyn Clark, Callie Snodgrass, Maggie Snodgrass, Lila Gourley, Megan Fenski

(Article by Dan Clark)

The Clarion County YMCA Riversharks swim team sent five swimmers to the 2023 Pennsylvania YMCA State Championships held at The Aquatic Center in Morgantown, West Virginia over Friday-Sunday, March 24th-26th. Clarion’s States Swim team competed with the top age group swimmers in Pennsylvania for the events as follows:

• Ashlyn Clark (Girls 11-12) 50, 100, and 200 yard freestyle, and 50 yard backstroke
• Callie Snodgrass (Girls 13-14) 100 and 200 yard butterfly, and 200 yard individual medley
• Maggie Snodgrass (Girls 13-14) 100 and 200 yard breaststroke; and 400 yard individual medley
• Girls 13-14 200 yard Medley relay squad of Megan Fenske (backstroke), Maggie Snodgrass (breaststroke), Callie Snodgrass (butterfly) and Lila Gourley (freestyle)
• Girls 13-14 200 yard Freestyle relay squad of Lila Gourley, Megan Fenske, Callie Snodgrass, and Maggie Snodgrass.

This championship meet had a preliminary/finals format for individual events where the top eight swimmers from the preliminary heats of twenty-four swimmers, as determined from District Championships, competed to be on the podium as best swimmers across the entire state.

Clarion’s Butterfly specialist, Callie Snodgrass, had an impressive showing by reaching the podium twice: once as the second fastest swimmer in the Pennsylvania for the Girls 13-14 100 yard butterfly as well as being the fourth fastest in the 200 yard butterfly! She also finished 16^th overall in points scored in the 13-14 girls age group.

Maggie Snodgrass, Clarion’s breaststroker, also earned a spot on the podium as the 5th fastest swimmer in Pennsylvania for the Girls 13-14 200 yard breaststroke!

In the other individual events these girls had a good weekend with the following performances in the preliminary heats:

Ashlyn Clark: 50 yard backstroke (13th), 50 yard freestyle (13th), 100 yard freestyle (20th), and 200 yard freestyle (20th)

Callie Snodgrass 200 yard individual medley (13th)

Maggie Snodgrass 200 yard breaststroke (9th); and 400 yard individual medley (11th)

The Relay teams swam as a timed finals event where the top sixteen teams, as determined from District Championships, competed as a single event of two heats. Clarion’s 200 yard Medley Relay team placed 12th and the 200 yard Freestyle team placed 16th.

“I am beyond proud of these girls and this team, they blew my expectations way out of the water”, said Head Coach Aidan Mohren. “To come from Districts, a meet where the Riversharks produced 21 personal best times out of 24 total events they competed in, is incredible. To follow that performance up at the State Championships with more best times, 2 relays, and 2 individual finalists is nothing short of amazing. I’m grateful to be one of the Rivershark coaches, and am excited to see what the future holds not only for these girls but the rest of this team.”

This meet represented the end of the Clarion State Swim team’s phenomenal season with many personal bests and many new Clarion YMCA Riversharks team records. Congratulations to the swimmers and coaches (Aidan Mohren, Mason Irwin, and Wendy Snodgrass) for their excellent performances. The Clarion Riversharks family would like to thank the Clarion County YMCA for their support as we look forward to the next season.

(Way To Go, Riversharks!!!! Thanks to Dan Clark for this article, and to Wendy Snodgrass and Susanne Fenske for their photographs!!)