Class act Alex Shackell will compete in Paris

By RICHIE HALL
sports@readthereporter.com

INDIANAPOLIS – Another Shackell has made it official when it comes to getting on the 2024 Paris Olympic team.

Alex Shackell, an incoming senior for Carmel, qualified for the United States’ Olympic squad Thursday as the Olympic Trials continued at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Shackell earned her place by finishing second in the Women’s 200 butterfly finals in front of another large and enthusiastic crowd.

Shackell clocked in with a time of 2 minutes, 6.69 seconds. Regan Smith of Longhorn Aquatics won the race in a time of 2:05.70 and she had plenty of nice things to say about the 17-year-old Shackell during the medals ceremony after the race.

“Alex is so important to me,” said Smith. The two met last summer at another meet, and Smith said “she is everything that I wanted to be when I was her age. She is such a class act. She’s so unbelievably talented and I had so much fun with her. I’m so, so proud of her.”

Smith and Shackell were involved in a battle with two other Longhorn Aquatics swimmers, Lindsay Looney and Emma Sticklen. Smith led after the first 50 meters, with Sticklen second and Shackell third. Sticklen moved up to first at the 100-meter mark, with Smith second and Shackell still in third.

Shackell moved into the lead after 150 meters, but Smith came back in the final 50 meters to take first place. Shackell held on for second place, finishing ahead of Looney by 0.33 seconds.

“It’s a dream come true,” said Shackell, who is now the second Paris Olympian in her family. Older brother Aaron Shackell finished first in the Men’s 400 freestyle last Sunday to claim his spot on the 2024 squad. Alex Shackell was happy to make the team “at home, too, in front of all the Carmel fans,” who were among the large crowd there Thursday night.

The siblings will be second-generation Olympians. Alex and Aaron’s father Nick Shackell represented the United Kingdom at the 1996 Atlanta games.

Other county swimmers

Fishers’ JoJo Ramey placed 18th in the Women’s 200 backstroke prelims Thursday morning, making her an alternate for the evening semifinals, although there were no scratches. Ramey finished in 2:11.95; she just finished her freshman year at the University of Florida. Carmel’s Ellie Clarke, 14, placed 50th in the prelims, clocking in at 2:16.00.

In the Men’s 200 freestyle, Carmel graduate Sean Sullivan, who also just finished his freshman year at Florida, placed 36th in the prelims with a time of 2:01.87, while Fishers graduate Kyle Ponsler 43rd in 2:02.55. Ponsler just completed his sophomore season at North Carolina State.

Another Carmel graduate, Gregg Enoch, placed 50th in 2:03.02. Enoch will attend the University of Louisville this fall.