Now that the ink is dry on the 2012 edition of the IHSAA State Meet, here are a few observations from an old fossil (isn't that redundant?) who no longer has skin in the game.
TALENT PEAKS AND VALLEYS
This senior class of 2012 is just bursting at the seams with talent. Chesterton's Olivia Kabacinski, Zionsville's Zoe Mattingly, Wawasee's Brittany Robinson, Center Grove's Emma Schoettmer, Carmel's Margaret Ramsey and Alexis Bullard, and Munster's Brittany Gilbert are just SOME of the many studs who competed at their final State Meet over the weekend.
It was obvious watching these girls compete as early as 11-12 year olds that they were going to be a special graduating class, and they pulled it off. Throw in the likes of Yorktown's Larah Beaver, Zionsville's Lizzie Lyon, Center Grove's Kristen Nunnelly, Bloomington South's Casey Papp, Columbus North's Kristin Van Deventer, Penn's Sarah Coyne, and Homestead's Mariah Hamil, and you have TONS of talent from Indiana headed off to NCAA swimming next year. Good luck to each one of you as you pursue your college swimming careers.
So who's the NEXT big deal? It's the class of 2015. The freshmen strutted their stuff over the weekend--keep in mind how difficult it is for ANYONE to advance to the State Meet, let alone score points there for your school. Crown Point's Aly Tetzloff, Zionsville's Tait Kitchel, Wawasee's Breanna Robinson, Carmel's Alex Clarke and Peyton Mosbaugh, Mt. Vernon's (Posey) Clara Baggett, and Hamilton Southeastern's Caroline Thomas were among the 9th graders who gave the fans glimpses of the greatness to come from them over the next three years.
FANS, CLASSY AND OTHERWISE
First, the classy. I was lucky enough to get to know some of the parents from Hamilton Southeastern over the last two weekends, and they made those otherwise dull hours in line and in the stands a LOT of fun. I have decided to call the women the Ladies of HS-She. They were friendly, personable, and great to be around. Whether the topic was super towels, super swims, or the Super Bowl, we managed to solve all the world's problems.
The unclassy? A group of fans from a certain school in "The Region" who thought they were the only ones attending the State Meet. They were rude, arrogant, self-centered, and behaved as if THEIR needs were the only important ones in the Natatorium. They repeatedly violated the rule against "saving" seats (note to the IHSAA, either get rid of the stupid rules entirely, or ENFORCE the ones you have). The meet would have been much better for those around them had the red scourge just stayed home and watch the live webcast.
THAT'S WHAT YOU DO WHEN YOU WANNA WIN!
I have been fortunate enough to witness some incredible efforts over the years--one is my own daughter's anchor performance at the 2010 Hoosier Heritage Conference Meet. She made up an 11-yard deficit in the 400 Free Relay in the final 100 yards, and took Yorktown from 3rd place to champion that day.
The single GREATEST performance has to be former Chesterton star Kyle Whitaker's anchor swim in the 400 Free Relay at the Homestead Invitational his senior year. The Trojans were significantly behind leader Northridge at the final exchange--all Whitaker did was swim that last 100 yards in 44 SECONDS to win the race in the final five yards! And he did it with WATER in his goggles after the seal loosened on his entry.
But I have a NEW best-ever performance by a female athlete. Zionsville was in 5TH PLACE heading into the final exchange in the championship heat of the 200 Free Relay Saturday afternoon. The Eagles were .86 of a second off the lead at that point, a BIG gap in the sprints. Well, all Michigan recruit Zoe Mattingly did was reel off an anchor split of 22.40! That sizzling effort propelled her team to its first relay state championship in school history. A quick review of anchor split times in the 38-year history of the State Meet indicates that Mattingly's dash to the finish on Saturday was the FASTEST EVER RECORDED in that meet. Simply INCREDIBLE!
In the coming days, a final look back at more than a decade of Yorktown swimming, and kudos and plaudits for some of the greatest people I've ever met.
Until then, GO TIGERS!
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Sunday, February 12, 2012
BEAVER 5TH, TIGERS 22ND AT STATE MEET
.JPG)
Yorktown's Larah Beaver, 5th in Indiana in the 100 Back!
YHS senior Larah Beaver closed out a spectacular high school career, swimming her way onto the awards podium for the second-straight year. The Ball State swimming signee went 56.39 in the championship heat of the 100 Back to finish 5th and claim 14 points for Yorktown. Beaver's time was just off her school record and the automatic All-American cut in that event. It's close enough that Larah will likely earn the 4th All-American honor of her YHS career later this spring.
Beaver also claimed 1 point for the Tigers with a 16th place finish in the 100 Free (53.33). In fact, Larah had a hand in all of the Tigers' points in the State Meet.
Juniors Caroline Grasso and Jessica Extine, and freshman Lauren Elston also got into the scoring act. They joined Beaver on the 200 Free Relay team that placed 15th in 1:39.54, good for another 4 points for the green and white.
Unfortunately, that's where the scoring ended for Yorktown. The girls never got untracked on Friday and Saturday--their times in both relays were significantly slower than they posted a week earlier at the Fishers Sectional. Even so, the school record holding 200 Medley Relay team just missed a shot at a medal, finishing the Friday prelims one spot out of the running in 9th place with a 1:48.07. Zionsville, ultimately the team State Runner-up, edged the Lady Tigers for that final trip to the medal round by just .45 of a second. Indeed, EVERY stroke counts!
So do starts--the officials disqualified the Tigers' 200 Medley Relay team on Saturday, wiping out a 13th place finish on the scoreboard (1:48.84). That time was enough to beat Carroll, Avon and Fishers between the lane lines, but the officials ruled that Grasso moved her head back just before the start tone. You can watch the video of the race online at facebook.com/yorktown.swimming and decide for yourself whether that was a good call or not. The decision erased 8 points that would have pushed Yorktown three spots higher in the team standings ahead of Western, Northridge and Franklin.
Grasso and Extine each took shots at advancing in their individual events, but neither could punch her ticket. Grasso shook off the effects of an illness to post a sub-par 1:01.57 in Friday night's 100 Back prelims, which left her 28th in the standings. Extine had a pair of chances to advance to Saturday's big dance--she managed a disappointing 24.69 in the preliminary round of the 50 Free to finish 23rd. Jess came back later in the evening in the 100 Breast and swam a 1:08.25, again good for 23rd place.
It would be fair to say that Yorktown scored far fewer points that it could have, and in all honesty, probably SHOULD have. I've been around these girls long enough to know that Grasso and Extine are NOT happy with how they swam--they are much FASTER swimmers than they showed. They simply had bad days when they needed to have better. And that's the key word--both of those young ladies is far BETTER, and I'm confident they'll use their experiences from Friday night and Saturday afternoon to do much better when the 2013 State Meet rolls around.
