At Indiana Excessive Ladies States, Expertise within the Pool is Gorgeous
In lower than 24 hours, the state of Indiana’s prime swimmers will collect for the 2023 IHSAA Ladies’ Swimming and Diving State Finals on the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis. Swimming in Indiana is an enormous deal, particularly at the highschool stage, as so many USA Swimming Nationwide Group Gamers and Olympians have competed on this occasion sooner or later of their careers.
As Indiana’s subsequent technology of prime swimmers put together to enter the water, a number of athletes stand out. What’s extra, a number of will go away their mark on the state legislature lengthy after they drop out of highschool.
Qualification
Athletes should first qualify with a purpose to show their superiority in a state occasion. There are 3 ways to qualify for the state competitors, the primary of which is by successful a race in one of many 20 regional competitions that befell final weekend. Then, getting beneath the state downtime will win a bid. This time is predicated on the typical time of those that completed sixteenth within the earlier three years. The final method to qualify is to be known as, which implies having a time with no state deductions however filling the entry lists as much as the required 32 spots.
After the official psychology studies have been launched final weekend, 4 swimmers stepped ahead in a pool of expertise. These are the swimmers to contemplate when getting into the water this weekend.
Jo Jo Ramey
JoJo Ramey, a Fishers Excessive senior, is pursuing her first particular person state championship in each the 200- and 500-yard freestyle.
A key a part of Fisher’s three-consecutive runner-up end, Ramey is among the greatest swimmers in her class of 2023. He entered the radar when he completed seventh within the 200m backstroke on the 2020 Olympic Trials in Omaha in 2021. In November 2021, Ramey introduced a verbal dedication to swimming on the College of Florida.
Whereas Ramey has by no means received a person IHSAA State Title, he’s a global medalist who received a silver medal within the 200 backstroke on the World Aquatics World Cup in Berlin. With yet another IHSAA state assembly left for Ramey earlier than he leaves for faculty, this yr seems to be like his greatest shot at successful his first state title. Though he prefers the lengthy route, he finishes first in each particular person occasions and has an excellent likelihood of bringing dwelling state championships in each.
Lily Christianson
Lily Christianson, a teen from Penn Excessive, is seeking to be part of an elite membership this weekend as a three-time occasion champion. On the 2021 state meet, she grew to become the primary freshman to win 50 free state championships in 23 years, and he or she continued her dominance final yr. She received the occasion once more, this time with a state report of twenty-two.14, beating the earlier aim set by Amy Bilquist of Carmel in 2015.
A real sprinter, Christianson is one other swimmer who excels in each quick and lengthy distance occasions. Final summer time, she received the junior nationwide championship within the free 50 on the Summer time Juniors in Irvine and verbally introduced her dedication to pursuing a swimming profession at NC State final fall. Each 50 and 100 free floats this weekend include second and first seeds respectively. On the regionals final weekend, Christianson confronted no problem in any of his particular person occasions and received the 50 by one second and the 100 by 4 and a half seconds. Will probably be thrilling to see what he can do within the state’s prime competitors, and his largest competitor is the following swimmer on this listing.
Alex Shackell
As a sophomore, Alex Shackell desires to convey dwelling much more gear from the state meet. Final season, he received 100 butterflies in a state-record time of 51.71 and added two extra state championships within the 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay.
A expertise handed down from technology to technology, Alex has demonstrated his dominance not solely at the highschool stage but additionally on the nationwide stage. He received 100 flyes in each the Junior Nationals and Junior Pan Pacs final summer time, and likewise helped lead the Carmel Swim Membership to the USA Swimming crew championship within the Juniors final summer time and within the final two Winter Junior nationwide occasions.
On the state conference this weekend, he’ll face a number of the largest challenges of the season. Whereas there’s a shoe entry for the 100 fly championship, he’ll face a problem at 50, regardless of being greatest seeded by two-plus seconds from when he is sporting a coaching outfit. Shackell comes out as the highest seed however has to face one other member of this roster, Lily Christianson, who was the two-time defensive champion at that occasion.
Berit Berglund
Berit Berglund, a senior at Carmel Excessive, is one other swimmer seeking to be part of a particular membership this weekend: the four-time occasion champion membership. Within the historical past of the IHSAA State Meet, solely 11 swimmers have accomplished this feat and have been managed by the Olympian. Lindsay Benkothere is no such thing as a doubt that that is an elite group of swimmers.
Berglund, who broke the state report within the 100 with a time of 51.50 final yr, involves the sport as the perfect seeded by greater than a second within the backstroke, with a time in his coaching go well with. Dedicated to persevering with his athletic profession in Texas, Berglund completed second within the 100-back in each the Summer time and Winter Juniors in 2022. 100 freestyles, after ending third final yr behind Lily Christianson.
Group Race
Whereas showdowns await in particular person races, the crew aspect is a unique story. The Carmel Greyhounds wish to convey dwelling their NFHS report thirty seventh title. With stars like Shackell and Berglund, Carmel brings a depth to the state sport that many groups would envy seeing of their regional matches. Carmel is not ranked worse than 18th in any particular person occasion, and in 5 occasions, all three potential swimmers completed within the prime eight with spectacular one, two, three in 100 breaststrokes.
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