The REPORTER
It could be déjà vu all over again for a handful of Carmel swimmers this weekend at the IHSAA girls state swimming tournament.
The Greyhounds are gearing up to continue their historic state championship streak and are in good position to do so. Carmel qualified 25 swims out of 27 into Friday night’s state prelims and are seeded first in five events – all of which the Greyhounds won last year while claiming their 37th consecutive state championship.
Junior Lynsey Bowen returns to defend her state titles in the 200 and 500 freestyles, earning the top seed in both races. Bowen set a new state record of 4 minutes, 42.81 seconds in the 500 event at the previous year’s meet.
Sophomore Molly Sweeney claimed individual medley and breaststroke championships last year as a freshman and is top-seeded in both those events this year. Junior Alex Shackell is the first seed butterfly, in which she set a state record of 50.89 seconds last year.
Shackell is also the defending champion in the 50 free, but she did not race in that event this year. Instead, Shackell switched to the backstroke for this year’s tournament, and she is the top seed in the prelims in that event.
Carmel had 24 of its 25 qualifying swims perform under the state cut time, which guarantees a ticket to state. The only callback time was Priscilla Smith in the 50 free – she swam a 24.20 in that event at the sectional, just 0.01 seconds off the cut time. Smith is seeded 19th in that event but is very close to the 16th-seed time of 24.13 seconds.
The top 16 swimmers in each event at Friday’s prelims will advance to Saturday’s finals. Positions 9 through 16 will compete in the “B” Final, or consolation heat, while positions 1 through 8 will swim in the “A” Final, or the championship heat, and earn a state medal in that event.
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Fishers has been the state runner-up for the past four years. The Tigers have the swims they need to extend that streak to five this season, although they will be battling Fort Wayne Carroll for that position this time around.
Fishers will have 18 swims at state. That includes three swims in the 500 free, where Emma Schumacher is seeded sixth and Claire Francis ninth in the prelims. Isabelle Heuck is seeded 17th in that race after swimming a 5:07.88 at the sectional, but she is only 0.10 seconds off the 16th-seed time.
The Tigers hold the top seed in the 400 free relay (3:27.04) and the second seed in the 200 free relay (1:34.82). Senior Avery Stein is seeded second in the individual medley, while freshman Emily Wolf is seeded No. 2 in the butterfly.
Sophomore Avery Hannon earned two callbacks to state for Fishers, in the individual medley and the backstroke.
Hamilton Southeastern will have 14 swims at state and could get another top-five (or better) finish. The Royals placed fourth last year and were third in 2022.
Senior Audrey Crawford is the top seed in the individual medley, swimming a 1:59.97 at the sectional. Crawford also holds the third seed in the butterfly event. Southeastern’s medley relay team is also seeded No. 1.
Southeastern had three callbacks to state: Ellason Miller in the butterfly, and Naomi Haines in the 100 free and backstroke.
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Hamilton Heights qualified its medley and 400 free relay teams for state. Pictured is the medley relay team of Sophia Hulen, Ayla Madara, Teegan Madara and Amira Leer. (Photo by Allison Madara)
Hamilton Heights has the potential to make some noise at this year’s state meet. The Huskies had seven swims qualify, including three in the 500 free.
Senior Teegan Madara is seeded seventh in that event with a time of 4:59.45. Her younger sister, freshman Ayla Madara holds the 18th seed but is only 0.20 seconds off the No. 16 time. Both swimmers qualified with the state cut, while freshman Amira Leer, seeded 23rd, earned a callback.
The Huskies had four other swims receive callbacks. Heights got its 200 medley and 400 free relays on to state, Ayla Madara earned a spot in the 200 free and Teegan Madara will swim in the individual medley.
Noblesville had six swims qualify for state. Senior Maya McDonald has the highest seed, third in the breaststroke. Her time of 1:02.24 is only 0.04 seconds off the first-place time. Haddie Vohs qualified in the 200 free and butterfly; she is seeded 10th in the 200 and 12th in the butterfly.