Where do we go from here? Beaver leaves behind HUGE shoes to fill, but the return of the rest of the State Team is a sure sign of great things in the future. Look for Extine, Elston, the Grasso sisters, Sexton, Gable, Windell and Keller to carry the ball into next season.
And look for MANY of them to return to the 'Nat a year from now.
GO TIGERS!
Thursday, February 9, 2012
HOW IT STACKS UP ON PAPER
Here is how the projected State Meet scores out, based on the seedings on the psych sheet (it also includes diving seedings, based on a compilation of scores from the four Diving Regionals). The teams in bold are teams Yorktown has already competed against during the 2011-12 season.
1. Carmel 300
2. Mt. Vernon (Posey) 196
3. Homestead 191
4. Munster 135
5. Fishers 131
6. Penn 128
7. Crown Point 117
8. Zionsville 114
9. Chesterton 105
10. Wawasee 99
11. Noblesville 98
12. Columbus North 76
13. Hamilton Southeastern 73
14.YORKTOWN 64
15. Westfield 62
16. Carroll (Ft. Wayne) 46
17. Center Grove 43
18. Lake Central 41
19. Bloomington South 40
20. Indianapolis North Central 30
21. Ft. Wayne Snider 29
22. Northridge 26
23. Brebeuf 23
24. Castle 19
25. Evansville Reitz 17
26. Valparaiso 15
27. tie, Avon and Franklin 14
29. Lawrence North 13
30. Danville 11
31. Mt. Vernon (Hancock) 10
32. tie, Plainfield and Vincennes Rivet 7
34. New Albany 4
35. Tell City 3
36. tie, Concord and SB St. Joseph's 2
38. tie, LaPorte and Terre Haute South 1
Of course, NO meet ever finishes the way it starts out on paper. Individuals and teams perform differently in the biggest meet of the season than they have in the past--some better, some not as well. That's the mystery that makes the State Meet so exciting!
Yorktown's 64 points would give the girls a 14th place finish in the team standings, YHS's best since the 2008 scored 30 points to finish in 16th place. I believe that the 21st ranked Lady Tigers will score MORE than 64 points this weekend, with an outside shot of cracking the team Top 10 IF the girls all swim well on BOTH days.
A couple of interesting points to consider the day before the meet begins--presumed state champion Carmel doesn't have a single diver in the competition, and is projected to score NO points in the 50 Free (that will change on Friday and Saturday, the Greyhounds' Ariana Bullard and Rebecca Detro are too talented not to score). Mt. Vernon (Posey) and Homestead should wage a war all day Saturday to determine which school will be State Runner-up.
And in the diving well, FOUR of the Top 5 seeds come out of the Fishers Sectional field--#1 seed Shelby Bartlett of Fishers, #3 seed Jaya Brown of Hamilton Southeastern, #4 seed Courtney Wilder of Hamilton Southeastern, and #5 seed Bethany Jones of Fishers. Only #2 seed Meme Sharp of Noblesville managed to break that juggernaut.
Strap it on tight this weekend, this promises to be one of the BEST State Meets in the 38-year history of the IHSAA tournament in the sport.
GO TIGERS!
1. Carmel 300
2. Mt. Vernon (Posey) 196
3. Homestead 191
4. Munster 135
5. Fishers 131
6. Penn 128
7. Crown Point 117
8. Zionsville 114
9. Chesterton 105
10. Wawasee 99
11. Noblesville 98
12. Columbus North 76
13. Hamilton Southeastern 73
14.YORKTOWN 64
15. Westfield 62
16. Carroll (Ft. Wayne) 46
17. Center Grove 43
18. Lake Central 41
19. Bloomington South 40
20. Indianapolis North Central 30
21. Ft. Wayne Snider 29
22. Northridge 26
23. Brebeuf 23
24. Castle 19
25. Evansville Reitz 17
26. Valparaiso 15
27. tie, Avon and Franklin 14
29. Lawrence North 13
30. Danville 11
31. Mt. Vernon (Hancock) 10
32. tie, Plainfield and Vincennes Rivet 7
34. New Albany 4
35. Tell City 3
36. tie, Concord and SB St. Joseph's 2
38. tie, LaPorte and Terre Haute South 1
Of course, NO meet ever finishes the way it starts out on paper. Individuals and teams perform differently in the biggest meet of the season than they have in the past--some better, some not as well. That's the mystery that makes the State Meet so exciting!
Yorktown's 64 points would give the girls a 14th place finish in the team standings, YHS's best since the 2008 scored 30 points to finish in 16th place. I believe that the 21st ranked Lady Tigers will score MORE than 64 points this weekend, with an outside shot of cracking the team Top 10 IF the girls all swim well on BOTH days.
A couple of interesting points to consider the day before the meet begins--presumed state champion Carmel doesn't have a single diver in the competition, and is projected to score NO points in the 50 Free (that will change on Friday and Saturday, the Greyhounds' Ariana Bullard and Rebecca Detro are too talented not to score). Mt. Vernon (Posey) and Homestead should wage a war all day Saturday to determine which school will be State Runner-up.
And in the diving well, FOUR of the Top 5 seeds come out of the Fishers Sectional field--#1 seed Shelby Bartlett of Fishers, #3 seed Jaya Brown of Hamilton Southeastern, #4 seed Courtney Wilder of Hamilton Southeastern, and #5 seed Bethany Jones of Fishers. Only #2 seed Meme Sharp of Noblesville managed to break that juggernaut.
Strap it on tight this weekend, this promises to be one of the BEST State Meets in the 38-year history of the IHSAA tournament in the sport.
GO TIGERS!
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
STATE MEET PREVIEW, PREDICTIONS
It's hard to believe, but the end of the 2011-12 girls season is only three days away. Seventy-two hours from now, Carmel will have won its 26th consecutive team state championship, and the girls who were lucky enough (and GOOD enough) to advance to the consols and finals will be polishing their medals and reflecting on jobs well done or missed opportunities.
That leads us to the #21 Yorktown Tigers. These ladies in green and white have busted their humps all season long, and the results speak for themselves. YHS put on a dazzling display of talent and tenacity at the Fishers Sectional. One school record was demolished, two individuals and one relay claimed Sectional championships, and four incredible girls punched their tickets to the IU Natatorium.
Now, the fun REALLY begins. The relay squads and individuals who fight off the jitters, pressure and the World Class atmosphere on Friday night and get into the Top 16 will get the chance to put their names in the history books forever.
