Griffin Messenlehner had a hunch for most of the season that he would be asked to give up one of his individual events at the state championship meet in order to help his team by swimming all three relay races.

It sounds like a tough decision for a swimmer in his final state meet.

On the contrary, it wasn’t a decision at all. “I have so much more fun with relays, racing with my teammates and putting myself out for other people that just myself,” Messenlehner said after helping his 400-yard freestyle relay team earn a fourth-place medal at states. “In the end that’s what our team needed. Our team needed three relays more than my individual events.”

Messenlehner won districts in two individual events and was qualified for the state meet to swim in both. He was also qualified to swim on all three of the team’s relays.

Swimmers can only enter four events at states, so Messenlehner did not enter the backstroke at states and jumped onto a third relay team.

“It was something I saw coming this whole season,” he said. “This meet is always a meet where it’s beneficial to have three of your best relays whenever you can. After districts I knew one of my events was going to be bumped for relays.”

Messenlehner and teammates Roman Herman, Julian Vlaeminck and Brady King were seeded fifth in the 400 freestyle relay after posting a time of 3:07.83 at districts. They went 3:07.33 in Saturday’s preliminary heat to earn a place in the championship final.

In Saturday night’s finals they swam a 3:06.80 for fourth place.

“We were just hoping to drop in general,” said Vlaeminck. “We all gave it all we had and put it all out there. We dropped time from prelims so that’s all we can ask for.”

Three members of the relay team are seniors, with Herman the only junior on the squad. The event ended the two-day meet and sent two of those seniors home with their first state medal, while Messenlehner picked up the third state medal of his high school career.

Those same four swimmers competed in all three relays for Emmaus.

On the first day of the meet, last Friday, the foursome was seeded 12th in the medley relay at 1:35.17. The team swam a 1:35.21 prelim to advance to the consolation finals, where a 1:34.31 earned them 11th place.

Late Friday the same four swimmers competed in the 200-yard freestyle relay to end the first day of the meet. Seeded 25th at 1:27.41, they swam the prelim in 1:25.76 to again advance to the B final.

A 1:25.12 in the consolation final put the Hornets in 11th place in the 200 free relay.

Messenlehner and Vlaeminck also swam individual events last Friday.

Messenlehner was seeded 11th in the 50-yard freestyle at 21.01. He swam the prelim in 21.13 for 12th place in heats, then finished 11th overall with a 21.01 in finals, matching his district time.

“Very happy with the way this weekend went,” he said. “It was a very exciting meet. Ending the meet with the 400 relay, another drop and a medal. That’s very exciting.

“I wish I would have gone a little faster, but overall I’m very happy with my swims. It’s a lot of fun racing at this meet.”

Vlaeminck competed in the 100-yard butterfly Friday and finished 26th overall in 52.06. He came in seeded 21st at 51.45.

It might not have been the time or place he hoped for, but just competing at the state meet, held annually at Bucknell University’s Kinney Natatorium, was a career goal that the senior fulfilled this season.

“It was a pretty big goal of mine,” said Vlaeminck, who also qualified for states as a junior. “Senior year I really wanted to be back here. I also really enjoyed the fact that I got to swim a variety of different events instead of just one or two, and I got to spend it with my team as well.”

Two Emmaus girls swimmers also competed in individual events on the first day of the state meet.

Emmaus freshman Keilani Silva placed 27th in the 200-yard freestyle in 1:56.70, and Veronica Karboski swam in the 50-yard freestyle, taking 29th place in 25.15.

Herman, King and junior Reid Lovett all swam in individual events on the second day of the meet.

King posted the 16th-best time in prelims to earn a place in the B final, where he finished in 4:36.73 for 13th place.

Herman placed 20th in the 100 freestyle in 47.19 and Lovett finished 22nd in 500 free in 4:44.01.

The Emmaus girls team had one relay and two individual swimmers competing on Saturday, the second and final day of the meet.

Silva e placed 29th overall in the 100 freestyle at 54.54 and senior Natalie Cheplick finished 32nd in 500 free in 5:26.49.

The Emmaus girls 400 freestyle relay team of Karboski, Silva, sophomore Mabry Krause and junior Sophia Herman finished 25th at states with a time of 3:40.55.