Westfield will have two swims at state. Kate Cassidy is seeded 13th in the 500 free, while the Shamrocks’ 200 free relay team earned a callback.
Here is a list of Hamilton County qualifiers and their seeded positions, according to the IHSAA psych sheet.
200 medley relay: 1. Hamilton Southeastern 1:42.29, 2. Carmel 1:42.78, 4. Fishers 1:44.52, 15. Noblesville 1:47.08, 22. Hamilton Heights 1:50.03.
200 freestyle: 1. Lynsey Bowen (C) 1:47.85, 2. Alexandra Ward (C) 1:48.54, 8. Alyssa Street (C) 1:50.76, 10. Haddie Vohs (N) 1:51.20, 13. Emma Schumacher (F) 1:51.61, 19. Mia Henderson (HSE) 1:53.46, 20. Claire Francis (F) 1:53.59, 22. Ayla Madara (HH) 1:54.11.
200 individual medley: 1. Audrey Crawford (HSE) 1:59.97, 2. Avery Stein (F) 2:00.86, 3. Molly Sweeney (C) 2:01.14, 5. Lucy Enoch (C) 2:03.86, 6. Kayla Barr (C) 2:03.88, 15. Mia Wilson (F) 2:08.10, 17. Teegan Madara (HH) 2:08.65, 21. Avery Hannon (F) 2:09.00.
50 freestyle: 6. Faith Gorey (C) 23.43, 7. Kiley Zoeller (HSE) 23.47, 13. Emma Schwertfeger (F) 24.03, 15. Madelyn Lathrop (C) 24.13, 19. Priscilla Smith (C) 24.20.
One-meter diving: 14. Helena Gibson (C) 403.35, 20. Eryn McMahon (N) 368.40, 21. Campbell Lively-Mason (HH) 365.55, 22. Melaina Munson (C) 365.50.
100 butterfly: 1. Alex Shackell (C) 51.21, 2. Emily Wolf (F) 53.26, 3. Crawford (HSE) 53.87, 6. Gorey (C) 55.47, 12. Vohs (N) 56.43, 20. Ellason Miller (HSE) 58.10.
100 freestyle: 4. Grace Dougherty (C) 50.67, 8. Zoeller (HSE) 51.48, 9. Schwertfeger (F) 51.55, 12. Sophia Floyd (C) 51.71, 13. Addyson Czarnecki (C) 51.78, 16. Henderson (HSE) 52.13, 23. Naomi Haines (HSE) 53.18.
500 freestyle: 1. Bowen (C) 4:47.15, 2. Ward (C) 4:48.63, 3. Street (C) 4:49.67, 6. Schumacher (F) 4:59.32, 7. T. Madara (HH) 4:59.45, 9. Francis (F) 5:04.06, 13. Kate Cassidy (Westfield) 5:06.46, 17. Isabelle Heuck (F) 5:07.88, 18. A. Madara (HH) 5:07.98, 23. Amira Leer (HH) 5:13.42.
200 freestyle relay: 2. Fishers 1:34.82, 7. Hamilton Southeastern 1:37.85, 16. Noblesville 1:39.61, 23. Westfield 1:41.40.
100 backstroke: 1. Shackell (C) 52.65, 4. Wolf (F) 55.27, 12. Dougherty (C) 56.52, 13. Barr (C) 56.93, 22. Hannon (F) 58.21, 23. Haines (HSE) 58.37.
100 breaststroke: 1. Sweeney (C) 1:02.20, 3. Maya McDonald (N) 1:02.24, 5. Enoch (C) 1:03.42, 7. Stein (F) 1:03.65, 9. Czarnecki (C) 1:04.10, 12. Eloise Harrison (HSE) 1:04.75, 16. Julia Kiley (HSE) 1:05.53, 21. Polina Sopova (F) 1:05.85.
400 freestyle relay: 1. Fishers 3:27.04, 4. Carmel 3:27.76, 5. Hamilton Southeastern 3:28.14, 16. Noblesville 3:35.48, 20. Hamilton Heights 3:37.48.