Let's begin with the relays. The Lady Tigers have established themselves as a threat to medal in the 200 Medley Relay this weekend. The quartet of Caroline Grasso, Jessica Extine, Lauren Elston and Larah Beaver posted the 7th fastest time in Indiana last weekend. If they hold onto that seeding Friday night, they'll have a chance to stand on the awards podium Saturday afternoon--and to compete for a STATE CHAMPIONSHIP. As the list below indicates, Yorktown has NEVER won a relay state title. I'm still convinced that Grasso-Extine-Elston-Beaver have more speed than they showed on February 4th. If they can drop two more seconds, they have a GREAT shot at being in the Top 4 and automatic ALL-STATE. If the stars magically align, they could shock the world.
Prediction? 1:45.50 and high on the medal stand.
The 200 Free Relay team is flying a bit under the radar. They settled for 2nd place at the Sectional. But their 8th seeded time of 1:37.42 was swum despite splits by Beaver and Grasso that were substantially slower than their lifetime bests. This group of girls is a VERY serious threat to the YHS record of 1:36.36 (the State Runner-up time posted by Yorktown at the 2006 State Meet). I think they're gonna do it.
Prediction? 1:35.80 and high on the medal stand again.
How about the individuals? Caroline Grasso is seeded 20th in the 100 Back. Her 59.02 just missed the State Cut at the Sectional and she settled for a call down entry. But she's fast enough to have won the event at many of Indiana's Sectionals. She's plenty good enough to do some damage among the 32 best in the state.
Prediction? 58:00 and a high placing in the Consol heat on Saturday.
Jessica Extine will compete in two events this weekend, the 50 Free and the 100 Breast. Jess is "only" seeded 12th in the 50 Free (24.11), but any girl who takes her lightly is playing with dynamite. Extine is capable of drilling the scoreboard with a time well under 24.00 and competing for a medal on Saturday. She'll have more work to do in the 100 Breast, where she's the #26 seed (1:07.84)--Jess will have to jump over 10 other swimmers to come back on Saturday in that event.
Predictions? 23:40 and a Top 8 finish in the 50 Free, 1:06.85 in the 100 Breast.
The other individual performer is Larah Beaver, swimming in her final IHSAA State Meet. Larah will also put it all on the line in two events, the 100 Free and the 100 Back. Beaver is a sleeper in the 100 Free, the #16 seed at 52.60. She has had her eyes on Kelsi Hall's YHS record of 51.49 all season long, and it's gonna take AT LEAST that to get into the Championship Final on Saturday. This is one of the events in the meet that could see a new State Record before the weekend is over.
The 100 Back may be the most competitive event in the entire meet. Defending state champion Lacey Locke of Carmel was disqualified in her Sectional prelim swim and WON'T be part of the field. But don't let that fool you. This field is absolutely LOADED with talent--don't be surprised if ALL EIGHT girls in the Championship Final swim an Automatic All-American cut time. Anyone who gets to the Championship Final will have a legitimate chance to win it. Beaver is the #7 seed going in (56.75), and she hasn't been pushed at all since the Homestead Invitational last December.
A critical factor could be rest--FIVE of the Top 8 seeds in the 100 Back are also slated to compete in the 200 Free Relay, the event immediately preceeding the back. Beaver, Aly Tetzloff of Crown Point, Brittany Robinson of Wawasee, Alexis Bullard of Carmel and Maddie Miller of Chesterton will face tough double duty. Carmel's Hanna House, Lake Central's Shelby Carroll and Munster's Brittany Gilbert won't have to worry about that.
Predictions? 51.30 and a Top 10 finish in the 100 Free, 54.65 and a Top 4 finish in the 100 Back.
Girls, dream BIG, believe that ANYTHING is possible, and go make your dreams COME TRUE!
GO TIGERS!!
----------
YORKTOWN HS SWIMMING STATE MEET FINISHERS SINCE 2000
YEAR, TEAM FINISH, INDIVIDUAL FINISHERS
2011 21st, 27.5 points
Larah Beaver, 4th 100 Back
Larah Beaver, 10th 100 Free
Jessica Extine, tie 15th 50 Free (tie)
Jessica Extine, 26th 100 Fly
Caroline Grasso, 25th 100 Back
200 Medley Relay, 15th
200 Free Relay, 18th
2010 36th, 6 points
Larah Beaver, 11th 100 Back
Larah Beaver, 30th 100 Free
Jessica Extine, 39th 50 Free
200 Medley Relay, 25th
200 Free Relay, 31st
2009 48th, 3 points
Larah Beaver, 14th 100 Back
2008 16th, 30 points
Kelsi Hall, 1st 50 Free
Kelsi Hall, 21st 100 Free
Kristen Mitsch, 11th 200 Free
Kristen Mitsch, 13th 500 Free
200 Free Relay, 21st
2007 7th, 114 points
Kelsi Hall, 1st 50 Free
Kelsi Hall, 3rd 100 Free
Sarah Kowalski, 9th 50 Free
Sarah Kowalski, 12th 100 Free
Kristen Mitsch, 22nd 200 Free
Kristen Mitsch, 23rd 100 Free
Kasey Tolbert, 21st 200 IM
Katie Simmons, 22nd 200 IM
Katie Simmons, 13th 500 Free
200 Medley Relay, 17th
200 Free Relay, 3rd
400 Free Relay, 5th
2006 2nd, 217.5 points--IHSAA State Runner-up!
