Whitehall will have a strong senior presence when the District XI Swimming and Diving Championships get under way this weekend at Parkland.

Of the eleven swimmers who will be competing in the AAA event, five of them are seniors. Among that group is Daniel Jablonski who earned the highest seed, nailing down the third seed in the 500 yard freestyle. He’s also among the top five in the 200 freestyle, securing the fourth spot in that race.

Another of those seniors is Kallie Lyle. Lyle has qualified for the 100 backstroke and the 100 butterfly. She’ll also compete in two relay races, the 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle.

Lyle is looking forward to making the most of her opportunity since it will most likely be the last time she swims for Whitehall. She knows that the odds of advancing to the state tournament are long so she is taking a more practical approach to the D-11 Championships.

“I really want to get good times because I’m committed to swimming at Shippensburg University for the next four years, so I’m excited to do that, and I want to get good times to show my coaches there,” said Lyle.

As she prepares for the D-11 Championships, she said that the weekend will bring mixed emotions.

“It’s my last year so it’s kind of a bittersweet moment,” said Lyle. “It’s the last time I’ll swim with all my friends.”

Lyle and fellow seniors Martha Giletto, Rachel Alulis and Trish Bartosh have formed a strong bond, many of whom have been swimming together for 10 years, beginning with the Whitehall Waves youth program. They’ve also been integral parts of an outstanding 2018-19 campaign that saw them win 12 meets this season.

“I’m excited to be finishing out the season with them this year,” said Lyle.

Lyle said that the 100 backstroke, an event that she’s been competing in since her freshman season, is a race where she would like to finish strong. She’s seeded 16th at 1:06.16.

“I’m hoping to drop time in that,” she said.

The tourney will span Friday and Saturday, and Lyle will have two events on each day. On Friday she will swim the 100 butterfly and the 200 relay, while Saturday will see her compete in the 100 backstroke and 400 freestyle relay.

Lyle said that she’s looking forward to competing and while a state berth may not be in the picture, she would like to drop time in her events.

Head coach Pete Rile also takes a pragmatic view about the championships. He said that Jablonski gives them the best chance for a medal among all their participants. The other swimmers face longer odds, but he still feels he has a strong group that has the capability to emerge from the meet with some personal bests.

What he also expects are good performances, especially in the relay races where he believes they can beat their seed times. With some of their top swimmers concentrating on their individual races, they’ll be looking to their second line swimmers to step up, a challenge Rile believes the alternates can meet.

It’s fun time of year for Rile as he watches them take all the hard work they’ve put in during the season and lay it on the line in the district championships. They’ve been building toward this moment, and he knows that the seniors want to make the most of their opportunities.