By Todd Taylor
Several county swimmers will look to punch their ticket to the state finals this afternoon when they compete at the Zionsville Sectional.
Following Thursday’s preliminary round the county will be represented in today’s sectional finals by athletes in 22 individual events. Nine county relay teams also qualified.
Winners in each event will get an automatic berth to next Saturday’s state finals. There will also be 12 at large berths for the fastest times not recorded by sectional winners in each event.
Brownsburg will compete in three relays and nine individual events in today’s swimming finals.
“I thought we had a pretty good preliminary session, there were a couple of disappointments but that’s hard to avoid,” Brownsburg coach Josh Saylor said. “Overall we’re really happy. Our goal all along is to get enough kids to state meet to finish in the top 25 and I think we have a chance to do that.”
Heather Partlow will look to return to the state finals in the 200 IM, where she will be the No. 1 seed today (2:11.76). She won the event at sectional last year.
Partlow will also swim in the 100 free finals, where she is the No. 2 seed. She finished second in the event at sectional last season.
Additionally, Partlow will swim with the No. 2 seeded 400 free relay team with Claire Partlow, Molly Birrer, and Madeline Ketchem. Heather and Claire Partlow were both on the Bulldogs’ state-qualifying 400 free relay team last season.
The Partlows will also swim on the No. 2 seeded 200 free relay team with Birrer and Danielle Gaerke.
Claire Partlow qualified for the finals individually in the 200 free (No. 6 seed) and 100 free (No. 6 seed).
Gaerke qualified in the 50 free (No. 6 seed) and 100 fly (No. 6 seed) and will swim on the No. 5 seeded 200 medley relay with Brenda Woodings, Kristin Anderson, and Madeline Ketchem.
Ketchem (No. 4 seed, 200 IM and No. 3 seed, 100 fly) and Erin Miller (No. 5 seed, 200 IM) are also competing in the finals for Brownsburg.
Avon will be represented in three relay and eight individual races in today’s sectional finals.
Emmie Ryan will defend her sectional title in the 500 free, where she will be the No. 2 seed. Ryan placed seventh in the event at state last year. She will also compete in the 200 free (No. 4 seed). She finished 11th in the state in the event last year.
In addition, Ryan will swim on the No. 3 seeded 400 free relay team with Allison Badgley, Elizabeth Kitching, and Sarah Lorenz.
Lindsey Hill will try for another sectional championship in the 100 fly (No. 2 seed) and is the No. 3 seed in the 50 free.
Hill will also compete on the No. 2 seeded 200 medley relay team that reached state last season with Mikaela Wegerhoff, Lorenz, and Megan Buis.
Badgley swims in two finals events for the Orioles – the 100 free (No. 2 seed) and the 200 free (No. 5 seed).
Also competing in the finals today for Avon are Lorenz in the 500 free (No. 6 seed); Casey Sieferman in the 100 back (No. 5 seed); and the No. 4 seeded 200 free relay team of Badgley, Buis, Miranda Fay, and Lorenz.
Danville will compete in one relay and three individual events in today’s finals.
Savannah Mitchell captured the No. 1 seed in the 100 back (1:01.81) and will also swim in the 50 free (No. 2 seed) and with the No. 3 seeded 200 medley relay with Kelsey Newcomer, Aimee Bertalon, and Katie Griffith.
Griffith also swims individually in today’s finals as the No. 3 seed in the 500 free.
Plainfield qualified for the finals in two relay and individual events.
Melissa Haley will swim in the 50 free finals (No. 5 seed) and Emily Justus will compete in the 100 breast finals (No. 6 seed).
Also representing the Quakers in today’s finals are the No. 3 seeded 200 free relay team of Haley, Carolin Sturm, Courtney Erlenbaugh, and Anna Taber and the No. 5 seeded 400 free relay team of Haley, Kelsey Wickham, Emma Jay, and Taber.
Divers will also compete today, with the top four finishers moving on to regional competition. Last season, Tri-West’s Carissa Rose moved onto regional with a third-place finish.
Diving begins at 9 a.m. with swimming consolations and finals starting at 1 p.m. at Zionsville High School.
todd.taylor@flyergroup.com