Maggie Bird, 1st 200 Free
Maggie Bird, 1st 500 Free
Jill Lockhart, 3rd 200 Free
Jill Lockhart, 6th 100 Fly
Kelsi Hall, 1st 50 Free (tie)
Kelsi Hall, 5th 100 Free
Jenna Long, 9th 50 Free
Kiley Tolbert, 6th 100 Back
Claire Laverty, 13th 100 Breast
Kasey Tolbert, 25th 100 Breast
200 Medley Relay, 7th
200 Free Relay, 2nd
400 Free Relay, 3rd
2005 7th, 132.5 points
Maggie Bird, 1st 200 Free
Maggie Bird, 2nd 500 Free
Jill Lockhart, 4th 200 Free
Jill Lockhart, 4th 100 Fly
Katie Mitsch, 15th 100 Fly (tie)
Katie Simmons, 15th 200 IM
Katie Simmons, 16th 500 Free
Kelsi Hall, 16th 50 Free
Jenna Long, 31st 50 Free
Ashley Bevans, 29th 100 Free
Kiley Tolbert, 19th 100 Back
Claire Laverty, 33rd 100 Breast
200 Medley Relay, 10th
200 Free Relay, 5th
400 Free Relay, 9th
2004 4th, 174 points
Jill Lockhart, 3rd 200 Free
Jill Lockhart, 2nd 100 Fly
Maggie Bird, 4th 200 Free
Maggie Bird, 2nd 500 Free
Ashley Bevans, 13th 200 Free
Ashley Bevans, 21st 100 Free
Katie Simmons, 12th 200 IM
Katie Simmons, 7th 500 Free
Katie Mitsch, 20th 200 IM
Katie Mitsch, 18th 100 Fly
Jenna Long, 22nd 50 Free
Jenna Long, 24th 100 Fly
Kiley Tolbert, 15th 100 Back
200 Medley Relay, 9th
200 Free Relay, 2nd
400 Free Relay, 2nd
2003 8th, 98 points
Jill Lockhart, 2nd 200 Free
Jill Lockhart, 2nd 100 Fly
Maggie Bird, 10th 200 Free
Maggie Bird, 9th 500 Free
200 Medley Relay, 15th
200 Free Relay, 6th
400 Free Relay, 9th
2002 DNP, 0 points
Katie Mitsch, 18th 100 Fly
2001 DNP, 0 points
No participants
2000 DNP, 0 points
No participants
That leads us to the #21 Yorktown Tigers. These ladies in green and white have busted their humps all season long, and the results speak for themselves. YHS put on a dazzling display of talent and tenacity at the Fishers Sectional. One school record was demolished, two individuals and one relay claimed Sectional championships, and four incredible girls punched their tickets to the IU Natatorium.
Now, the fun REALLY begins. The relay squads and individuals who fight off the jitters, pressure and the World Class atmosphere on Friday night and get into the Top 16 will get the chance to put their names in the history books forever.
Let's begin with the relays. The Lady Tigers have established themselves as a threat to medal in the 200 Medley Relay this weekend. The quartet of Caroline Grasso, Jessica Extine, Lauren Elston and Larah Beaver posted the 7th fastest time in Indiana last weekend. If they hold onto that seeding Friday night, they'll have a chance to stand on the awards podium Saturday afternoon--and to compete for a STATE CHAMPIONSHIP. As the list below indicates, Yorktown has NEVER won a relay state title. I'm still convinced that Grasso-Extine-Elston-Beaver have more speed than they showed on February 4th. If they can drop two more seconds, they have a GREAT shot at being in the Top 4 and automatic ALL-STATE. If the stars magically align, they could shock the world.
Prediction? 1:45.50 and high on the medal stand.
The 200 Free Relay team is flying a bit under the radar. They settled for 2nd place at the Sectional. But their 8th seeded time of 1:37.42 was swum despite splits by Beaver and Grasso that were substantially slower than their lifetime bests. This group of girls is a VERY serious threat to the YHS record of 1:36.36 (the State Runner-up time posted by Yorktown at the 2006 State Meet). I think they're gonna do it.
Prediction? 1:35.80 and high on the medal stand again.
How about the individuals? Caroline Grasso is seeded 20th in the 100 Back. Her 59.02 just missed the State Cut at the Sectional and she settled for a call down entry. But she's fast enough to have won the event at many of Indiana's Sectionals. She's plenty good enough to do some damage among the 32 best in the state.
Prediction? 58:00 and a high placing in the Consol heat on Saturday.
Jessica Extine will compete in two events this weekend, the 50 Free and the 100 Breast. Jess is "only" seeded 12th in the 50 Free (24.11), but any girl who takes her lightly is playing with dynamite. Extine is capable of drilling the scoreboard with a time well under 24.00 and competing for a medal on Saturday. She'll have more work to do in the 100 Breast, where she's the #26 seed (1:07.84)--Jess will have to jump over 10 other swimmers to come back on Saturday in that event.
Predictions? 23:40 and a Top 8 finish in the 50 Free, 1:06.85 in the 100 Breast.
The other individual performer is Larah Beaver, swimming in her final IHSAA State Meet. Larah will also put it all on the line in two events, the 100 Free and the 100 Back. Beaver is a sleeper in the 100 Free, the #16 seed at 52.60. She has had her eyes on Kelsi Hall's YHS record of 51.49 all season long, and it's gonna take AT LEAST that to get into the Championship Final on Saturday. This is one of the events in the meet that could see a new State Record before the weekend is over.
The 100 Back may be the most competitive event in the entire meet. Defending state champion Lacey Locke of Carmel was disqualified in her Sectional prelim swim and WON'T be part of the field. But don't let that fool you. This field is absolutely LOADED with talent--don't be surprised if ALL EIGHT girls in the Championship Final swim an Automatic All-American cut time. Anyone who gets to the Championship Final will have a legitimate chance to win it. Beaver is the #7 seed going in (56.75), and she hasn't been pushed at all since the Homestead Invitational last December.
A critical factor could be rest--FIVE of the Top 8 seeds in the 100 Back are also slated to compete in the 200 Free Relay, the event immediately preceeding the back. Beaver, Aly Tetzloff of Crown Point, Brittany Robinson of Wawasee, Alexis Bullard of Carmel and Maddie Miller of Chesterton will face tough double duty. Carmel's Hanna House, Lake Central's Shelby Carroll and Munster's Brittany Gilbert won't have to worry about that.
Predictions? 51.30 and a Top 10 finish in the 100 Free, 54.65 and a Top 4 finish in the 100 Back.
Girls, dream BIG, believe that ANYTHING is possible, and go make your dreams COME TRUE!
GO TIGERS!!
----------
YORKTOWN HS SWIMMING STATE MEET FINISHERS SINCE 2000
YEAR, TEAM FINISH, INDIVIDUAL FINISHERS
2011 21st, 27.5 points
Larah Beaver, 4th 100 Back
Larah Beaver, 10th 100 Free
Jessica Extine, tie 15th 50 Free (tie)
Jessica Extine, 26th 100 Fly
Caroline Grasso, 25th 100 Back
200 Medley Relay, 15th
200 Free Relay, 18th
2010 36th, 6 points
Larah Beaver, 11th 100 Back
Larah Beaver, 30th 100 Free
Jessica Extine, 39th 50 Free
200 Medley Relay, 25th
200 Free Relay, 31st
2009 48th, 3 points
Larah Beaver, 14th 100 Back
2008 16th, 30 points
Kelsi Hall, 1st 50 Free
Kelsi Hall, 21st 100 Free
Kristen Mitsch, 11th 200 Free
Kristen Mitsch, 13th 500 Free
200 Free Relay, 21st
2007 7th, 114 points
Kelsi Hall, 1st 50 Free
Kelsi Hall, 3rd 100 Free
Sarah Kowalski, 9th 50 Free
Sarah Kowalski, 12th 100 Free
Kristen Mitsch, 22nd 200 Free
Kristen Mitsch, 23rd 100 Free
Kasey Tolbert, 21st 200 IM
Katie Simmons, 22nd 200 IM
Katie Simmons, 13th 500 Free
200 Medley Relay, 17th
200 Free Relay, 3rd
400 Free Relay, 5th
2006 2nd, 217.5 points--IHSAA State Runner-up!
