Carmel aces prelims, sends 21 to championship heats

Fishers, HSE primed for high finishes; Millers, Rocks, Huskies get qualifiers

By RICHIE HALL

sports@readthereporter.com

INDIANAPOLIS – Consider it the swimming version of doing your homework: if a team does well in the IHSAA state prelims, it can expect class honors at the state finals.

Carmel’s girls more than passed the test during Friday’s prelims at the IU Natatorium. The Greyhounds aced the prelims, sending 21 of their 27 swims into the championship heat, or “A” Final, of the various events at this afternoon’s state finals. Carmel sent five more swims into the “B” Final as well, so the Greyhounds are in a good position as they try to extend their record state championship streak today.

The ‘Hounds have seven top seeds in the swimming events, including all three relays. Alexandra Shackell swam on all of them, joining Ellie Clarke, Lucy Enoch and Faith Gorey on the medley relay; Gorey, Alexandria Clark and Molly Sweeney on the 200 freestyle relay and Lynsey Bowen, Alexandra Ward and Clarke on the 400 free relay.

As for the individual events, Bowen is the top seed in the 200 free, Sweeney is rated first in the individual medley and a close second in the breaststroke, Shackell earned the top butterfly seed by over two and a half seconds, and Clarke is the first seed in the backstroke and second seed in the 500 free.

“This group is doing a great a job,” said Carmel coach Chris Plumb. The Greyhounds placed three swimmers in the “A” Finals of four of the eight individual events. Ward and Kayla Barr also reached the fast heat of the 200 free, Leah DeBosch and Lucy Enoch are in the IM “A” Final; Gorey, Addyson Czarnecki and Sophia Floyd reached the championship final of the 100 free, and Enoch and Czarnecki joined Sweeney in the “A” Final of the breaststroke.

“They really pushed each other to do that, so that was fun,” said Plumb.

Other fast-heat qualifiers for Carmel are Priscilla Smith in the 50 free, Ward in the 500 free and Debosch in the backstroke. Consolation qualifiers are Clark in the 50 free, Savannah Irizarry and Bowen in the butterfly, Sabrina Ledwith in the 500 free and Barr in the backstroke.

Fishers advanced 12 swims to today’s finals. The Tigers qualified seven to the championship heat, including all three relays. Avery Hannon was part of all three relays joining with Claire Francis, Emily Wolf and Frankie Ramey on the medley; Emma Schwertfeger, Francis and Emma Schumacher on the 200 free relay, and Schwertfeger, Schumacher and Wolf on the 400 free relay.

Wolf will be the top seed in the 500 free, with Schumacher joining her in the “A” heat. Schumacher also made the fast heat of the 200 free, while Wolf is seeded No. 2 in the butterfly race. Fishers has five “B” heat qualifiers: Hannon in the IM, Schwertfeger in the 50 and 100 freestyles, and Francis and Polina Sopova in the breaststroke.

“The girls competed hard,” said Tigers coach Joe Keller. “I don’t think in 34 years of coaching I’ve ever coached the perfect meet. It’s always how you respond after each swim. They did a really nice job, stayed really tough to the end and we’re in a good spot for tomorrow.”

Hamilton Southeastern sent 11 swims to the finals, with five headed to the “A” heat. The Royals also qualified all three relays to the championship, with Ellason Miller swimming on all three. She was joined by Naomi Haines, Kendall Dieckman and Kiley Zoeller in the medley; Kinsey Bogaards, Payton Walker and Mia Henderson in the 200 free relay and Dieckman, Henderson and Zoeller on the 400 free relay.

Zoeller qualified for the “A” Final of the 50 free, with Dieckman reaching the fast heat of the 500 free. Southeastern had six “B” Final qualifiers: Dieckman and Bogaards in the IM, Zoeller in the 100 free and Naomi Haines in the backstroke.

“They did real well,” said HSE interim coach Rich Wolfred. He estimated that “probably half of them were best times, not by a lot, but we had some good swims out of them.”

Noblesville had four swims qualify for the “B” Final. Haddie Vohs advanced in the 200 free and the butterfly, and is part of the Millers’ two qualifying relays, joining Ellie Hayward, Julia Santerre and Exley Tricker in the 200 free relay and Hayward, Olivia Motz and Tricker in the 400 free relay.

Westfield’s medley relay team of Kiarra Thomas, Nora Sperry, Evie Wheat and Maggie Alley advanced to the “B” Final of that event. Hamilton Heights’ Ayla Madara qualified for the “B” Final in the 500 free.

Positions 1-8 qualify for “A” Final (championship heat), positions 9-16 qualify for “B” Final (consolation heat), positions 17 and 18 are alternates.

