The Manheim Township swimming and diving teams have started their season with many accomplishments. Two senior swimmers, Emerson Mandrell and Brayden Pyott, have been contributing to the success of their team for the past few seasons. Both of them have swam since their freshman year and have participated in Five Star Swim Club for longer.
During the team’s most recent meet against Ephrata, Mandrell came first in the girls 100 yard backstroke with a time of 1:02.46. She also received second place in the girls 400 freestyle relay with a time of 3:48.52.
Since 2019, Mandrell’s stats have improved immensely. She has created personal bests in backstroke time trials and has contributed to record-breaking performances. In Township’s meet against Ephrata, Mandrell and her teammates secured a first place victory in the girls 200 yard medley relay with an ending time of 1:50.68.
Overall, Mandrell comes in fifth place amongst her teammates, making her the highest ranked senior girl on the team.
“My experience on the team has been one to remember! Being in a group setting around people who support each other is the best, and the swim community is like nothing else,” said Mandrell. “I’ve met so many great people and even some of my closest friends. We all support each other through every race and practice, constantly pushing one another to do our best. I’ll remember the memories I’ve made throughout the years more than the time I swam in a race.”
Pyott has had many successes so far in the 2024-2025 season, making it his overall best career season. He is ranked second place on Township’s men’s swimming team.
On Jan. 9, Pyott added a total of 12 points for his team against Elizabethtown. Earning three gold and one silver, this put Pyott at fourth place overall in the boy’s division for this meet.
Pyott’s most notable performance is in breaststroke. In the Township versus Elizabethtown meet, Pyott came in first place with a time of 1:03.17 in the boys 100 yard breaststroke. In the same meet he also scored an impressive time of 27.69 in the boys 50 yard breaststroke.
“Overall swimming for Manheim Township has been a great experience,” said Pyott. “We’ve always had a strong team and great team culture and I’ve learned so much from the last four years with them.”
Coach Dan Graybill has spent the last few seasons helping Pyott and Mandrell to improve in both their skills and speed. With all the time spent with the two seniors, they’ve formed a bond to create success in the swimmers’ careers.
“Emerson is a senior team captain and excels in many strokes. In other words, she can be placed in many different areas to help her team,” said Graybill. “She leads by her example. She’s been a faithful member of the team for four seasons. Brayden is a quiet leader, but when called upon to perform, he rarely disappoints. Brayden is always there to help out in any way that he can.”
With many accomplishments, the two seniors consistently help build their team up and improve alongside them during every meet and practice.
“I think that both Emerson and Brayden have a good chance to participate in the state championships at Bucknell in March,” said Graybill.
With their season still in the works, the team swims in the PIAA 3A District Championship from Feb. 28 – March 1 in Mechanicsburg with hopes to continue to states.