Maggie Bird, 1st 200 Free
Maggie Bird, 1st 500 Free
Jill Lockhart, 3rd 200 Free
Jill Lockhart, 6th 100 Fly
Kelsi Hall, 1st 50 Free (tie)
Kelsi Hall, 5th 100 Free
Jenna Long, 9th 50 Free
Kiley Tolbert, 6th 100 Back
Claire Laverty, 13th 100 Breast
Kasey Tolbert, 25th 100 Breast
200 Medley Relay, 7th
200 Free Relay, 2nd
400 Free Relay, 3rd
2005 7th, 132.5 points
Maggie Bird, 1st 200 Free
Maggie Bird, 2nd 500 Free
Jill Lockhart, 4th 200 Free
Jill Lockhart, 4th 100 Fly
Katie Mitsch, 15th 100 Fly (tie)
Katie Simmons, 15th 200 IM
Katie Simmons, 16th 500 Free
Kelsi Hall, 16th 50 Free
Jenna Long, 31st 50 Free
Ashley Bevans, 29th 100 Free
Kiley Tolbert, 19th 100 Back
Claire Laverty, 33rd 100 Breast
200 Medley Relay, 10th
200 Free Relay, 5th
400 Free Relay, 9th
2004 4th, 174 points
Jill Lockhart, 3rd 200 Free
Jill Lockhart, 2nd 100 Fly
Maggie Bird, 4th 200 Free
Maggie Bird, 2nd 500 Free
Ashley Bevans, 13th 200 Free
Ashley Bevans, 21st 100 Free
Katie Simmons, 12th 200 IM
Katie Simmons, 7th 500 Free
Katie Mitsch, 20th 200 IM
Katie Mitsch, 18th 100 Fly
Jenna Long, 22nd 50 Free
Jenna Long, 24th 100 Fly
Kiley Tolbert, 15th 100 Back
200 Medley Relay, 9th
200 Free Relay, 2nd
400 Free Relay, 2nd
2003 8th, 98 points
Jill Lockhart, 2nd 200 Free
Jill Lockhart, 2nd 100 Fly
Maggie Bird, 10th 200 Free
Maggie Bird, 9th 500 Free
200 Medley Relay, 15th
200 Free Relay, 6th
400 Free Relay, 9th
2002 DNP, 0 points
Katie Mitsch, 18th 100 Fly
2001 DNP, 0 points
No participants
2000 DNP, 0 points
No participants
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
FISHERS GETS THE TROPHY, YORKTOWN GETS THE RELAY!
.JPG) |
| SECTIONAL CHAMPIONS, NEW YHS RECORD! |
The badly outmanned #21 Tigers from Yorktown dazzled their fans with championship caliber swims, winning FOUR swimming events (three MORE than team runner-up Hamilton Southeastern), and just two fewer than team champion Fishers). In fact, throw in the close second place finishes in the 50 Free and the 200 Free Relay, and the Golden Girls of YHS came within a combined .65 of a second of winning SIX of the meet's eleven swimming events on Saturday! That's truly outstanding for a school with a fraction of the student bodies and rosters of the two behemoths from Hamilton County.
The 200 Medley Relay team of senior Larah Beaver, juniors Jessica Extine and Caroline Grasso, and freshman Lauren Elston made a bold, loud statement right out of the blocks on Saturday. They electrified the crowd with a come-from-behind victory in the day's first event, sizzling the water with a 1:47.13! That time is nearly three seconds FASTER than the previous YHS record (that Beaver, Extine and Grasso had shared along with Kersea Gable). It is well under the ALL-AMERICAN consideration time, and it seeds these girls 7th of the 32 teams heading to the State Meet this weekend. I believe these girls are capable of swimming even FASTER at the 'Nat. If they can get down to the AUTOMATIC ALL-AMERICAN cut of 1:46.68, they'll very likely stand far up on the medal stand Saturday afternoon.
Those same four girls will swim several other events at the State Meet. Beaver's Sectional championships in the 100 Free (52.60) and 100 Back (56.75) send her to Indy for the fourth-straight year. Extine won her second career individual Sectional championship, gambling in a switch from last year's 100 Fly to this year's 100 Breast. The coin flip paid big dividends, with Extine besting the breast field in 1:07.84. Jess got caught between strokes on a couple of her turns at the Sectional. If she nails those transitions more tightly this weekend, she's likely to drop even more time Friday and Saturday.
Extine's runner-up time in the 50 Free (24.11) was faster than the IHSAA state cut, so she'll get a chance to redeem herself in the sprint on Friday and Saturday. There's no doubt in my mind that Jess is fast enough to swim her way onto the medal stand. Grasso's third place finish in the 100 Back (59.02) was just .21 off the state cut, but plenty fast enough to earn her a berth in the State Meet for the second year in-a-row. Caroline is more than capable of advancing to Saturday and scoring more critical points for YHS.
But the sleeper in the whole bunch may be Yorktown's 200 Free Relay team. The quartet of Beaver, Grasso, Elston and Extine was "only" the runner-up at the Fishers Sectional. But their time of 1:37.42 included split times for Beaver and Grasso that were well off their bests. I am convinced that if the coaches and athletes have nailed this taper, these girls will break the YHS record of 1:36.36 next weekend. That would surpass the AUTOMATIC ALL-AMERICAN cut by more than a half-second, and likely lead to a Top 4 finish that would also put them on the ALL-STATE team!
This group of girls has a chance to post Yorktown's best finish in the State Meet team standings since the 2006 Tigers were the State Runners-up. They'll put it all on the line in the prelims on Friday night--the Top 16 finishers in each event return on Saturday, with the Top 8 competing in the finals for the title of State Champion and the medals on Saturday.
Let's do everything we can as parents, fans, and athletes this week to support the State Team, and put the name YORKTOWN back where it belongs on Indiana's biggest stage. In a nutshell, it's Mission SWIM-possible.
Courage...NO limits...BELIEVE!
GO TIGERS!!
Monday, February 6, 2012
GOLDEN GIRLS ROAR, DESTROY RECORD!
The truly scary thing is that these girls are capable of going even FASTER this weekend.
Great job, ladies!
GO TIGERS!!
Sunday, February 5, 2012
UN FRICKIN' BELIEVABLE!
That may have been the most impressive day of Yorktown girls swimming I have ever had the good fortune to witness.
