Muchler may have been joking, but she definitely is good at the 100 back and all the evidence you needed of that was Thursday’s District 4 championships at Williamsport’s natatorium.

“I love the back stroke. It’s really the only thing I can swim,” she said with a laugh.

Muchler swam a time of 1:02.98, dropping just more than a time to secure a gold medal. She beat out Danville’s Leah Hasenbalg (1:03.07), Selinsgrove’s Holly Grayston (1:04.45) and Shikellamy’s Paige Roseman (1:04.69).

“I’m really happy. It was way too close, I came into this with not my best time, but knowing it was going to be really close and all the work that I put in has finally paid off,” Muchler said.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lewisburg's Colin Shannon competes in the boys 100 Freestyle during the District 4 Championship meet at Williamsport on Thursday.

The Green Dragon noted that she knew it was going to be a good race coming in with the talented swimmers competing in her heat.

“I was aware coming in that it was going to be really close, but I ended up being like ‘I’m going to have to focus on me and my swim’ and, at the end, I have to go for it,” Muchler said. “And apparently it worked.”

That it did.

Muchler was one of three Green Dragons to secure gold medals on Thursday on the second day of competition. She was joined by Colin Shannon (500 free) and Morgan Shannon (500 free) while Emma Hopkinson (100 free) and Claire Graver (100 breast) were second-place finishers.

Lewisburg’s girls team took third in the team race, behind Danville (310) and Bloomsburg (288). MIlton took fourth and Athens was fifth (184). On the boys side, Danville won the team title with 279 points, followed by Bloomsburg (266), Athens (258), Central Columbia (216) and Mifflinburg (185).

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lewisburg's Blake Gulden-Luthi competes in the boys 100 Breaststroke during the District 4 Championship meet at Williamsport on Thursday.

“It’s a really good team and over the past few years we’ve really been getting better and better,” Muchler said of her and the Shannons claiming gold. “You can tell the swimmers really enjoy the time together and we feed off each other. It’s nice for those big meets where you need that energy and excitement.”

Muchler is excited to be heading to Bucknell in a few weeks for states as well, especially that it’s her first time going as an individual swimmer and not just as part of a relay team.

“I went to states last year only as a relay, so this year I was determined to go as an individual and the goal is just to drop time and get a new best,” Muchler said. “There’s a lot of fast girls there and I’m gonna just try my best and see what it’s gonna be.”

In the girls 500 free, Morgan Shannon swam a time of 5:22.52 to take gold, beating Danville’s Zoe Czech (5:43.21) and Wellsboro’s Piper Anderegg (5:45.57), who took second and third, respectively.

“I always try taking it out a little bit faster because I feel like it’s harder for me to bring it back if I already haven’t taken it out,” Shannon said. “So I feel like I got out to a good start and I tried to swim my race, and that’s all you can do.”

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lewisburg's Morgan Shannon checks her time after competing in the girls 100 Freestyle during the District 4 Championship meet at Williamsport on Thursday.

While she was hoping for a better time, the Green Dragon was glad to win her second gold medal is as many days.

“I am, I’m happy. It’s not exactly where I wanted to be, but it’s nice and it put me in a good spot for states as well,” Shannon said.

Shannon’s glad to join her brother as well at the state meet.

“I think having someone there at states like to talk to is honestly great, which I’ll have for our relay too, but to have my brother and winning gold with him is extra special,” Shannon said. “We trained together all year. It’s what he wanted, it’s what I wanted, it’s the ending to our goal and now we get to go to states together and see what we can do down there.”

Colin Shannon swam a time of 4:58.99 to win the boys 500 free gold medal as he edged out Muncy senior Logan Diehl, who swam a 5:14.00. It’s Shannon’s second gold medal after winning the 200 free and it’s Diehl’s second silver in as many days after he took runner-up in the 200 free on Day 1 of competition.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lewisburg's Jillian Muchler competes in the girls 100 Backstroke during the District 4 Championship meet at Williamsport on Thursday.

“Getting silver twice means a lot because it’s a chance to go to states, and it could prove a lot for me and my school,” Diehl said. “I had a lot of people supporting me and that means the world to me.”

