Swimmers Moving Up The Ladder
INDIANAPOLIS – The stress of sectionals is now out of the way from 20 sites across the state. Now everyone will narrow their focus on one location – the IUPUI Natatorium and the IHSAA Girls Swimming State Finals.
The heat and pysch sheets were released Sunday, setting up the showdowns for this Friday night for the state prelims, which is the next wave of qualifying for the top 16.
Of everyone, one local swimmer – Elsa Fretz of Northridge – has the top time in the state coming into an event. Her 23.44 winner at the Concord Sectional in the 50 freestyle leads the pack. But as usual, the 50 is a free-for-all, with 24 times within a second of Fretz’s lead and six are within a tenth of a second, including a pair of Carmel gunners that tend to rise when the stakes are high at the finals.
Fretz also is in position to compete in the 100 free, her time of 51.16 is seeded third and within sight of the leader, Emma Wright of Hobart and her 50-flat. Fretz will also help Ridge in the 200 and 400 relays, where they come in with four seeds in both. Fort Wayne Carroll is the leader in both of those with times of 1:34.87 and 3:27.31, respectively.
Northridge, Concord, Warsaw, Culver Academy and Manchester are the only teams from the IFN area to host multiple swimmers/relays in the state finals.
Warsaw’s top shot at a podium finish could come from Delaney Wihebrink, who is seeded seventh in the breaststroke after solidifying the school record with her 1:04.75 over the weekend. The senior will try for her first podium after making multiple Friday night swims but no Saturday berths. The breaststroke will be chock full of local representation as Northridge has both Haley Dygert (who posted a matching 1:04.75) and Jenna Nethercutt, Concord is sending Olivia Trout and DeKalb broke through with Sarah Platt, all landing in the top 17. The clubhouse leader is defending champion Emily Weiss of Yorktown, who posted a 1:00.97 but has the state record set last year at 58.40, which also serves as the national high school record.
The Tigers also have a medley relay (29th) and 200 free relay (30th) as well as Taylor Gunter (32nd) in the individual medley.
“You can see the confidence coming from Delaney right now,” said Warsaw head coach Tony DeBrota. “I know she has a goal to place at state and she’s in a good position to do that. She had great swims (at sectional). I think it takes years to acquire the focus and preparation she has developed to swim at the level she has gotten to. Not just high school, but in club as well. To be able to hone those skills, it’s very good to see. It’s something we need in this program.”
Northridge will send out its medley relay (9th), Dygert in the IM (14th), Anna Yeater in the 500 (16th) and Kenzie Weber in the backstroke (10th).
Concord brings to Indy its medley relay (11th), Trout in the IM (24th), Grace Brenneman in the 200 free (12th) and 100 free (8th), Kiran Stauffer in the 200 free (25th) and 500 free (15th), MaKayla Miller in the 100 (24th), and its 200 and 400 relays (17th and 12th).
Manchester’s Halle Briner is a double qualifier, coming to Indy seeded 23rd in the 200 free and 28th in the butterfly.
Culver Academy’s Autumn Baumgartner is seeded 9th in the 50 free and 14th in the 100 free, and the CGA 400 free relay is 29th.
Other area swimmers heading to Indianapolis include Elkhart Central’s Sydney Dygert in the butterfly (9th), Rochester’s Makenna Beall in the 500 (31st) and Columbia City’s Lauren Liston in the backstroke (32nd).
Diving will narrow its field Tuesday night with its regionals, the local venue host is Penn.
Several area divers have a shot at cracking one of the top eight spots needed to qualify for Saturday’s state competition, with a Northridge duo right at the top.
Freshmen Kaitlin Simons and Jiselle Miller are among the four-best recorded scores from the five sectionals that feed the Penn Regional. Simons won the Concord Sectional with a score of 500.50, the top score coming into Tuesday night. Teammate Miller had a 471.00, which puts her with a pair from the Mishawaka Sectional in Lindsay Gizzi of South Bend Adams (477.25) and Bailey Betzer of Penn (471.60). Concord’s Brooke Farnham (409.20) and NorthWood’s Laura Schrock (391.40) are among the contenders from Concord.
Warsaw’s diving quartet will have some work to do if it will send a representative to state. Pioneer’s Grace Ulrich was the champion at 376.50, and Culver Academy’s Isabelle Ahlenius missed her final dive, otherwise her score of 344.50 would have been higher. Warsaw’s Grayson Kilburn (291.45) and Plymouth’s Lyndsey Price (284.00) will have to see a spike to keep pace.
“I’m really happy we got Grayson to regional, but we are going to have to move some things around to keep her competitive,” said Warsaw diving coach Will Kretch after the sectional. “The regional we’re in is stacked with some amazing divers. If she ends at regional, she still had a great season. We just have to go and do the best she can.”
Chesterton’s Marina Weinberg (348.40) and Lake Central’s Darian McAdow (395.00) are the champions from the region sectionals heading to Penn.
Carmel is in position to win its 33rd consecutive state team championship.
Top seeds for the IHSAA Girls Swimming State Finals:
MR – Carmel 1:43.34
200 – Kendra Brown, Carmel 1:48.83
IM – Kelly Pash, Carmel 2:02.47
50 – Elsa Fretz, Northridge 23.44
Butterfly – Teagan Moon, FW Carroll 54.24
100 – Emma Wright, Hobart 50.00
500 – Sam Hietpas, Fishers 4:51.54
200 FR – FW Carroll 1:34.87
Backstroke – Madelyn Christman, Carmel 54.96
Breaststroke – Emily Weiss, Yorktown 1:00.97
400 FR – FW Carroll 3:27.31