On March 12, sophomore Lucy Weyandt competed at the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Swimming State Championship in the Para Swimming events.
According to the PIAA website, para swimming is an adaptation of swimming for athletes with physical disabilities.
She first competed at Districts on Feb. 20 and Feb. 21, swimming in the 50 yard freestyle and the 100 yard freestyle. Weyandt’s times at Districts were :36.90 in the 50 yard freestyle and 1:20.44 in the 100 yard freestyle. The required times to make it to States were :39.69 in the 50 freestyle and 1:24.79 in the 100 freestyle.
Weyandt has overcome many obstacles this season.
“Being deaf can sometimes bring more obstacles than the typical student athlete handles,” Weyandt said. “I have a really hard time with starts since I need to be able to see the officials’ hand signals, or I have to use the lights with a whistle. I also had a bit of a hard time managing my academics as well as athletics, working and still having time for myself and my friends. With these obstacles, came great learning experiences, and now I know to better manage time and communicate.”
Weyandt attended practices since Districts ended. Head coach Brian Kephart had a plan for practices, focusing on sprinting.
“We will be practicing two to three times a week leading up to States,” Kephart said. “Since Lucy is a sprinter, competing in the 50 and 100 freestyle events only, we will be working a lot on good form and shorter, faster swims. We have already tapered for Districts, so we just need to maintain her endurance for this period and can do that with lower yardage practices.”
With this being Weyandt’s first year swimming, the coaching staff saw lots of improvement.
“Lucy’s technique and endurance has grown immensely this season,” Kephart said. “She has put in lots of work to make this happen. The coaching staff and I have also seen growth in her personality and in the way she deals with her emotions. She has come a long way from that first practice and that first meet.”
Freshman Abigail Chverchko and junior Adalynn Bopp have been practicing alongside Weyandt since her State practices began.
“Working with Lucy was a highlight of my season, and I love watching her hard work pay off,” Chverchko said. “I’m glad she asked me to support her.”
“It is so much fun to still be able to swim with her although my season is done,” Bopp said. “I also really enjoyed being able to support her accomplishments.”
Para swimming is a semi-new program for PIAA. The program was adopted by the PIAA Board of Directors in Dec. 2023.
Since it is a newer program, Weyant is the first swimmer to compete in para Districts and States for the school.
“Lucy is the first para swimmer from Altoona to move on to States,” Kephart said. “In fact, she is the first para swimmer from all of District 6 to move on. This is a groundbreaking event for our regional swim community.”
Dara Kendra recalls her first time experiencing this new program. Kendra was one of the district 6 officials to inform the school about this new program.
“My first and only experience [with the para swim program] occurred last year at the PIAA State Swimming and Diving Championships at Bucknell University in March 2025,” Kendra said. “I was officiating as a Stroke and Turn judge during the four-day event. During that championship, the para swimming events were competed for the first time in PIAA history.”
As Weyandt prepares to compete at States, she is feeling many emotions.
“At first I was really excited, and then I had a wave of nervousness,” Weyandt said. “Going to States is a huge opportunity and I know the people I’m going against are the best of the best so it’s nerve wracking. I’m really proud of myself and excited to see where this takes me.”
PIAA is working hard to expand opportunities for para swimming.
“PIAA is actively trying to promote and increase participation for student athletes,” director of Communications and Sport for PIAA Lyndsay Barna said. “We hope it continues to grow.”
Weyandt placed first in the 50 yard freestyle with a time of :36.82.
“When I first walked in, I felt like I didn’t belong there and I was so nervous about how good or bad my performance would be,” Weyandt said. “After my first race though, I felt a lot more relieved and like maybe I had a chance. It was a very exciting opportunity and I feel honored to have been able to attend. I’m very hopeful for next year and the one after that to be able to keep getting better.”