200 medley relay: 1. Carmel (Ellie Clarke, Lucy Enoch, Alexandra Shackell, Faith Gorey) 1:39.84, 4. Hamilton Southeastern (Naomi Haines, Kendall Dieckmann, Ellason Miller, Kiley Zoeller) 1:43.63, 8. Fishers (Avery Hannon, Claire Francis, Emily Wolf, Frankie Ramey) 1:44.75, 13. Westfield (Kiarra Thomas, Nora Sperry, Evie Wheat, Maggie Alley) 1:48.68.

200 freestyle: 1. Lynsey Bowen (C) 1:48.04, 6. Alexandra Ward (C) 1:50.44, 7. Emma Schumacher (F) 1:50.53, 8. Kayla Barr (C) 1:50.86, 9. Haddie Vohs (Noblesville) 1:51.05, 19. Ayla Madara (Hamilton Heights) 1:54.16, 20. Mia Henderson (HSE) 1:54.83, 24. Lily Ziino (F) 1:56.41.

200 individual medley: 1. Molly Sweeney (C) 1:59.71, 3. Leah Debosch (C) 2:01.95, 6. Enoch (C) 2:03.63, 9. Dieckman (HSE) 2:04.42, 12. Avery Hannon (F) 2:06.17, 13. Kinsey Bogaards (HSE) 2:06.31, 18. Francis (F) 2:07.38, 20. Mia Wilson (F) 2:08.33.

50 freestyle: 5. Kiley Zoeller (HSE) 23.58, T7. Priscilla Smith (C) 23.67, 9. Alexandria Clark (C) 23.76, 12. Emma Schwertfeger (F) 23.80, T22. Maryn Sims (C) 24.07.

100 butterfly: 1. Shackell (C) 50.73, 2. Wolf (F) 53.39, 10. Vohs (N) 55.31, 12. Savannah Irizarry (C) 55.43, 13. Bowen (C) 55.54, 14. Miller (HSE) 55.60, 16. Haines (HSE), 22. Wheat (W) 57.56, 26. Lacey Huston (HSE) 58.29.

100 freestyle: 2. Gorey (C) 49.71, 6. Addyson Czarnecki (C) 51.20, 7. Sophia Floyd (C) 51.42, 9. Zoeller (HSE) 51.84, 16. Schwertfeger (F) 52.81, 17. Henderson (HSE) 52.85.

500 freestyle: 1. Wolf (F) 4:47.72, 2. Clarke (C) 4:49.90, 3. Ward (C) 4:52.00, 6. Schumacher (F) 4:56.92, 8. Dieckman (HSE) 4:59.99, T9. Sabrina Ledwith (C) 5:00.11, 11. Madara (HH) 5:01.05, 17. Isabella Schmitt (HSE) 5:07.22, 18. Amira Leer (HH) 5:08.52, 19. Delaney McCulloch (W) 5:13.61, 20. Kate Cassidy (W) 5:08.95, 21. Wilson (F) 5:09.47.

200 freestyle relay: 1. Carmel (Gorey, Clark, Sweeney, Shackell) 1:32.19, 5. Fishers (Schwertfeger, Francis, Hannon, Schumacher (F) 1:36.26, 8. Southeastern (Miller, Bogaards, Payton Walker, Henderson) 1:36.68, 12. Noblesville (Vohs, Ellie Hayward, Julia Santerre, Exley Tricker) 1:38.11, 22. Westfield (Sperry, Thomas, Alley, Cassidy) 1:39.99.

100 backstroke: 1. Clarke (C) 54.42, 7. Debosch (C) 56.09, 10. Barr (C) 56.50, 11. Haines (HSE) 56.52, 19. Bogaards (HSE) 57.78.

100 breaststroke: 2. Sweeney (C) 1:01.14, 3. Enoch (C) 1:03.01, 8. Czarnecki (C) 1:03.60, 9. Francis (F) 1:03.62, T14. Polina Sopova (F) 1:05.68, T19. Ramey (F) 1:06.00; Lauren Ing (HSE) 1:06.00.

400 freestyle: 1. Carmel (Bowen, Ward, Clarke, Shackell) 3:24.73, 2. Fishers (Schwertfeger, Hannon, Schumacher, Wolf) 3:27.11, 3. Southeastern (Dieckman, Henderson, Miller, Zoeller) 3:27.51, 15. Noblesville (Vohs, Hayward, Olivia Motz, Tricker) 3:36.17, 17. Westfield (Wheat, Thomas, Macy Brown, Cassidy) 3:37.04, 24. Heights (Sophia Hulen, Audrey Cain, Leer, Madara) 3:41.44.