Hopkinson took second in the 100 free for Lewisburg in 54.51 and was behind only Bloomsburg’s Lucy Diehl (53.80), a four-time district champion over the last two days. Graver swam a time of 1:10.76 for second in the 100 breast as Bloomsburgs Anna Yancoskie won with a time of 1:09.96.

Milton’s Nolan Scheller was a first-place finisher in the 100 free as he swam a 48.77, beating Jimmy Zhang of Danville by just over two seconds (50.40).

“Oh my God it’s so great, you work all year for this and all those practices, all that hard training, leads up to this,” Scheller noted.

The Black Panther is just a freshman and had tough competition with Zhang and Athens’ Eli Hicks. Hicks pushed Scheller as well and swam a 50.15, which would have taken third, but he was disqualified.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lewisburg's Morgan Shannon competes in the girls 100 Freestyle during the District 4 Championship meet at Williamsport on Thursday.

“Eli Hicks and Jimmy Zhang are a great push. It was great all around. I always get my best times at these meets because of the people that push me,” Scheller said.

The area saw plenty of other top-8 finishers on the final day of competition.

The Black Panther swimmer is hoping to reach the podium at the state meet in Bucknell.

“I’m hoping to place at states, I’m hoping to go there and place as a freshman. I’m going to give it my all and hope for the best,” Scheller said.

In the girls 100 free, Jersey Shore’s Brooke Charney took eighth in 59.67 and Larissa Rovenolt swam a 59.98, just missing the top-8 finishers. Wellsboro’s Matthew Robbins just missed being a top-8 finisher in the boys 100 free as well as he swam a 55.14.

Wellsboro’s Piper Anderegg was a bronze medalist in the girls 500 free in 5:45.57 and Milton’s Morgan Cohoon took fifth in 5:53.26.

In the girls 100 back, Julia Stahlnecker of Milton was a seventh-place finisher in 1:07.62 and Jersey Shore’s Macy Wilton took eighth in 1:08.93. Wellsboro’s Maxwell Mascho took fourth in the boys 100 back by swimming a 1:04.17.

In the girls 100 breast, Hughesville’s Ashlynn Barlett took eighth as the junior swam a time of 1:16.36. Jersey Shore’s Brooke Charney took seventh in 1:16.01 and Milton’s Rachel Goocey took fifth in 1:14.71.

Lewisburg’s Blake Gulden-Luthi took fifth in the boys 100 breast in 1:05.66. In that race, Bloomsburg’s Grayson Reeck broke the Williamsport pool and District 4 record by swimming a 56.12, breaking the district mark by nearly a second.

In relay competition, Lewisburg’s Shannon, Muchler, Graver and Hopkinson won the 400 free relay in 3:44.82 as Danville’s Izzy Marks, Olivia Hummel, Zoe Czech and Cleo Hummel swam a 3:46.95 for silver. Wellsboro’s Makenna Robbins, Kristina Belz, Joelle Bull and Piper Anderegg took fourth in 4:14.61 and Milton’s Megan Stahlnecker, Clara Stoudt, Sydney Kime and Kaylee Mortimer were seventh-place finishers in 4:25.22.

GIRLS RESULTS

(Top 4 swimmers medal)

TEAM SCORES: 1. Danville 310; 2. Bloomsburg 288; 3. Lewisburg 268; 4. Milton 185; 5. Athens 184; 6. Selinsgrove 133; 7. Jersey Shore 132; 8. Central Columbia 124; 9. Wellsboro 117; 10. Shikellamy 49; 11. Mount Carmel 36; 12. Hughesville 26; 13. Mifflinburg 25; 14. North Penn-Liberty 18; 15. Shamokin 12; 16. Midd-West 8.

