On Feb. 2, groundhog Punxsutawney Phil crawled out of its hole in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania, saw its shadow and thus predicted that there would be about six more weeks of winter. The rodent wasn’t wrong, with February not only having colder temperatures, but also snow that delayed winter sports tournaments and threatened spring sport try-outs.

Particularly affected was the postseason for Lighridge’s swim team. Due to cold related delays, the teams path to states was pushed back by three weeks, with the state finals being scheduled, cancelled, and rescheduled again.

“This is the longest postseason we’ve ever had,” said coach Katie Johnson.

The state meet was originally scheduled for Feb. 21. It was rescheduled for Feb. 23 and then rescheduled again was finally held on March 5 in Richmond. The boys team placed 15th and the girls team placed 10th.

Several members placed in the top eight.

Freshman Ariana Cortez-Martinez placed fourth in the 200-free and and sixth in the 100-fly. Freshman McKinley Cushman placed fifth in the 500-free and fifth in the 100-fly. Senior Lucas Gabriel placed sixth in the 100-fly and seventh in the 100-breast.

Additionally, all of the relay teams qualified for finals, with the girls 200-free relay team finishing fifth and the girls 400-free relay finishing 8th.

Despite the abnormally long season, Johnson was pleased with the results.

“This is the best team to coach in the county,” said Johnson. “ We are so proud of everyone for such a fun season!”