The key to a good team finish at the IHSAA Girls Swimming and Diving State Finals is a strong showing on the opening night, one that puts as many swimmers as possible in a position to score points on day two.
Franklin’s girls accomplished that mission Friday night, placing all three relays into championship finals and locking up points in nearly every individual event.
"The point of tonight was to see how many we could get in the top eight and how many we could get in the top 16," coach Zach DeWitt said, "and so now that the stage is set, tomorrow’s just about racing — and I think our girls like to do that."
The Grizzly Cubs got their evening off to a good start by qualifying for the final in the 200 medley relay. Seeded 13th coming out of last weekend’s sectional, the quartet of Scarlet Friend, Ali Terrell, Anna McCahill and Ella Pheifer turned in a time of 1:45.40, good enough for eighth place.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryThe other Franklin relay teams followed suit. Friend, Abi Gibson, Carla Gildersleeve and Terrell posted a time of 1:36.62 in the 200 freestyle relay, again putting Franklin in eighth and into today’s championship heat. In the 400 free relay, the Grizzly Cubs rode Gildersleeve, Pheifer, Gibson and Jessie Fraley to a time of 3:29.90 and seventh place.
"I don’t know if we’ve had a relay in the top eight in, maybe school history, but certainly not in the last 20 years," DeWitt noted. "So for us to get all three in one night is a heck of an accomplishment for our ladies."
Gildersleeve started her night by swimming the 200 freestyle in 1:49.51, shaving more than four seconds off of her sectional time and placing fourth, safely into the championship final. Gildersleeve fared even better in her other individual race, winning her 100 butterfly heat in 54.70 seconds to take the No. 3 position in today’s final.
The sophomore had been seeded 17th and ninth, respectively, in those two events.
"She always surprises me," DeWitt said of Gildersleeve. "She’s always got something up her sleeve. … When the lights turn up a little bit brighter, she always shows up to play, so it’s fun to watch."
Gildersleeve, meanwhile, seemed less excited about her individual swims than she was about the Grizzly Cub relays.
"I think the relays were probably one of those things that we were super excited for, getting top eight, because we didn’t do that last year," she said. "So that was really, really exciting."
Terrell assured the Grizzly Cubs of points in the 200 individual medley today, reaching the consolation final by going 2:06.21 for a 14th-place showing. She came back in the 100 breaststroke and took 12th, assuring herself of four swims today.
Pheifer finished 20th in the 50 freestyle with a time of 24.09 seconds, but the junior came back in the 100 free and earned a spot in the consolation final, rallying past Columbus North’s Darby Coles and finishing in 52.36 seconds to take 16th.
Fraley also inched her way into a pair of consolation finals, finishing 14th in the 100 backstroke (57.60 seconds) and 16th in the 500 freestyle (5:04.62). Freshman Sarah Hoffman wasn’t far behind in the 500, touching the wall in 5:07.92 for 19th.
McCahill was 23rd individually in the 100 fly for Franklin, and Friend narrowly missed advancing in the 100 backstroke, where she was 17th.
Indian Creek sophomore Lexi Wilhoit was 18th in the 100 backstroke in 58.04 seconds. The Braves also finished 24th in the 400 freestyle relay in with a time of 3:43.25.
Center Grove’s lone individual qualifier, Jillian Castor, finished 25th in the 200 free in 1:56.85 and then helped the Trojans’ 400 freestyle relay team to a 25th-place finish (3:43.60).