100 free: 1. Lucy Diehl, Bloomsburg, 53.80; 2. Emma Hopkinson, Lewisburg, 54.51; 3. Samantha Fagan, Bloomsburg, 55.50; 4. Cleo Hummel, Danville, 55.76. 500 free: 1. Morgan Shannon, Lewisburg, 5:22.52; 2. Zoe Czech, Danville, 5:43.21; 3. Piper Anderegg, Wellsboro, 5:45.57; 4. Audrey Reuter, Bloomsburg, 5:45.79. 100 back: 1. Jillian Muchler, Lewisburg, 1:02.98; 2. Leah Hasenbalg, Danville, 1:03.07; 3. Holly Grayston, Selinsgrove, 1:04.45; 4. Paige Roseman, Shkellamy, 1:04.69. 100 breast: 1. Anna Yancoskie, Bloomsburg, 1:09.96; 2. Claire Graver, Lewisburg, 1:10.76; 3. Tessa Ross, Danville, 1:12.61; 4. Makenna Robbins, Wellsboro, 1:13.07. 400 free relay: 1. Lewisburg (Morgan Shannon, Jillian Muchler, Claire Graver, Emma Hopkinson), 3:44.82; 2. Danville (Izzy Marks, Olivia Hummel, Zoe Czech, Cleo Hummel), 3:46.95; 3. Athens (Kaitlyn Leonard, Olivia Thompson, Evelyn Panek, Elizabeth Denlinger), 3:52.56; 4. Wellsboro (Makenna Robbins, Kristina Belz, Joelle Bull, Piper Anderegg), 4:14.61.

BOYS RESULTS

(Top 4 swimmers medal)

TEAM SCORES: 1. Danville 279; 2. Bloomsburg 266; 3. Athens 258; 4. Central Columbia 216; 5. Mifflinburg 185; t-6. Mount Carmel 123; t-6. Wellsboro 123; 8. Toanda 116; 9. Shamokin 112; 10. Milton 104; 11. Lewisburg 56; 12. Selinsgrove 54; 13. Muncy 34; 14. Shikellamy 29; 15. Hughesville 9.

100 free: 1. Nolan Scheller, Milton, 48.77; 2. Jimmy Zhang, Danville, 50.40; 3. Calvin Kehres, Central Columbia, 50.87; 4. Oliver Petters, Bloomsburg, 52.11. 500 free: 1. Colin Shannon, Lewisburg, 4:58.99; 2. Logan Diehl, Muncy, 5:14.00; 3. Graycen Soberick-Eyer, Central Columbia, 5:20.77; 4. Embry Gensemer, MCA, 5:23.53. 100 back: 1. Eliott Deluca, Mifflinburg, 55.62; 2. Samuel Madara, Danville, 57.54; 3. Hunter O’Neal, Bloomsburg, 1:03.68; 4. Maxwell Mascho, Wellsboro, 1:04.17. 100 breast: 1. *Grayson Reck, Bloomsburg, 56.12; 2. Chase Moore, Bloomsburg, 57.23; 3. Brayden Pettitt, Athens, 58.73; 4. Malachi Moyer, Mifflinburg, 59.63. 400 free relay: 1. Athens (Brayden Pettitt, Dominic Musick, Jacob Shores, Eli Hicks), 3:23.42; 2. Danville (Briar Treibly, Jimmy Zhang, Adam Elbeltagy, Samuel Madara), 3:27.83; 3. Central Columbia (Joshua Thompson, Graycen Soberick-Eyer, Martin Chen, Calvin Kehres), 3:35.11; 4. Mount Carmel (Cru Kodack, Gabe Beck, Donovan Heller, Embry Gensemer), 3:48.38.

* — District 4 record

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lewisburg's Claire Graver competes in the girls 100 Breaststroke during the District 4 Championship meet at Williamsport on Thursday.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lewisburg's Meg Mitchell competes in the girls 100 Freestyle during the District 4 Championship meet at Williamsport on Thursday.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Milton's Mason Cohoon competes in the boys 100 Breaststroke during the District 4 Championship meet at Williamsport on Thursday.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Wellsboro's Wyatt Sporer competes in the boys 100 Breaststroke during the District 4 Championship meet at Williamsport on Thursday.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Hughesville's Evelyn Meckbach competes in the girls 100 Backstroke during the District 4 Championship meet at Williamsport on Thursday.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Hughesville's Ashlynn Barlett competes in the girls 100 Breaststroke during the District 4 Championship meet at Williamsport on Thursday.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Hughesville's Ashlynn Barlett competes in the girls 100 Breaststroke during the District 4 Championship meet at Williamsport on Thursday.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Wellsboro's Austin DeShazo competes in the boys 100 Backstroke during the District 4 Championship meet at Williamsport on Thursday.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Muncy's Logan Deihl, left and Lewisburg's Colin Shannon bump fists after receiving silver and gold respectively in the boys 500 Freestyle at the District 4 Championship meet at Williamsport on Thursday.