Gring, Kahn shine on first day of CPL meet

Even when they’re not swimming their specialties, Muhlenberg sophomore Sydney Gring and Wilson senior Shelby Kahn are still tough to beat.

Gring and Kahn, 2020 PIAA silver medalists, earned individual championships and helped their relay teams to first-place finishes Saturday at Wilson’s Roy G. Snyder Natatorium on the opening day of the Central Penn League Swimming and Diving Championships.

Gring, the Class 3A runner-up in the 100-yard butterfly at last year’s state meet, became the first Berks girl to break the 24-second barrier in the 50 freestyle this season. She placed first in 23.92 after helping the Muhls start the meet by winning the 200 medley relay.

“Usually at the CPL I swim off events,” Gring said. “I already had done a goal time in my fly this season, so I thought I would just not do it again since I have my time.”

Gring is scheduled to swim the 100 backstroke Monday when the two-day meet concludes. She showed she can swim that off event pretty well, too.

Gring swam the backstroke leg of Muhlenberg’s 200 medley team that finished in 1:47.59, just ahead of runner-up Wilson and third-place Schuylkill Valley in a tight three-team race.

Gring was joined on the winning team by Sarah Fisher, Maren Schermerhorn and Kathryn Tanis.

“That was amazing,” Gring said. “It was just so relieving finally putting it all together. Every single girl in my relay just did so well.”

Kahn, the PIAA Class 3A runner-up in the 500 free, did pretty well in the 200 individual medley. She won the event in 2:04.10.

In the final girls event of the day, Kahn anchored Wilson’s winning 200 free relay team that included Emily Cherrie, Rylee Wenzel and Amalia Bradburn.

Other girls winning events on the opening day were Gov. Mifflin’s Ellie Friedlander in the 200 free and Schuylkill Valley’s Megan Ehrnfeldt in the 100 fly.

In the boys meet, 2020 PIAA gold medalist Chris Guiliano earned his second straight CPL title in the 200 IM, an off event for him. Guiliano won his PIAA gold last season in the 200 free.

The rest of the first day was dominated by Wilson, led by Josh Cunningham. Cunningham repeated as champion in the 50 free, going 22.03. He also swam on the winning 200 medley and 200 free relay teams.

Joining Cunningham on the medley relay were Chadd Corson, Cameron Reeder and Takoda Heckman. Cunningham was joined on the 200 free team by Josh Woessner, Evan Hebel and Isaiah Eberly.

Other individual winners were Woessner in the 200 free and Corson in the 100 butterfly.