Enriquez, Machado golden at YMCA state meet

Last weekend’s PIAA Class AAA Swimming Championships weren’t quite enough for several locals as they competed in this past weekend’s Pennsylvania YMCA State Swimming Championship at Penn State University.

Reading and Berks County YMCA turned in a strong showing on the weekend, with three swimmers picking up individual gold medals by the time the waves settled and the decks were cleared.

Ava Enriquez topped the charts in the 100-yard butterfly, Ellaina Machado touched first in the 100 breast and Cameron Gring posted the top time in the 100 butterfly.

Enriquez, a Gov. Mifflin sophomore who picked up a pair of relay medals during the PIAA Championships, touched at 1:52.89 to cut nearly four seconds off her qualifying time of 1:56.19 and better the field by nearly three seconds. She also took fifth in the 100 fly (57.97) and swam a leg of the silver 200 medley relay (1:46.11) along with Gring, Machado and Becca Brown.

Machado, from Exeter Senior High School, finished up at 1:05.11, just ahead of teammates Rachel Johnson (1:06.00) and Maggie Foight (1:06.74). Machado also picked up third- and fourth-place medals in the 200 breast (2:24.60) and the 500 free (5:12.53).

Gring’s gold medal will clang nicely next to her silver medal gained during the PIAA Championships. The Muhlenberg freshman posted a 56.42 at YMCA’s where she cut almost two seconds off her qualifying time. Gring also picked up a silver in the 100 back with a 54.95 — would have been a meet record had it not been for Butler’s Camryn Forbes ahead at 54.50 — and a bronze in the 100 free (52.76).

Brown picked up a silver medal in the 50 free with a time of 24.00 while Foight also picked up second- and fourth-place medals in the 200 breast (2:24.26) and the 200 free (1:56.85).

The Reading and Berks County Boys turned in their best showing in the 400 free relay, where the contingent of Michael White, Luke Scoboria, Hunter Keck and Colin Gwiazdowski finished up at 3:12.42 for the bronze medal. The relay cut almost two seconds off its seed time, and finished 0.74 behind top-finishing Bethlehem YMCA.

Gwiazdowski also picked up fourth place medals in the 200 free (1:44.97) and the 100 back (54.22). Max Valeranio placed fourth in the 200 IM (1:58.72) and fifth in the 500 free (4:48.42).