LebCo Swimmers Finish Strong at PIAA State Championships

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Lebanon County’s top swimmers closed out the 2026 high school season this past week at Bucknell University, where the PIAA Swimming & Diving State Championships ran from Wednesday through Saturday.

The AAA portion of the meet was held on Wednesday and Thursday, with the Palmyra Cougars and Lebanon Cedars getting the county started on the state stage. Palmyra senior Sam Gladysz turned in the top local AAA showing, reaching the championship finals in both of his individual events. Gladysz qualified for a second swim in the 100-yard butterfly with a prelim time of 50.25, then placed 16th in the State with a 51.93 in finals. He followed that by posting a 46.70 in the prelims of the 100-yard freestyle before finishing 16th again with a finals time of 47.05.

Lebanon junior Jomar Hidalgo also earned a return trip to the pool in AAA competition. Hidalgo advanced to the consolation final of the 100-yard backstroke after swimming a 51.99 in prelims, then finished 14th overall with a 52.09 in finals. He also represented the Cedars in the 200-yard individual medley, where he placed 28th with a prelim swim of 1:57.91.

Palmyra added more strong efforts across the board. Senior Cornelius Cummings placed 30th in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:45.42, while the Cougars also qualified a pair of relays for the state meet. Palmyra’s 200-yard freestyle relay team of Cummings, John Yerke, Dalton Cole, and Gladysz finished 25th in 1:27.75, and the 400-yard freestyle relay of Gladysz, Yerke, Cole, and Cummings took 24th in 3:13.87.

The AA meet followed on Friday and Saturday, with Annville-Cleona and Northern Lebanon taking their turn. Annville-Cleona senior Danny Trate highlighted the local AA performances by reaching the consolation final in the 50-yard freestyle. Trate qualified with a 22.03 in prelims and went on to place 16th in the State with a 22.63 in finals. He also added a 30th-place finish in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 50.90.

Northern Lebanon senior Collin Cheslock just missed a finals berth in the 100-yard breaststroke, placing 17th with a prelim time of 1:00.65, one spot shy of the finals. Cheslock also competed in the 200-yard individual medley, where he finished 30th in 2:06.26.

All told, the week at Bucknell brought another strong season to a close for our Lebanon County swimmers.

Below are the full results broken down by athlete.

Individual Event Results

AA

Danny Trate 

Trate closed out his high school career by reaching the consolation final in the 50-yard freestyle at the PIAA Class AA State Championships. The senior earned a second swim in the event and also competed in the 100 freestyle on the meet’s final day.

50 yd Freestyle – 16th place
Prelims – 22.03
Finals – 22.63

100 yd Freestyle – 30th place
Prelims – 50.90

Collin Cheslock

Cheslock competed in two events at the PIAA Class AA State Championships and narrowly missed a return swim in the 100-yard breaststroke. The senior also represented Northern Lebanon in the 200-yard individual medley against the top competition in the state.

100 yd Breaststroke – 17th place
Prelims – 1:00.65

200 yd Individual Medley – 30th place
Prelims – 2:06.26

AAA

Jomar Hidalgo

Hidalgo competed in two events at the PIAA Class AAA State Championships and advanced to the consolation final in the 100-yard backstroke. The junior followed that with a second swim on Thursday night after also racing in the 200-yard individual medley on Wednesday.

100 yd Backstroke – 14th place
Prelims – 51.99
Finals – 52.09

200 yd Individual Medley – 28th place
Prelims – 1:57.91

Sam Gladysz

Gladysz competed in two individual events at the PIAA Class AAA State Championships and reached the consolation finals in both the 100-yard butterfly and the 100-yard freestyle. The senior also played a major role in Palmyra’s state-qualifying relay efforts during the meet.

100 yd Butterfly – 16th place
Prelims – 50.25
Finals – 51.93

100 yd Freestyle – 16th place
Prelims – 46.70
Finals – 47.05

Cornelius Cummings

Cummings competed individually in the 200-yard freestyle at the PIAA Class AAA State Championships and also helped Palmyra field two relays at the state meet. The senior contributed both as an individual qualifier and as part of the Cougars’ relay lineup against top-level AAA competition.

200 yd Freestyle – 30th place
Prelims – 1:45.42

Palmyra Relays

Palmyra was represented by a pair of relay teams at the PIAA Class AAA State Championships. The Cougars’ 200-yard freestyle relay team of Cornelius Cummings, John Yerke, Dalton Cole, and Sam Gladysz finished 25th with a time of 1:27.75, while the same group competed as a team in 400-yard freestyle relay,  placing 24th with a time of 3:13.87.

200 yd Freestyle Relay – 25th place
Prelims – 1:27.75

400 yd Freestyle Relay – 24th place
Prelims – 3:13.87

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