You ladies were INCREDIBLE on Saturday. ALL of you--athletes, coaches and relatives--should be proud of what you have accomplished, but NOT satisfied.
We still have work to do, because you're gonna MAKE SOME NOISE at the Nat next weekend.
Video clips and more coming later today and tomorrow. Until then...
GO TIGERS!
You ladies were INCREDIBLE on Saturday. ALL of you--athletes, coaches and relatives--should be proud of what you have accomplished, but NOT satisfied.
We still have work to do, because you're gonna MAKE SOME NOISE at the Nat next weekend.
Video clips and more coming later today and tomorrow. Until then...
GO TIGERS!
Friday, February 3, 2012
TIGERS TAKE BIG FIRST STEPS, TOP FIELD IN 6 EVENTS!
There’s a new math story problem in Indiana swimming this morning--it’s shave+taper+racing suits+guts=FANTASTIC opening night for the Yorktown Tigers! The YHS swimmers swept through the Fishers Sectional field in last night’s prelims, nailing down 6 of the 11 top seeds decided on Thursday night.
The 21st ranked YHS girls opened the night in style, roaring to a season-best 1:50.25 in the 200 Medley Relay. That’s FASTER than the IHSAA State Cut and just .36 off the Yorktown school record. The performance by junior Caroline Grasso, junior Jessica Extine, freshman Lauren Elston, and senior Larah Beaver earned the quarter the top seed in Saturday’s championship final. The girls will head to the State Meet if they can hold on and win the event on Saturday. They’ll also head for the Nat if they don’t win, but equal or surpass the State Cut. I’ve said it several times before this season--this group of girls is capable of going under 1:48, and they just might HAVE to in order to be champions. Fishers and Hamilton Southeastern will give Yorktown all it can handle 24 hours from now.
Freshman Katelyn Grasso, senior Kirsten Nickoli and Caroline Grasso kept the momentum going in the 200 Free. The younger Grasso sister dropped more than two seconds with a 2:09.91; Nickoli cut nearly four-and-a-half seconds with a 2:11.13; and the older Grasso sister lowered her best time by more than two seconds to finish with a 2:03.89.
More major time drops came in the 200 IM. Senior Chelsea lowered her previous best by almost seven seconds (2:31.21); junior Kersea Gable posted a drop of more than nine seconds to finish in 2:29.65; and Elston served notice that she’s a threat to win it all Saturday, trimming her seed time by more than four seconds to post a 2:14.61.
The 50 Free kept the excitement going for the green and white. Junior Macey Taylor put up a solid 29.15; junior Ashley Sexton dropped nearly a second-and-a-half (26.20); and defending Sectional champ Extine staked her claim to a possible repeat title, earning the top seed with her best time of the season (24.50).
Elston put on another dazzling show in the 100 Fly, cutting more than 1.5 seconds off her seed time with a 1:00.35. Fellow freshman Bailey Windell slashed her seed time by more than four seconds (1:12.53), and 9th grader Katy Brown’s 1:24.28 surpassed her seed time by more than a half-second.
In the 100 Free, freshman Katie Keller shattered the one-minute barrier for the first time with a cut of nearly three-and-a-half seconds (58.42); Sexton’s first trip under 60 flat this season (57.31) lowered her season-best by almost four seconds; and Beaver (the event defending champ) cruised to the top seeding Saturday with a season-best 53.72. Beaver competed in a regular, dual meet tank suit instead of a racing suit, and unshaved. She has a LOT left in her arsenal for the rest of the State Tournament run. Kelsi Hall’s YHS record of 51.49 is in serious jeopardy tomorrow.
The Yorktown distance group shone brightly last night in the 500 Free, where seconds were dropping like flies! Katelyn Grasso hit the water first and knocked more than 11 seconds off her best time with a 5:46.94. In the next heat, Nickoli and Windell took Katelyn’s lead and did it one better. Nickoli’s 5:43.33 was a whopping 14 seconds faster than her seed time. And Windell stood behind the Super Bailey name on her practice cap, drilling the scoreboard with a four-second time drop to advance with a 5:42.67.
Yorktown’s four stud-ettes also staked their claim to a potential crown in the 200 Free Relay. Extine, Caroline Grasso, Elston and Beaver surpassed the State Cut and grabbed the #1 seed for the championship final, racing to a 1:39.13. That’s nearly 1.7 seconds faster than their previous best in 2011-12, but based on their splits last night, these fine young ladies have a LOT more octane in their collective tank. Put them on the block BETWEEN Fishers and HSE on Saturday, throw in the adrenaline of a championship race, and YHS fans might be treated to a blazing fast time in the final!
Perhaps the greatest performance of the night by the Yorktown girls came in the 100 Back. Beaver was in cruise control down the stretch to easily earn the top seed with a State Cut time of 58.67. Caroline Grasso earned second in the prelims at 59.86 (a drop of nearly 1.5 seconds). And Keller made it a Tiger trifecta with the best time of her life (by more than two seconds), finishing with a 1:03.82. That’s a 1-2-5 performance in the event, and it would earn Yorktown an incredible 51 points if they can make those positions stand up on Saturday. To put that in perspective, winning a relay is only worth 40 points at this meet.
Extine showed the crowd that she isn’t just a sprint freestyler and flier--she has chosen NOT to swim the 100 Fly this time around. And that gamble paid off handsomely last night. Extine’s breakout was spectacular, and she exploded through the first 50 on her way to the top seed in the 100 Breast. Jess’ 1:08.82 lowered her lifetime best in the event by nearly two seconds. Gable put the “able” into the event, dropping more than two seconds with a 1:16.04. Chelsea Watters lowered her seed time by more than four seconds to finish in 1:18.18.
Yorktown also put up a solid performance in the final race of the night, the 400 Free Relay. Sexton, Gable, Katelyn Grasso and Keller swam to their best effort of the season, taking the #4 seeding for Saturday in 3:56.44. They can go even faster on Saturday.
As I wrote earlier this week, Yorktown needs a near-perfect, top-to-bottom effort to seriously threaten Fishers and HSE for the team championship. The Lady Tigers earned the start they needed Thursday night. With even BETTER swims tomorrow, and a little luck, they’re gonna make a SERIOUS run at the first swimming Sectional championship in Yorktown High School history.
No excuses, no regrets, NO LIMITS!
B-E-L-I-E-V-E!
GO TIGERS!
