The Carmel boys swimming team put itself in excellent position to win another state championship after its performance at Friday’s IHSAA state preliminaries at the IU Natatorium.
The Greyhounds, four-time defending state champions, qualified 16 swims into the championship heat and three more into the consolation heat. Carmel will have a swimmer in every event at today’s finals, which take place this afternoon.
Carmel’s championship qualifiers include four individual top seeds: Jacob Mitchell in the 200 and 500 freestyles and Wyatt Davis in the individual medley and backstroke. The Greyhounds also have the top seed in the medley relay, and the second seed in the 200 and 400 free relays.
Other Carmel championship heat qualifiers are: Augustus Rothrock in the 200 and 500 freestyles, Jota Iwase in the IM, Alec DeLong in the 50 and 100 freestyles, Griffin Hadley in the 100 free and backstroke, Ryan Malicki in the breaststroke and Andrew Rafalko in the breaststroke. Consolation qualifiers are Rafalko in the IM, Iwase in the butterfly and Griffin Seaver in the 500 free.
Fishers advanced five swims to the championship heat and two more to the consols. The Tigers had their best performance in the 500 free, where Aaron Frollo qualified third and Kyle Ponsler took fourth, sending both to the fast heat. Frollo also reached the championship heat of the 200 free, while Drake Stallworth qualified for the butterfly championship heat.
Fishers also sent its medley relay to the fast heat, with the other two relays qualifying for the consolation heat.
Hamilton Southeastern sent three swims to the championship heat and four more to the consolations. Keegan Streett earned a spot in the 200 free championship heat, as did the Royals’ 200 and 400 free relays. Southeastern’s medley relay will swim in the consolation heat; individual consolation qualifiers are Blake Ratliff in the IM and backstroke, and Streett in the 500 free.
Noblesville’s Jack Wolfred will swim in two events today. Wolfred reached the championship heat of the 50 free, qualifying sixth in a new school record time of 20.86. Wolfred will also swim in the 100 free consolation.
Hamilton Heights’ Jared Holder also qualified in two events. Holder will swim in the championship heat of the backstroke and the consolation heat of the 100 free.
Westfield’s Cameron Clayton earned a spot in the consolation heat of the breaststroke.
University’s Keegan Priest swam in two events, placing 23rd in the backstroke and 29th in the butterfly.
Today’s action at the Natatorium begins with the diving first round at 9 a.m., with the semi-finals to follow immediately. The swimming and diving finals both begin at 1 p.m.
Positions 1-8 qualify for championship heats, positions 9-16 qualify for consolation heats, positions 17 and 18 are alternates.
200 medley relay: 1. Carmel (Wyatt Davis, Ryan Malicki, Griffin Hadley, Alec DeLong) 1:29.88, 8. Fishers (Kyle Ponsler, Cory Jacocks, Drake Stallworth, Trevor Adcock) 1:35.27, 9. Hamilton Southeastern (Blake Ratliff, Charles Truxall, Connor Harrison, Andrew Christopher) 1:35.51.
200 freestyle: 1. Jacob Mitchell (C) 1:37.35, 2. Augustus Rothrock (C) 1:39.06, 5. Keegan Streett (HSE) 1:40.47, 7. Aaron Frollo (F) 1:40.86, 18. Evan Sellers (HSE) 1:44.07.
200 individual medley: 1. Davis (C) 1:48.24, 8. Jota Iwase (C) 1:51.49, 9. Andrew Rafalko (C) 1:51.49, 13. Ratliff (HSE) 1:53.21, 18. Ponsler (F) 1:54.18, 22. Jacocks (F) 1:54.77, 25. Harrison (HSE) 1:56.37.
50 freestyle: T2. DeLong (C) 20.58, 6. Jack Wolfred (Noblesville) 20.86, 19. Donald Rogers (HSE) 21.45, 20. Christopher (HSE) 21.47, 28. Patrick Cavanaugh (C) 21.99, 31. Adcock (F) 22.08.
100 butterfly: 7. Stallworth (F) 49.74, 11. Iwase (C) 50.30, 22. Harrison (HSE) 51.81, 26. Christopher (HSE) 52.09, 29. Keegan Priest (University) 52.54.
100 freestyle: 2. DeLong (C) 44.96, 4. Hadley (C) 45.36, 9. Wolfred (N) 46.34, 10. Jared Holder (Hamilton Heights) 46.47.
500 freestyle: 1. Mitchell (C) 4:23.99, 2. Rothrock (C) 4:30.88, 3. Frollo (F) 4:32.39, 4. Ponsler (F) 4:33.66, 12. Streett (HSE) 4:38.39, 13. Griffin Seaver (C) 4:39.03, 17. Cameron Kramer (N) 4:40.07, 24. Sellers (HSE) 4:44.16.
200 freestyle relay: 2. Carmel (William Kok, DeLong, Rothrock, Mitchell) 1:24.30, 5. Southeastern (Christopher, Rogers, Zack Bostock, Streett) 1:25.62, T10. Fishers (Stallworth, Jacocks, Frollo, Adcock) 1:26.37, 22. Noblesville (Kramer, Nick Beeson, Will Huff, Wolfred) 1:28.06.
100 backstroke: 1. Davis (C) 47.32, 4. Hadley (C) 48.85, 8. Holder (HH) 50.50, 9. Ratliff (HSE) 50.54, 19. Nolan Kopp (C) 52.24, 22. Marcus Eden (HSE) 52.82, 23. Priest (U) 52.93.
100 breaststroke: 6. Malicki (C) 56.95, 8. Andrew Rafalko (C) 57.35, 16. Cameron Clayton (Westfield) 58.35, 21. Cavanaugh (C) 59.11.
400 freestyle relay: 2. Carmel (Brandon Edwards, Rothrock, Mitchell, Iwase) 3:05.29, 7. Southeastern (Streett, Sellers, Ratliff, Eden) 3:10.05, 9. Fishers (Stallworth, Ponsler, Nicolas Silveira Silva, Frollo) 3:10.53, 20. Noblesville (Beeson, Wolfred, Kramer, Huff) 3:13.96, 21. Westfield (Noah Brauer, Brett Calvin, Michael Simpson, Clayton) 3:14.51.
Hamilton Southeastern’s Blake Ratliff finished 13th in the individual medley at Friday’s state swimming preliminaries. Ratliff is one of seven swims for the Royals that qualified for today’s finals. (Bret Richardson)