Girls swimming and diving season preview

<p>In the winter of 2015, the Center Grove girls swimming and diving team won a 26th consecutive sectional championship.</p><p>A few months later, four freshmen arrived at Franklin determined to end the Trojans’ run, and they did so in dominating fashion.</p><p>That quartet of Grizzly Cubs — Carla Gildersleeve, Ali Terrell, Jessie Fraley and Scarlet Friend — now heads into its final season looking to cap off a four-year tour de force that has seismically shifted the balance of power locally and helped Franklin become one of the top programs in the state.</p><p>When those four were eighth-graders, Franklin didn’t score any points at the state meet. Three short years later, the Grizzly Cubs racked up 163, good for fourth place and just two points shy of third.</p><p>That rapid rise, they say, is the result of pure determination.</p><p>&quot;It was hard, because the motivation in the classes above us wasn’t great,&quot; Friend said. &quot;Everybody in my class, we wanted to come to every practice and we wanted to be here.&quot;</p><p>Franklin coach Zach DeWitt believes the close relationship that the group has shared also played a part.</p><p>&quot;More than talent or anything like that, they’ve got a different attitude than most classes,&quot; he said. &quot;They’re not allergic to work. They look forward to coming to practice. They’re all very close friends, and quite honestly, I think probably their friendship is what propelled them to these heights more than anything. … They want to be with one another.&quot;</p><p>Gildersleeve has been the most decorated swimmer of the bunch, a perennial state podium finisher who has had a hand in about half of the team’s state meet points over the last three years. The Indiana University commit says that she and her classmates were intent on having success at Franklin right away, regardless of whether there was any kind of winning tradition laid out ahead of them or not.</p><p>&quot;We were the freshmen girls that came in and didn’t really know what to expect, but we knew what we needed to do because we had done so much at the club level together,&quot; Gildersleeve said. &quot;We just kind of showed everyone else what you can do, even if you are younger.&quot;</p><p>The girls behind them have followed suit. Sarah Hoffman, Kabria Chapman and Gracey Payne all earned state points last year as underclassmen, and the Grizzly Cubs may have some more freshmen poised to do the same this year.</p><p>It all starts with the current seniors, though — and it works, their coach believes, because each of the four brings unique traits to the table.</p><p>&quot;Scarlet is the accountability expert; she’s the one that tells people the news that they need to hear but maybe don’t want to hear,&quot; DeWitt explained. &quot;Ali is the technician, somebody that’s perpetually concerned with strokes and season plans. She’s like a coach in the water.</p><p>&quot;Carla’s always been our workhorse, somebody everyone looks at to see where the bar needs to be set in terms of where we need to be in practice. And then Jessie is the ray of sunshine. She’s the girl that makes everybody’s days better. She’s the girl that makes everybody want to come to practice and be a part of it. So you’ve got to have a little mixture of all those ingredients if you want it to come out the right way on the other side.&quot;</p><p>With the pressures of choosing a college out of the way for all four — Fraley has committed to Ball State, Friend to Air Force and Terrell to Purdue — the Franklin seniors can put all of their energy into again chasing down some very lofty goals.</p><p>&quot;I think we can accomplish a lot this season,&quot; Fraley said. &quot;I think we’ll place high.&quot;</p><p>&quot;There’s no limit to what we can do,&quot; Terrell added. &quot;I’m excited to see. We’re just keeping our eyes on the now and focusing on the process, and whenever the time comes, everything will fall into place.&quot;</p><p>Since these four arrived, it usually has.