By RICHIE HALL
INDIANAPOLIS – When it comes to making the grade at the state swim prelims, Carmel knows how to get “As.”
The Greyhounds boys swim team qualified 23 swims into this afternoon’s finals after its performance at Friday night’s prelims at the IU Natatorium. Carmel sent 18 swims into the “A” final, or championship heat, with the other five making the “B” Final (consolation heat). The Greyhounds thus appear to be in good position to claim a ninth consecutive state championship today.
“A lot of guys stepped up to get into that ‘A” Final,” said Carmel coach Chris Plumb.
Carmel claimed the top seed in six events. The ‘Hounds started with a fast swim in the medley relay, where Sean Sullivan, Brandon Malicki, Aaron Shackell and Ryan Roop finished the race in 1 minute, 29.24 seconds.
Shackell was back in the pool minutes later for the 200 free, and he made history with his race. Shackell set a new state and national record in the 200 free, clocking in at 1:32.85. That lowered the mark set in 2017 by another Greyhound, Drew Kibler, who competed at the Tokyo Olympics and was down at the Natatorium coaching for his old high school on Friday.
Gregg Enoch followed that by getting the top seed in the individual medley at 1:45.71. Shackell and Enoch later went 1-2 in the 500 free, each dropping several seconds and finishing under the 4:20 mark. Sullivan also earned the top seed in the 100 free, and the Carmel team of Andrew Shackell, Nicholas Plumb, Lewis Zhang and Enoch finished things out with a top seed in the 400 free relay.
Carmel started out the meet by getting three swimmers reach the “A” Final of the first two individual events. The ‘Hounds went Triple-A in the 200 free, with Andrew Shackell taking sixth and Zhang seventh, and in the IM with Michael Gorey qualifying fourth and Malicki sixth. Carmel also had three “A” Final qualifiers in the 500 free, as Zhang placed eighth to get the final championship heat spot.
“That’s how we like to do it,” said Chris Plumb. “Really solid top to bottom. Feel good about tomorrow.”
Other “A” Final qualifiers for the Greyhounds are Sullivan in the 50 free, Andrew Shackell in the butterfly, AJ Robertson in the 100 free, Plumb in the backstroke, Malicki in the breaststroke and Carmel’s 200 free relay team of Andrew Shackell, Robertson, Malicki and Gorey.
Fishers had nine swims qualify for the finals, sending five to the “A” heat and the other four to the “B” heat. The Tigers had strong performances in its latter two relays, with the team of Connor Carlile, Keaton Chop, Taichi Kataoka and Jonathan Hines placing third in the 400 free relay. Earlier, Carlile, Daniel Bennett, Hudson Lee and Chop were seventh in the 200 free relay.
Carlile and Hines finished 3-4 in the 500 free to get into the fast heat of that event, and Carlile placed third in the 200 free. The Tigers’ four “B” Finals swims are Tommy Johanneman, Bennett, Luis Sanchez and Chop in the medley relay, Hines in the 200 free, and Bennett in both the IM and the breaststroke.
Hamilton Southeastern advanced six swims to the final. Jihoon Jung made the championship heat of the IM, where he placed seventh. The Royals’ other five swims made the “B” Final, including the medley relay team of Jacob Frey, Collin Huston, Jung and Chouchi Ding; and the 400 free relay squad of Jung, Derek Robison, Eli Pache and Jack Waren. Jung also reached the consolation heat of the butterfly, with Pache and Huston making the “B” heat of the breaststroke.
Noblesville qualified three swims for the finals. Aidan Biddle tied for fifth in the breaststroke, earning him a spot in the “A” Final. The Millers also had two “B” Final relays: The medley team of Jeremiah Ledwith, Biddle, Graham Kulp and Caleb Mathis; and the 400 free relay group of Kulp, Jonah Setmeyer, Mason Snyder and Biddle.
Guerin Catholic’s Quinn Sweeney finished 10th in the 200 free, giving him a place in the “B” Final there.
Today’s swimming finals begin with the diving prelims at 9 a.m., with the semi-finals to follow immediately after. The finals in both swimming and diving start at 1 p.m.
Positions 1-8 qualify for the “A” Final (championship heat), positions 9-16 qualify for the “B” Final (consolation heat), positions 17 and 18 are alternates.
200 medley relay: 1. Carmel (Sean Sullivan, Brandon Malicki, Aaron Shackell, Ryan Roop) 1:29.24, 11. Hamilton Southeastern (Jacob Frey, Collin Huston, Jihoon Jung, Chouchi Ding) 1:35.10, 12. Noblesville (Jeremiah Ledwith, Aidan Biddle, Graham Kulp, Caleb Mathis) 1:35.45, 14. Fishers (Tommy Johanneman, Daniel Bennett, Luis Sanchez, Keaton Chop) 1:35.84.
200 freestyle: 1. Aa. Shackell (C) 1:32.85, new state and national record, 3. Connor Carlile (F) 1:38.46, 6. Andrew Shackell (C) 1:39.87, 7. Lewis Zhang (C) 1:40.51, 10. Quinn Sweeney (Guerin Catholic) 1:41.37, 13. Jonathan Hines (F) 1:41.59.
200 individual medley: 1. Gregg Enoch (C) 1:45.71, 4. Michael Gorey (C) 1:48.85, 6. Malicki (C) 1:50.73, 7. Jung (HSE) 1:51.36, 13. Bennett (F) 1:54.43, 18. Taichi Kataoka (F) 1:56.27, 20. Kulp (N) 1:56.84.
50 freestyle: 2. Sullivan (C) 20.17, 16. AJ Robertson (C) 21.45.
100 butterfly: 4. An. Shackell (C) 49.70, 10. Emil Haig (C) 50.46, 12. Jung (HSE) 50.82, 15. Nicholas Plumb (C) 50.83, 19. Robison (HSE) 51.34, 24. Kulp (N) 52.30.
100 freestyle: 1. Sullivan (C) 44.22, 6. Robertson (C) 46.00, 18. Bennett Morse (Westfield) 47.22, 19. Ethan Zhang (C) 47.31, 20. Neiman Kumler (University) 47.36, 31. Eli Pache (HSE) 49.29.
500 freestyle: 1. Aa. Shackell (C) 4:19.19, 2. Enoch (C) 4:19.44, 3. Carlile (F) 4:26.79, 4. Hines (F) 4:29.23, 8. L. Zhang (C) 4:33.28, 19. Anthony Adams Jr. (F) 4:40.72, 21. Sweeney (GC) 4:41.48.
200 freestyle relay: 2. Carmel (An. Shackell, Robertson, Malicki, Gorey) 1:24.44, 7. Fishers (Carlile, Bennett, Hudson Lee, Chop) 1:25.55.
100 backstroke: 6. Plumb (C) 50.70, 10. Carson Szotek (C) 51.36, 18. Haig (C) 52.20, 25. Johanneman (F) 53.28.
100 breaststroke: 2. Malicki (C) 54.98, T5. Biddle (N) 55.65, 10. Pache (HSE) 56.98, 11. Gorey (C) 57.01, 12. Huston (HSE) 57.81, 14. Bennett (F) 57.59.
400 freestyle relay: 1. Carmel (An. Shackell, Plumb, L. Zhang, Enoch) 3:05.15, 3. Fishers (Carlile, Chop, Kataoka, Hines) 3:07.45, 11. Noblesville (Kulp, Jonah Setmeyer, Mason Snyder, Biddle) 3:12.78, 13. Southeastern (Jung, Robison, Pache, Jack Waren) 3:13.02.
Reporter photos by Richie Hall