Emmaus swimming may not have had the team outcomes that they had hoped for at states, but they came away with some pretty significant accomplishments, including something that hasn't happened in at least 20 years: a medal in diving.

Freshman sensation Jess Hurlburt came into the meet seeded third and finished exactly where she was seeded, thanks to a strong last dive that moved her up a spot.

Hurlburt, who won gold in the District 11 Championship, shook off some nerves to give a strong showing, especially considering it was her first time diving in a competition this big.

"That was incredible," said Emmaus head coach Tim O'Connor. "Jess has just such a wonderful, competitive spirit. She is a great model for our diving team.

"It was a pleasure to watch her compete all season, but to continue it at states was such an honor. I am thrilled for such a hard-working and disciplined athlete."

Another diver put on an impressive showing, considering that he had very little time to prepare for states. Andrew Vanim, who was admittedly disappointed in his performance in districts after leading the event for most of the meet before finishing third, wasn't supposed to be at Bucknell this past weekend.

Only the top two District 11 finishers are guaranteed spots, but Vanim was given a shot thanks to another diver dropping out of the competition. It wasn't until less than 48 hours before the boys hit the boards at Bucknell that Vanim found out he was going.

Vanim finished 16th at staes, which was a definite accomplishment for the sophomore diver.

"That was pretty cool," said O'Connor. "He hadn't been on the boards since districts, so to beat out eight other kids who earned that right and were training to compete was really awesome."

Senior Carter Paules also had a big meet in his final trip to states, finishing fifth in the 100-yard breaststroke and eighth in the 200-yard individual medley.

This was Paules' third trip to states. Not only did he help the team, but he also provided some help that could serve Emmaus well down the road.

"It was sad, but it was also good at the same time because we had a lot of underclassmen come this year," said Paules. "It was great to teach them about states. "I tried to explain to them that it's a whole new experience. It's definitely great to get out there when you're young so you can experience waking up and going to the pool and the warmups and just how the whole meet works is the main thing I tried to teach them."

O'Connor, who has just completed his 12th season as the Emmaus coach, praised Paules for his career accomplishments with the program.

"He is the fastest [individual medley swimmer] and breaststroker in Emmaus history," said O'Connor. "I think both Carter and I expected him to go faster in the breaststroke, but he moved up to fifth in the finals and really has done such a great job all year."

"I'm definitely happy with how things went," said Paules, who will be heading to Rider University in the fall to study Global Supply Chain Management.

"I achieved my goals I set back in the beginning of summer, so I had a pretty successful time. Overall, I think, of the three years that I was there, this was definitely the best year at states."

In the team competition, the Emmaus boys finished tied for 27th and the girls finished in 36th place.

While the focus was on the swimmers, coach O'Connor had a moment in the spotlight as well, with his official induction into the Pennsylvania Swimming Hall of Fame for his accomplishments as a coach.

"Hall of Fame is great, but it's a testament to all the great history at Emmaus, assistant coaches, parents and athletes that created an atmosphere of belief and confidence in me and my vision for what it takes to be successful," said O'Connor. "I have been fortunate to network with many successful coaches and people whom I work with regularly, and to now be considered a Hall of Famer is pretty cool."