Maddie Lanzel has golden weekend at YMCA Championship Meet
It is an incredible accomplishment for an athlete to win a state title at any level in any sport, but Ridgway YMCA Blue Tide swim team member Maddie Lanzel did something even more impressive over the weekend when she won not just one, but four state titles at the 2022 Pennsylvania State YMCA Championship Meet at York YMCA Aquatic Club in York.
Competing in the girls’ 11-12 division, Lanzel brought home the gold in the 100 yard IM, 100 yard butterfly, 100 yard freestyle, and 50 yard butterfly.
When Lanzel returned home on Saturday evening, she was greeted with a parade through town led by local emergency response vehicles. Despite the cold and snowy weather, supporters turned out with signs congratulating her on her accomplishment, and other well wishers showed up at Memorial Park to extend their congratulations.
Maddie is the daughter of Katie and Kevin Lanzel of St. Marys. Katie is one of Maddie’s coaches with the Ridgway YMCA team, along with Liz Thorwart.
“She was very driven this weekend. She had a hard start to her week, and then she just battled back from it. She did great,” Katie Lanzel said of Maddie.
“She doesn’t ever get nervous,” Thorwart added of Maddie.
The hard start Katie Lanzel mentioned came in Maddie’s first event of the three-day meet, which was held from March 24-26. Lanzel’s first event was the 50 yard freestyle, which she entered with the top seed time of 25.60. However, she ended up disqualified due to a false start.
Undeterred, Lanzel came back and won gold in four of her remaining five events, placing first in the 100 yard IM on Thursday, the 100 yard butterfly on Friday, and the 100 yard freestyle and 50 yard butterfly on Saturday. She also placed eighth in the 50 yard breaststroke on Thursday.
“Some things I was seeded first or second in by a little bit, so I was ready when I was going in,” Maddie said.
Thorwart was quick to note that there are no guarantees, even with a top seed.
“It’s the state level. Everybody brings their ‘A’ game. It’s anybody’s meet, and she just happened to come out on top because she puts in a lot of hard work,” Thorwart said.
Lanzel and her coaches noted that the results were very close in all of her races. Her biggest margin of victory came in the 100 yard IM, where she had a winning time of 1:04.26. Samantha Roulstone from Phoenixville Branch YMCA was the runner-up with a time of 1:05.54.
In the 100 yard butterfly, Lanzel had a winning time of 1:03.37. Waynesboro Area YMCA’s Ruth Phillips was the runner-up in a time of 1:03.89.
In the 100 yard freestyle, Lanzel had a winning time of 55.76. State College Family YMCA’s Anne Horgas was the runner-up in 56.25.
Lanzel’s smallest margin of victory came in the 50 yard butterfly. She had a winning time of 28.40, and Clarion County YMCA’s Callie
Snodgrass was the runner-up in a time of 28.79.
Lanzel cited her victory in the 100 yard IM on the first day of the meet as being among the most memorable of the weekend’s events.
“I didn’t have a great start, so I had to come back,” Lanzel said.
Lanzel shared that she has been a member of the Ridgway YMCA Blue Tide squad since she was five years old. Now age 12, Lanzel is a seventh grader at St. Marys Catholic Middle School.
Lanzel is no stranger to winning championships. She was a member of the 2019 St. Marys Minor League All-Star softball team that won both the state and East Region titles. However, Lanzel explained that competing in an individual sport like swimming is completely different than achieving success as part of a team sport.
“In every other sport, when you’re out there, you can always hear everybody yelling. In the pool, it’s kind of just you by yourself. Nobody else is there talking, and it’s just you,” Lanzel said.
Lanzel credited her coaches and family with helping her achieve the success she has had so far in her swimming career and shared that her grandfather, Mike Lanzel, provided extra motivation for her throughout the state championship meet.
“I was swimming for my grandpa because he had open heart surgery a couple weeks ago and he couldn’t be there to watch (this weekend). He had to watch it through the screen,” Lanzel said.
She credited all of her grandparents, Rick and Darlene Eckert and Mike and Terri Lanzel, as being among her biggest supporters.
Lanzel also expressed her gratitude to all who took part in the celebration to welcome her home on Saturday, including all of the area first responders who made her welcome home parade possible, as well as to all who reached out to extend their congratulations.
Adding to the excitement of the weekend for the Lanzel family, Maddie’s younger sister, Anna, earned two second place medals competing in the girls 10 & under division. She was the runner-up in the 100 yard breaststroke and the 50 yard breaststroke.