Marian's Lydia Strucko gets set to compete in the girls' 200 IM consolation finals Wednesday night at the PIAA Swimming Championships at Bucknell University (Photo by Leroy Boyer).

LEWISBURG — A strong first day for Marian siblings Michael and Lydia Strucko has them feeling optimistic of bigger and better things to come Thursday at the PIAA Swimming Championships.

Michael Strucko captured his first PIAA medal and Lydia Strucko set a personal-best time in the 200-yard individual medley during the first day of Class AA competition Wednesday at Bucknell University’s Kinney Natatorium.

Michael Strucko, a junior, finished eighth in the boys’ 200 freestyle in 1:46.24. The District 11 champion qualified for the evening championship finals by placing seventh in the morning preliminaries in 1:45.18.

He was one of three Schuylkill League boys’ medalists Wednesday, joining 50 freestyle champion Noah Powers of Blue Mountain and the Blue Mountain boys’ 200 freestyle relay, which took fourth.

“It’s always the goal (to medal),” Michael Strucko said. “I’m happy I got a medal but also at the same time I wish I would have went faster.”

Michael Strucko was making his third appearance at the state meet. It was his first state medal after placing 18th in the 500 freestyle (5:02.31) in 2023 and taking 10th in the 200 freestyle (1:46.17) and 13th in the 100 backstroke (54.31) last year as a sophomore.

Lydia Strucko, a sophomore, was at Bucknell for the second straight year after placing 10th in the 200 IM (2:10.22) and ninth in the 100 backstroke (57.78) a year ago.

She was 10th in Wednesday’s 200 IM prelims in 2:10.04, then went 2:08.84 in the evening consolation finals to keep that 10th-place status. Natalie Noll of Ringgold (2:08.82) edged Lydia by two-hundreths of a second for ninth.

In both of her races, Lydia led after the butterfly and backstroke portions. She struggled with the breaststroke in the morning but fared better in the evening, which was one of the big reasons for her time drop.

“I was a little nervous coming in but definitely I felt better than last year because I knew what to expect,” Lydia Strucko said. “This morning I wasn’t super happy with my time. I was a little bit weak toward the back end. Tonight I tried to nail down the last 75. I brought it home almost two seconds faster than I did this morning.”

Both Michael and Lydia said the fact that the PIAA Class AA Swimming Championships were being held Wednesday and Thursday this year instead of Friday and Saturday, like last year, threw off the training schedule for the Jim Thorpe residents and messed up their taper for states.

“Going into this meet I expected to be tapered, but me and Michael both weren’t tapered at all because it was kind of an inconvenient time in the middle of the week to have this meet,” Lydia Strucko said. “Last year it was on the weekend.”

Added Michael: “With the meet being earlier than last year, it being on a Wednesday, it threw off our whole plan. We only found out two weeks ago that it was on a Wednesday. You train Monday-Saturday. To have a meet midweek, it messed up our game plan.”

Wednesday’s results, considering the failed taper, had both Michael and Lydia excited about competing in the 100 backstroke Thursday. Michael is seeded fifth after winning District 11 gold in 51.89, while Lydia is seeded sixth with her District 11-winning time of 57.78.

“Today I had a big goal of medaling in this race,” Lydia said. “I wish I would have had this time this morning because I probably would have got in (to the finals). Given the circumstances, I’m pretty happy. Definitely going into tomorrow I have more confidence and I’m ready to medal.”

Added Michael: “Lydia did well, dropped some time, so I’m happy for her. I’m ready to come back (Thursday) and really do something.

“(Thursday) is an event I have a lot more confidence in and I’m excited for it.”

PIAA Swimming Championships Results

At Bucknell University

Wednesday’s finals

(Top 8 medalists and other Schuylkill League finishers)

CLASS AA GIRLS

200 medley relay — 1. Erie Cathedral Prep 1:45.68, 2. Mt. Pleasant 1:46.06, 3. Freeport 1:48.08, 4. Dallas 1:48.25, 5. Indiana 1:50.08, 6. Springfield Township 1:50.14, 7. Hampton 1:50.67, 8. Mt. St. Joseph Academy 1:52.07 …. 26. Tamaqua (Behun, Wilson, Nattress, A. Jones) 1:58.26

200 freestyle — 1. Lily King (Mt. Pleasant) 1:44.64**, 2. Whitney Kane (Bishop Shanahan) 1:52.22, 3. Mabel Walborn (Schuylkill Valley) 1:53.88, 4. Bailey Franci (Brockway) 1:55.09, 5. Magdalena Hull (Franklin Regional) 1:55.47, 6. Scarlett Zolnak (Franklin Regional) 1:55.62, 7. Gwen Devenney (Villa Maria Academy) 1:56.42, 8. Joann Cook (Northgate) 1:57.17

200 IM — 1. Ava Jochims (Shady Side Academy) 2:00.49, 2. Lydia Gonzalez (Dallas) 2:03.14, 3. Maria Costa (Erie Cathedral Prep) 2:04.26, 4. Mary Kate Kupsky (MMI Prep) 2:06.37, 5. Kira Schrecongost (Freeport) 2:06.87, 6. Jaslene Cage (Erie Cathedral Prep) 2:07.29, 7. Giona Lavorini (Knoch) 2:07.92, 8. Allison Stinnett (Southmoreland) 2:07.97 … 10. Lydia Strucko (Marian) 2:08.84

