BROOKVILLE, Pa. (EYT) – To say that Clarion natives Lila Gourley, Callie Snodgrass, and Maggie Snodgrass began their varsity swimming careers on a solid note just might be an understatement.
The freshmen trio from Clarion Area High joined the Brookville Lady Raiders swimming program as a part of a co-op this season and made their presence felt from the jump.
(Photos courtesy of Susan Fenske and Wendy Snodgrass)
The trio was an integral part of an undefeated season for the Lady Raiders swimming program and helped the team capture a District 9 championship along the way. They not only helped the program win districts as a team, but their marks individually and with their relay teams helped them to become state qualifiers in multiple events.
The Snodgrass sisters and Lila Gourley celebrate their District 9 Championship. Photo courtesy of Susan Fenske.
In the 2024 District 9 Swimming and Diving Championships, these young women collected 12 District 9 medals and qualified to compete in 10 events at the PIAA Swimming and Diving State Championships. This Lady Raiders freshmen trio and teammate Erika Doolittle had the unique opportunity to win D9 gold in the 400 freestyle relay and compete in the event at states.
This entire foursome will return to the Lady Raiders team for the 2024-25 season and will look to improve their time and final place at the state level next season.
The Snodgrass sisters also qualified for states as a part of a 200-medley relay team that also won gold at the D9 Championships. They were joined on the team by seniors Ella Fiscus and Kerrigan Swartz. Individually, Lila Gourley also brought home a gold medal in the 100-yard freestyle with a 57.45, a silver medal in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 2:05.24, and was a leg of a bronze-winning 200-yard freestyle relay team alongside teammates Lucy Gollier, Cora Parson, and Erika Doolittle.
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Gourley spoke specifically about what being seeded first and winning her first individual D9 medal meant to her back in March.
“I did not think I would get an individual qualification in the state,” Gourley said humbly. “Heading into the meet, I saw the heat sheet and was shocked because of being seeded first. I wanted to win, but if I didn’t, I wouldn’t have been too upset about it, especially because I was a freshman.
“Getting second as a freshman would have been great too. But when I got first, I admit I was pretty happy about it.”
Lila Gourley
Maggie Snodgrass also had a fantastic start to her freshman season in her own right. She became a four-time state qualifier, with her two individual medals coming in the 200-yard individual medley and the 100-yard breaststroke. Snodgrass’s 2:18.10 was good enough for a silver medal in the 200 IM, while her 1:09.79 in the 100 breaststroke was good enough for a bronze medal.
Snodgrass shared, “I was a little nervous going into districts because I know that’s where the teams get more competitive. I performed right where I wanted and getting first in the two relays had me the most excited.
“All the girls I competed with and against were just very sweet and nice. I hope we can continue to be this successful each of the next three years.”
Maggie Snodgrass
Callie Snodgrass showcased special talent as one of the top freshmen in the entire state of Pennsylvania this season. She racked up three D9 gold medals and a bronze to go with it. In addition to her two golds in the relays, she won the D9 crown in the 100-yard butterfly (59.11) and took home third in the 100-yard backstroke (1:01.99). She made the finals at the PIAA Swimming and Diving Championships in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 59.24.
Snodgrass was the lone underclassman in class AA to make it to the finals, a significant sign of what may be to come as her future in the sport continues.
“It’s been really amazing,” Snodgrass said about her season and having the chance to swim at Brookville. “We were unsure if we were even going to swim on a varsity team because our district doesn’t have a program. For Brookville to accept Clarion County athletes has been a great experience. I’ve been nothing but grateful to be a part of it all.”
Callie Snodgrass
Brookville Raiders Head Swimming and Diving Coach Ray Doolittle took over the program a handful of years ago and helped take the girls’ team from an afterthought in the district to a contender for the foreseeable future. Much of the reason for his optimism is that of these three young ladies from Clarion County, who have already proven to be a force to be reckoned with not just at the district level, but at the state level.
“They have learned to swim all the strokes with great technique and became strong in all the different events. They’ve learned how to suffer through difficult workouts without complaining or looking for shortcuts. I just took over at the perfect time when all of that talent and program development came together perfectly.
“We’ve been heading in this direction (as a program) for several years now and something like this doesn’t happen overnight. It takes years to develop the swimmers we are seeing now.”
For Gourley and the Snodgrass sisters, swimming has been a part of their lives together for more than a decade. From local meets all the way to PIAA and YMCA state meets, these three have become great friends and terrific athletes on top of it. They’ve attended countless practices, clinics, and meets together.
Some of the most notable clinics being ones at Clarion University where they have been coached by talent who made it to the college level and beyond. It’s been a big part of inspiring their success and knowing how to continue improving in the future. Although this amazing trio of freshmen phenoms already collected 12 District 9 medals and took part in 10 different events at the PIAA championships, there’s still plenty more left in the tank for the next three seasons.
The Lady Raiders have a District 9 team title to defend, and each of these girls has individual titles to defend and times to beat on top of the team’s success.
Their future is incredibly bright, and this surely will not be the last time that each of their names is mentioned when it comes to excellent swimmers in not just District 9, but in Pennsylvania.
Relay team of Lila Gourley, Erika Doolittle, Maggie Snodgrass, and Callie Snodgrass
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