Emily Wolf sweeps 200, 500 freestyles; HSE takes sixth as a team
By RICHIE HALL
sports@readthereporter.com
INDIANAPOLIS – They will have to share it this year, but the Fishers girls swimming team is back on the podium.
The Tigers finished the IHSAA state meet tied for second with Fort Wayne Carroll on Saturday, Feb. 14. Both teams scored 227 points. The Chargers were runners-up last year, while Fishers took second four years in a row from 2020 to 2023.
Tigers coach Joe Keller pointed out that half of the swimmers that made it to state this year were freshmen, and “they earned their tiger stripes this weekend.”
“We always talk about a culture of excellence,” said Keller. “If you come in every day, we do that every day, do it when it matters the most in a meet like this, and that’s how success happens.”
Fishers’ upperclassmen also stepped up, of course. The leader of the day was junior Emily Wolf, who won state championships in both the 200 and 500 freestyles.
Wolf won the 200 race in 1 minute, 45.84 seconds, then later came back to claim the 500 free in 4:43.25.
“I was really happy with the way I swam,” said Wolf. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want more. I think it’s a good thing to be happy with what you did and what you accomplished and be happy with what you did for your team. But I’ve had my eye on those records for some time, so I think next year I’ll be ready for more.”
The Tigers picked up 11 “A” Final medals at state, with five more swimmers competing in the “B” Final. Fishers’ 400 free relay team of Ashlyn Hayes, Audrey Wolf, Avery Hannon and Emily Wolf placed second, clocking in at 3:25.24. Hayes and Audrey Wolf are freshmen, while Hannon is a senior.
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Hamilton Southeastern placed sixth as a team, scoring 141 points.
The Royals were boosted by placing all three of their relays in the “A” Final. The medley relay team helped Southeastern get off to a strong start: Naomi Haines, Lauren Ing, Ellason Miller, Payton Walker finished the race in 1:42.48, placing the Royals third.
Haines also placed fourth in the backstroke, while Ing was fifth in the breaststroke.
Noblesville scored 27 points to finish in 18th place. Senior Eryn McMahon led the way with a third-place result in diving; she totaled 450.25 points.
“I think this is the best I’ve performed all season,” said McMahon, a Ball State recruit. She knew that it was her last high school meet, so “I just need to focus on having fun and just taking it one dive at a time.”
And McMahon did have fun. “It was fun seeing all the girls, especially diving with my teammates from club and all of the juniors and sophomores,” she said.
Hamilton Heights’ Ayla Madara placed ninth in the 500 free, scoring nine points for the Huskies team. Madara finished the race in 5:01.81.
University scored its first-ever points at a girls state swim meet: Noa Calili took 14th in the breaststroke, finishing in 1:05.87. Calili called the experience “Just crazy. Very exciting.”