The 21st ranked YHS girls opened the night in style, roaring to a season-best 1:50.25 in the 200 Medley Relay. That’s FASTER than the IHSAA State Cut and just .36 off the Yorktown school record. The performance by junior Caroline Grasso, junior Jessica Extine, freshman Lauren Elston, and senior Larah Beaver earned the quarter the top seed in Saturday’s championship final. The girls will head to the State Meet if they can hold on and win the event on Saturday. They’ll also head for the Nat if they don’t win, but equal or surpass the State Cut. I’ve said it several times before this season--this group of girls is capable of going under 1:48, and they just might HAVE to in order to be champions. Fishers and Hamilton Southeastern will give Yorktown all it can handle 24 hours from now.
Freshman Katelyn Grasso, senior Kirsten Nickoli and Caroline Grasso kept the momentum going in the 200 Free. The younger Grasso sister dropped more than two seconds with a 2:09.91; Nickoli cut nearly four-and-a-half seconds with a 2:11.13; and the older Grasso sister lowered her best time by more than two seconds to finish with a 2:03.89.
More major time drops came in the 200 IM. Senior Chelsea lowered her previous best by almost seven seconds (2:31.21); junior Kersea Gable posted a drop of more than nine seconds to finish in 2:29.65; and Elston served notice that she’s a threat to win it all Saturday, trimming her seed time by more than four seconds to post a 2:14.61.
The 50 Free kept the excitement going for the green and white. Junior Macey Taylor put up a solid 29.15; junior Ashley Sexton dropped nearly a second-and-a-half (26.20); and defending Sectional champ Extine staked her claim to a possible repeat title, earning the top seed with her best time of the season (24.50).
Elston put on another dazzling show in the 100 Fly, cutting more than 1.5 seconds off her seed time with a 1:00.35. Fellow freshman Bailey Windell slashed her seed time by more than four seconds (1:12.53), and 9th grader Katy Brown’s 1:24.28 surpassed her seed time by more than a half-second.
In the 100 Free, freshman Katie Keller shattered the one-minute barrier for the first time with a cut of nearly three-and-a-half seconds (58.42); Sexton’s first trip under 60 flat this season (57.31) lowered her season-best by almost four seconds; and Beaver (the event defending champ) cruised to the top seeding Saturday with a season-best 53.72. Beaver competed in a regular, dual meet tank suit instead of a racing suit, and unshaved. She has a LOT left in her arsenal for the rest of the State Tournament run. Kelsi Hall’s YHS record of 51.49 is in serious jeopardy tomorrow.
The Yorktown distance group shone brightly last night in the 500 Free, where seconds were dropping like flies! Katelyn Grasso hit the water first and knocked more than 11 seconds off her best time with a 5:46.94. In the next heat, Nickoli and Windell took Katelyn’s lead and did it one better. Nickoli’s 5:43.33 was a whopping 14 seconds faster than her seed time. And Windell stood behind the Super Bailey name on her practice cap, drilling the scoreboard with a four-second time drop to advance with a 5:42.67.
Yorktown’s four stud-ettes also staked their claim to a potential crown in the 200 Free Relay. Extine, Caroline Grasso, Elston and Beaver surpassed the State Cut and grabbed the #1 seed for the championship final, racing to a 1:39.13. That’s nearly 1.7 seconds faster than their previous best in 2011-12, but based on their splits last night, these fine young ladies have a LOT more octane in their collective tank. Put them on the block BETWEEN Fishers and HSE on Saturday, throw in the adrenaline of a championship race, and YHS fans might be treated to a blazing fast time in the final!
Perhaps the greatest performance of the night by the Yorktown girls came in the 100 Back. Beaver was in cruise control down the stretch to easily earn the top seed with a State Cut time of 58.67. Caroline Grasso earned second in the prelims at 59.86 (a drop of nearly 1.5 seconds). And Keller made it a Tiger trifecta with the best time of her life (by more than two seconds), finishing with a 1:03.82. That’s a 1-2-5 performance in the event, and it would earn Yorktown an incredible 51 points if they can make those positions stand up on Saturday. To put that in perspective, winning a relay is only worth 40 points at this meet.
Extine showed the crowd that she isn’t just a sprint freestyler and flier--she has chosen NOT to swim the 100 Fly this time around. And that gamble paid off handsomely last night. Extine’s breakout was spectacular, and she exploded through the first 50 on her way to the top seed in the 100 Breast. Jess’ 1:08.82 lowered her lifetime best in the event by nearly two seconds. Gable put the “able” into the event, dropping more than two seconds with a 1:16.04. Chelsea Watters lowered her seed time by more than four seconds to finish in 1:18.18.
Yorktown also put up a solid performance in the final race of the night, the 400 Free Relay. Sexton, Gable, Katelyn Grasso and Keller swam to their best effort of the season, taking the #4 seeding for Saturday in 3:56.44. They can go even faster on Saturday.
As I wrote earlier this week, Yorktown needs a near-perfect, top-to-bottom effort to seriously threaten Fishers and HSE for the team championship. The Lady Tigers earned the start they needed Thursday night. With even BETTER swims tomorrow, and a little luck, they’re gonna make a SERIOUS run at the first swimming Sectional championship in Yorktown High School history.
No excuses, no regrets, NO LIMITS!
B-E-L-I-E-V-E!
GO TIGERS!
Thursday, February 2, 2012
STAYING UP TO DATE
I'll be posting LIVE results from the Fishers Sectional tonight on Twitter. If you can't go to the meet, follow what's happening at twitter.com./yorktownswim.
GO TIGERS!
GO TIGERS!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
SECTIONAL PREVIEW: FISHERS FAVORITES, YHS & HSE LURKING
The field at the Fishers Sectional has shrunk to just nine schools over the years. But don’t let that fool you--nearly half of those teams are ranked in the state’s Top 40 squads in one of the most powerful and even Sectionals in Indiana.
#17 Fishers, #21 Yorktown, #23 Hamilton Southeastern, and #33 Pendleton Heights are the cream of the crop in this year’s field. The host Tigers are the defending champions. They won last year’s Hamilton Southeastern Sectional by an even 100 points over runner-up and crosstown rival HSE, with Yorktown a distant third. But that was then, this is now.
THIS year’s competition looks to be much closer. Fishers will still be the prohibitive favorite, but the Tigers will have to make up for the loss of sophomore Katie Lemen, who now swims for #1 Carmel. Lemen accounted for 45 of Fishers’ points a year ago, swimming on the champion 200 Medley Relay and 200 Free Relay teams, winning the 200 Free, and finishing 2nd in the 100 Free.
Lemen’s transfer did significant damage to the Fishers lineup. But the Tigers may have just what they need to compensate for her loss. Freshman Emily Moser is one of the most talented athletes in the entire field--she wowed the fans with a 5:05 in the 500 Free earlier this season at the Westfield Invitational. Moser is one of a small group of swimmers in the field who have posted a time faster than the IHSAA state cuts this season. She’s a legitimate threat to be a Sectional champion in any race she enters this weekend.