</p>[sc:pullout-title pullout-title="Scouting the county" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p><span>Center Grove Trojans</span></p><p>Coach: Jim Todd</p><p>Last year: Third in Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference, second in county and sectional</p><p>Top returnees: Gabby Gilbert, Caitlin Hubbs, Jaden King and Emma Pawlik, seniors; Gracie Marsh and Ezri Putzek, juniors; Kenzie Mills and Devin Trammell, sophomores</p><p>Outlook: Though the Trojans did take some hits due to graduation, they’ve got several of their top scorers from last season returning and also welcome back King after a year off. The top-end talent won’t be able to match Carmel or Franklin in conference or sectional meets, but depth should help keep Center Grove near the top of the local pecking order.</p><p><span>Franklin Grizzly Cubs</span></p><p>Coach: Zach DeWitt</p><p>Last year: Won Johnson County, Mid-State Conference and sectional championships; finished fourth at state meet</p><p>Top returnees: Jessie Fraley, Scarlett Friend, Carla Gildersleeve and Ali Terrell, seniors; Sarah Hoffman, junior; Kabria Chapman, Lillian Lacy and Gracey Payne, sophomores</p><p>Newcomers to watch: Leah Hensley and Paige Lawrence, freshmen</p><p>Outlook: The rich get richer, as the Grizzly Cubs mitigated their graduation losses with the return of Friend, who was ninth statewide in the backstroke while spending last year at North Central. Gildersleeve enters the season as the state favorite in the butterfly, and she appears to have more help than ever. Franklin set a new ceiling for itself with a top-four finish at the IU Natatorium last winter; that’s looking like it could end up being this team’s floor.</p><p><span>Greenwood Woodmen</span></p><p>Coach: Brooke Thompson</p><p>Last year: Fourth in Mid-State Conference, fifth in county, sixth at sectional</p><p>Top returnees: Olivia Franklin, Faith Jackson, Caroline Marot and Abigail Sheets, seniors; Alayna Kenworthy Ava Leininger and Grace Nuhfer, sophomores</p><p>Newcomers to watch: Charli Graves and Madison Peckinpaugh, freshmen</p><p>Outlook: New coach Thompson inherits a squad that will likely rely heavily on a talented group of underclassmen such as Nuhfer, Kenworthy and Peckinpaugh. Jackson, a state qualifier last season, might be the top diver in the county. Thompson likes what she’s seen from the Woodmen so far, both in terms of talent and team chemistry, and she’s eager to see how that translates into results once the season begins.</p><p><span>Greenwood Christian Cougars</span></p><p>Coach: Paul Ziegler</p><p>Last year: Finished 11th at Franklin Sectional</p><p>Top returnee: Nicole Ziegler, senior</p><p>Newcomer to watch: Sarah Ziegler, freshman</p><p>Outlook: The Cougars have doubled their roster size with the addition of Sarah Ziegler, who holds some promise in the butterfly and individual medley. Without anyone else coming on board, GCA still won’t be able to field any relays, significantly hampering their chances to place well as a team, but the Ziegler sisters should be able to earn some sectional points in their respective events.</p><p><span>Indian Creek Braves</span></p><p>Coach: Brad Smith</p><p>Last year: Won Western Indiana Conference championship, third in county and sectional</p><p>Top returnees: Lexi Wilhoit, seniors; Payton Allison, Sierra Bowman and Lissy Vanette, juniors</p><p>Outlook: The Braves still have a three-time state qualifier in Wilhoit, but graduations and some other unexpected losses will take their toll in terms of depth. Indian Creek probably has enough to compete at the top of the WIC, but it’s going to be difficult to stay near the top of the county and sectional standings when the numbers aren’t there. A fourth reliable swimmer will need to step up from among the newcomers to round out some potentially strong relays.</p><p><span>Whiteland Warriors</span></p><p>Coach: Alec DeWitt</p><p>Last year: Third in Mid-State Conference, fourth in county and sectional</p><p>Top returnees: Morgan Giroud, senior; Alex Halle, junior; Addison Daily and Avery Herring, sophomores</p><p>Newcomers to watch: Lillyan Hughley, Allison Poe and Emma Wilcher, freshmen</p><p>Outlook: The Warriors hope to keep their forward momentum going despite another coaching change, and with a solid combination of veterans and incoming freshmen, the chances of that happening are good. New coach DeWitt hopes to advance a couple of relays and perhaps some individuals to the state meet this year, goals he believes are very realistic with the talent in place. Top-three team finishes in the county, conference and sectional should again be very much within reach.</p>[sc:pullout-text-end]