Peter Peyser '25 is taking on the best in the entire state this weekend as he swims in the overall state championships in Ithaca. 
 
Peyser earned his trip to the New York State Federation championships by winning two state Catholic championships in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle last month. 
 
The state Federation championships are held in concert with the New York State Public High School Athletic Association championships at Ithaca College on Friday and Saturday. 
 
In Friday's preliminaries, Peyser has among the very fastest seed times for the 50 (fourth event) and 100 (seventh event). 
 
In the 50 free, Peyser has the third-fastest seed time among 48 swimmers at 20.80 seconds, which was his winning time at the New York State Catholic High School Athletic Association championships on Long Island on Feb. 9. The 20.80 at the state Catholic meet lowered Peyser's own CHS record in this event. 
 
In the 100 free, Peyser has the second-fastest seed time among 43 swimmers at 45.63 seconds, which was also his winning time from the state Catholic meet. 
 
In both events, Peyser is swimming in the fourth of five prelim heats and is swimming in lane five. 
 
At the state Catholic meet, Peyser was also part of the 200 medley relay which broke a 14-year-old school record in finishing in third place.
 
Gabe Russel-Webster '27 of Amherst, Peyser, Atticus Young '26 of Buffalo and Joe Skoumpris '25 of Williamsville finished in 1:35.30, besting the 2011 record of 1:36.36 set by Garrett Graesser '11, Christian Westermeier '13, Kyle Smith '11 and Andrew Monte '11. Russel-Webster began with the backstroke, Peyser with the breaststroke, Young with the butterfly and Skoumpris in the freestyle.
 
Peyser was also part of the 200 freestyle relay which took second in 1:26.56, 1.03 seconds behind Fordham Prep. The relay team was Russel-Webster, Young, Skoumpris and Peyser.
 
Only the champions of the state Catholic meet advance to the overall state Federation meet.