Where does that leave the rest of the field? Well, it AIN’T chopped liver, friends. HSE has its own talented freshman in Caroline Thomas, who is capable of beating the field in any event in the competition. The Royals also have impressive depth, and bring back strong relays again in 2012--they joined FHS and YHS with state cut performances in 2011. They could very well win any relay in the Sectional, maybe all three.
Yorktown is poised to have its best finish since the 2006 squad (the one that went on to be State Runner-up that year). The meet's “OTHER” Tigers are loaded--Larah Beaver is the defending champion in the 100 Free and 100 Back; Jessica Extine is the defending champ in the 50 Free; both of the YHS 200 relays finished 2nd in 2011, and they are both stronger than a year ago. Don’t be surprised if the green and white Tigers bring home blue ribbons in BOTH of the shorter relays. The YHS records could also be in jeopardy.
IF they can do that, Yorktown takes the first of the several steps they’ll need to seriously threaten Fishers for the team championship. Here’s what else they’ll need--Beaver will have to defend both of her individual titles. Extine will have to win the 50 Free again, and DOUBLE with a victory in the 100 Breast. Freshman phenom Lauren Elston will have to win at least one individual title (she’s right there in the 100 Fly).
Then the depth will have to kick in--Caroline Grasso finished 2nd to Beaver in the 100 Back last year. We’ll need that again. A 1-2 finish is almost like winning a relay. Freshman Bailey Windell has come on like a fireball late this season--she’s capable of making it back in the ‘A’ final in her events, and scoring critical points. Fellow 9th graders Katie Keller and Katelyn Grasso should also score well.
Junior Kersea Gable could be extremely valuable in the 100 Breast and on the relays. Same goes for junior Ashley Sexton--she’s capable of posting strong finishes in the sprint freestyles, and we’ll need strong relay legs from her. The girls on the 400 Free Relay will be called on to put up their best times of the season to pitch in. Gotta be in the top three there, ladies.
Senior co-captains Kirsten Nickoli and Chelsea Watters should provide important points in their swims. And then there’s diving--an event Fishers and HSE have owned in recent years. Yorktown must get quality performances from both Sam Mahon and Ellie Smith for the YHS Tigers to have a realistic shot at the overall team championship.
Yorktown has NEVER won a Sectional championship in swimming and diving. If the Tigers can maximize the number of athletes who make it through Thursday’s prelims to Saturday’s finals, they will have given themselves the CHANCE to take their shot. It really is ALL about Thursday.
My personal prediction? If the stars align and most (if not all) of the above become reality, Yorktown just might be able to pull it off. I’ll never bet against them. Time to SHOCK THE WORLD!
Be loud, be proud, NO LIMITS!
GO TIGERS!
#17 Fishers, #21 Yorktown, #23 Hamilton Southeastern, and #33 Pendleton Heights are the cream of the crop in this year’s field. The host Tigers are the defending champions. They won last year’s Hamilton Southeastern Sectional by an even 100 points over runner-up and crosstown rival HSE, with Yorktown a distant third. But that was then, this is now.
THIS year’s competition looks to be much closer. Fishers will still be the prohibitive favorite, but the Tigers will have to make up for the loss of sophomore Katie Lemen, who now swims for #1 Carmel. Lemen accounted for 45 of Fishers’ points a year ago, swimming on the champion 200 Medley Relay and 200 Free Relay teams, winning the 200 Free, and finishing 2nd in the 100 Free.
Lemen’s transfer did significant damage to the Fishers lineup. But the Tigers may have just what they need to compensate for her loss. Freshman Emily Moser is one of the most talented athletes in the entire field--she wowed the fans with a 5:05 in the 500 Free earlier this season at the Westfield Invitational. Moser is one of a small group of swimmers in the field who have posted a time faster than the IHSAA state cuts this season. She’s a legitimate threat to be a Sectional champion in any race she enters this weekend.
Where does that leave the rest of the field? Well, it AIN’T chopped liver, friends. HSE has its own talented freshman in Caroline Thomas, who is capable of beating the field in any event in the competition. The Royals also have impressive depth, and bring back strong relays again in 2012--they joined FHS and YHS with state cut performances in 2011. They could very well win any relay in the Sectional, maybe all three.
Yorktown is poised to have its best finish since the 2006 squad (the one that went on to be State Runner-up that year). The meet's “OTHER” Tigers are loaded--Larah Beaver is the defending champion in the 100 Free and 100 Back; Jessica Extine is the defending champ in the 50 Free; both of the YHS 200 relays finished 2nd in 2011, and they are both stronger than a year ago. Don’t be surprised if the green and white Tigers bring home blue ribbons in BOTH of the shorter relays. The YHS records could also be in jeopardy.
IF they can do that, Yorktown takes the first of the several steps they’ll need to seriously threaten Fishers for the team championship. Here’s what else they’ll need--Beaver will have to defend both of her individual titles. Extine will have to win the 50 Free again, and DOUBLE with a victory in the 100 Breast. Freshman phenom Lauren Elston will have to win at least one individual title (she’s right there in the 100 Fly).
Then the depth will have to kick in--Caroline Grasso finished 2nd to Beaver in the 100 Back last year. We’ll need that again. A 1-2 finish is almost like winning a relay. Freshman Bailey Windell has come on like a fireball late this season--she’s capable of making it back in the ‘A’ final in her events, and scoring critical points. Fellow 9th graders Katie Keller and Katelyn Grasso should also score well.
Junior Kersea Gable could be extremely valuable in the 100 Breast and on the relays. Same goes for junior Ashley Sexton--she’s capable of posting strong finishes in the sprint freestyles, and we’ll need strong relay legs from her. The girls on the 400 Free Relay will be called on to put up their best times of the season to pitch in. Gotta be in the top three there, ladies.
Senior co-captains Kirsten Nickoli and Chelsea Watters should provide important points in their swims. And then there’s diving--an event Fishers and HSE have owned in recent years. Yorktown must get quality performances from both Sam Mahon and Ellie Smith for the YHS Tigers to have a realistic shot at the overall team championship.
Yorktown has NEVER won a Sectional championship in swimming and diving. If the Tigers can maximize the number of athletes who make it through Thursday’s prelims to Saturday’s finals, they will have given themselves the CHANCE to take their shot. It really is ALL about Thursday.
My personal prediction? If the stars align and most (if not all) of the above become reality, Yorktown just might be able to pull it off. I’ll never bet against them. Time to SHOCK THE WORLD!
Be loud, be proud, NO LIMITS!
GO TIGERS!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)