LEWISBURG - Perched on the top row of a small set of metal bleachers inside Bucknell University's Kinney Natatorium, Boiling Spring coach Matt Brenner and his staff waved their hands and shouted words of encouragement towards their senior swimmers.
Jessica Burkett and Katie Webber have given so much to the Bubblers' swim program, helping it to sustain Mid-Penn Keystone dominance as well as become a player on the district and state meet stages in Class AA.
Brenner watched his senior duo give it one last go Thursday night on the second and final day of the PIAA Class AA girls' swimming championships.
Swimming on fumes, Burkett and Webber helped Boiling Springs to a 10th place finish in the 400 freestyle relay.
Earlier in the evening, Burkett and Webber both claimed their second individual state medals of the last two days - Burkett an eighth place finish in the 500 freestyle and Webber, a fifth place nod in the 100 breaststroke.
"Two years ago, we came up here with those two and Shane [Hallett] and they really showed and came out," Brenner said.
"They made their mark here that night. They came back to have swims at night and they were right on the fringe of making some medals.
"At that point, I started thinking that when they graduate, you're not going to be able to replace them, especially in a small school like ours. A class like this comes around once every 25 years."
Burkett and Webber have become close friends over the last four years, captaining the Bubblers to stellar dual meet seasons and several solid showings the District 3-AA and PIAA Class AA meets.
Both swimmers came into these championships with six 3-AA individual gold medals between them - Webber with a three peat in the breaststroke and Burkett with a three peat of her own in the IM.
The two swimmers competed in Wednesday's Class AA 200 IM final with Burkett finishing fourth and Webber eighth.
As for her breaststroke performance Thursday, Webber offered this perspective:
"Tonight, I felt good, that's why I was a little surprised when I saw the time," she said.
"This morning, I obviously had a little bit better of a time, so I think it was just a matter of coming off this long meet, I was a little tired.
"Last wall was pretty ugly, I think I was more focused on getting to the wall instead of the wall that I was at, so I had a really bad pullout. I don't know if it was a huge factor, but it was probably a little bit of fatigue and that last wall did me in a little bit."
Burkett, meanwhile, admitted to feeling some nerves heading into Thursday's 500 freestyle prelim swim.
"I was little more relaxed tonight, than I was this morning," Burkett admitted.
"This morning I was a little nervous, because I wanted to get top eight and once I got it, I felt a little more relaxed.
"I was fighting through the 500, it was a little painful but it went over well."
Also on Thursday, Palmyra sophomore Peyten Lyons earned her second state medal of the week. She finished sixth Thursday in the 100 backstroke to go along with her sixth place finish in Wednesday's 200 IM.
Lyons also led off Palmyra's 400 freestyle relay that medaled in sixth place. She was joined by Breanna Purnell, Reney Hess and Katie Schreckengast. That same quartet place ninth Wednesday in the 200 freestyle relay.
"I felt pretty good this morning, I was seeded second in my heat, so I felt pretty confident going in," Lyons said.
"This evening, I felt pretty good with my seed time. I set goals for myself and I achieved all that I could."
Another up-and-coming swimmer, Northern freshman Becca Luft, swam to a sixth place finish in the 100 freestyle. She was a bronze medal winner Wendnesday in the 100 butterfly.
CLICK HERE FOR DAN GLEITER'S GALLERY FROM THE PIAA CLASS AA GIRLS' SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
LOCAL FINISHERS
100 freestyle: 6. Becca Luft, Northern, 52.30; 10. Erica Clancy, Susquehanna Twp., 52.83; 15. Samantha Shirtliff, Trinity, 54.21
500 freestyle: 7. Jessica Burkett, Boiling Springs, 5:07.12; 16. Kimmi Szajnuk, East Pennsboro, 5:14.05
100 backstroke: 6. Peyten Lyons, Palmyra, 58.55; 16. Sydney Archuleta, Northern, 1:00.30
100 breaststroke: 5. Katie Webber, Boiling Springs, 1:06.06; 10. Orianna Barone, Northern Lebanon, 1:07.91
400 freestyle relay: 6. Palmyra (Peyten Lyons, Breanna Purnell, Reney Hess, Katie Schreckengast) 3:40.05; 10. Boiling Springs (Katie Webber, Anna Amsbaugh, Elisha Hallett, Jessica Burkett) 3:41.69