OCEAN PINES- The Ocean Pines Swim Team (OPST) sent five swimmers to the Maryland State Championships recently and several came back with club and personal bests.
OPST swimmers Adam Diehl and Gavin Stearn each qualified for the Maryland Senior Championships in late February, while Trista Harner, Daniel Karcheuski and Breyden Wright each qualified for the Maryland Under-14 Championships in the first week of March. Both meets were held at St. Mary’s College in southern Maryland.
Diehl and Stearn each had their first competitive experience at the Maryland Senior Championships and both qualified for the open competition, which has no age limit. Diehl competed in the 200-yard breaststroke and the 100-yard backstroke.
Stearn competed in the 100-yard breaststroke, the 50-yard freestyle, the 200-yard freestyle and the 200-yard breaststroke. He broke OPST records with his swims in the 50-yard freestyle and the 200-yard breaststroke.
Harner competed in a handful of events in the 13-14 girls’ meet and all of her times in four different events were new team records. Karcheuski, competed in several events and set a new OPST record with his time in the 200-yard butterfly. Wright competed in eight events over the three-day meet and swam his way to six new club records. Head Coach Kim Wanner said she could not be prouder of her team’s performance.
“These competions are not only qualifying meets, but the best of the best in Maryland swimming,” she said. “Your finish at these meets is your rank in the whole state of Maryland in that particular event and age group. The swimmers from OPST are being noticed in a very strong Maryland swimming community. Swimmers competing in these events are trailblazers and are setting the tone for a very young team.”
The OPST was set to send a total of 40 swimmers to Maryland Championship meets over the course of the next month or so. However, USA Swimming has suspended all competition through at least the end of April out of an abundance of caution over the coronavirus pandemic.