50 freestyle — 1. Rylee Kohan (Westmont Hilltop) 23.22, 2. Kiersten O’Connor (Mt. Pleasant) 23.34, 3. Julia Cort (Saucon Valley) 23.50, 4. Genevieve Cody (Thomas Jefferson) 23.51, 5. Thea Siegel (Winchester Thurston) 23.71, 6. Marika Bowen (Masterman) 23.77, 7. Chloe Moore (York Suburban) 23.86, 8. Donja Tripp (Notre Dame-Green Pond) 23.99 … 17. Sage Kaplafka (Blue Mountain) 24.95, 25. Hope Stauffer (Schuylkill Haven) 25.26

100 butterfly — 1. Kira Schrecongost (Freeport) 54.96, 2. Lainey Sheets (Hampton) 55.66, 3. Paige Schott (Trinity) 57.59, 4. Kasey Schrecongost (Freeport) 57.93, 5. Peyton Scott (Indiana) 58.79, 6. Mollie Massella (Slippery Rock) 58.90, 7. Rebecca Oakes (Scranton Prep) 59.02, 8. Alexa Darazio (Derry Area) 59.31

200 freestyle relay — 1. Erie Cathedral Prep 1:37.23, 2. Mt. Pleasant 1:38.50, 3. Thomas Jefferson 1:38.64, 4. Villa Maria Academy 1:38.71 5. Springfield Township 1:39.03, 6. Franklin Regional 1:39.34, 7. Indiana 1:40.34, 8. Derry Area 1:40.77 …. 24. Blue Mountain (Hensel, J. Crossen, Lafko, Kaplafka) 1:44.98, 28. Schuylkill Haven (Wehr, C. Stauffer, Domermuth, H. Stauffer) 1:45.30

CLASS AA BOYS

200 medley relay — 1. Mt. Pleasant 1:34.45, 2. Erie Cathedral Prep 1:35.80, 3. Hampton 1:36.96, 4. Schuylkill Valley 1:37.11, 5. Northgate 1:38.29, 6. Shady Side Academy 1:38.84, 7. Fairview 1:39.53, 8. Springfield Township 1:39.94 … 9. Blue Mountain (Moyer, Powers, Sarnes, Varney) 1:39.14

200 freestyle — 1. Preston Kessler (Indiana) 1:37.82**, 2. Owen Eisenhofer (Schuylkill Valley) 1:38.74, 3. Soren Cooper (Shady Side Academy) 1:41.31, 4. Nate Dorsch (Sharon) 1:41.65, 5. Greyson McKelvey (Northgate) 1:43.34, 6. Sam Kieffer (Manheim Central) 1:43.35, 7. Jordan Stumpf (Franklin) 1:45.32, 8. Michael Strucko (Marian) 1:46.24. … 18. Porter Sarnes (Blue Mountain) 1:49.60

200 IM — 1. Joseph Gardner (Mt. Pleasant) 1:49.52, 2. Sam Cavanaugh (Northgate) 1:50.61, 3. Lukas Iannone (Scranton Prep) 1:54.38, 4. Liam Quigley (Penns Valley) 1:54.47, 5. Noah Pickett (Cornell) 1:56.17, 6. Jack Raimy (Erie Cathedral Prep) 1:56.37, 7. R.J. Duffy (Bishop McDevitt) 1:56.87, 8. Chase Moore (Bloomsburg) 1:57.41 … 30. Ethan Miller (Schuylkill Haven) 2:05.94.

50 freestyle — 1. Noah Powers (Blue Mountain) 19.83, 2. Joshua Reed (Indiana) 21.28, 3. Colton Houck (Donegal) 21.66, 4. Finn Jensen (Fairview) 21.70, 5. Leo Pitassi (Franklin) 21.72, 6. Kye Winslow (Franklin) 21.90, 7. Gunnar Probst (Mt. Pleasant) 21.91, 8. Jaden Baltrusaits (Tunkhannock) 22.03

100 butterfly — 1. David Mutter (Mt. Pleasant) 48.08, 2. Chris Belch (Hampton) 49.52, 3. Joe Herman (Titusville) 50.94, 4. Jimmy Zhang (Danville) 51.45, 5. Joey Margita (Indiana) 51.60, 6. Thomas Fuener (Quaker Valley) 52.00, 7. Aiden Lawson (Schuylkill Valley) 52.34, 8. Alex Aivalotis (West Allegheny) 52.43. … 20. Brody Moyer (Blue Mountain) 54.78

200 freestyle relay — 1. Indiana 1:25.96, 2. Tunkhannock 1:28.05, 3. Mt. Pleasant 1:28.24, 4. Blue Mountain (Moyer, Kamarousky, Varney, Powers) 1:28.50, 5. Bishop McDevitt 1:29.49, 6. Erie Cathedral Prep 1:30.09, 7. Springfield Township 1:30.35, 8. Boiling Springs 1:30.66

Team Standings (after Day 1): 1. Mt. Pleasant 124, 2. Indiana 107, 3. Erie Cathedral Prep 86, 4. Blue Mountain 68, 5. Northgate 61, 6. (tie) Tunkhannock, Schuylkill Valley, Hampton 59, 9. Springfield Township 56, 10. Shady Side Academy 55.