Braves’ Wilhoit ready to finish career in style

<p>In most of her meets this season, Indian Creek senior swimmer Lexi Wilhoit hasn’t really had anyone there to give her a serious challenge.</p><p>When she has, Wilhoit has responded. She’s hoping to do so again as she heads into the final postseason meets of her high school career.</p><p>This weekend’s Franklin Sectional figures to be dominated by the host Grizzly Cubs, the second-ranked team in the state, but Wilhoit has an opportunity to elbow her way into the limelight as well. She enters the meet seeded first in the 100-yard backstroke and second in the 50 freestyle.</p><p>But Wilhoit’s ambitions go beyond this weekend. She’s focused on closing out her final postseason in style with at least one trip to the state awards podium at IU Natatorium next weekend.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]<p>&quot;I really want to make top eight (in the state),&quot; she said. &quot;It’s definitely my number one goal for the season.&quot;</p><p>Doing so would represent a step forward for Wilhoit, who has had her share of ups and downs since placing 15th as a freshman backstroker in her state meet debut.</p><p>She has qualified for state the last two years, both in the backstroke and as part of three different Indian Creek relay teams — but she hasn’t advanced past the Friday night preliminaries, finishing 18th as a sophomore (58.04 seconds) and 22nd as a junior (58.33).</p><p>Based on how she’s fared so far this winter, Wilhoit is well positioned to revise that history.</p><p>She finished second in the backstroke to Franklin’s Jessie Fraley at both the county and sectional meets last season, and the event looked to be even more competitive this winter with Scarlet Friend, a ninth-place state finisher in 2018, returning to Franklin after a year at North Central.</p><p>But Wilhoit posted a convincing victory at county in December, establishing new meet and school records at 57.04 seconds and beating Friend by nearly two full ticks.</p><p>Indian Creek coach Brad Smith has seen a clear difference in Wilhoit this season after she was plagued by nagging injuries in previous years.</p><p>&quot;Just being able to commit fully to the strength and conditioning program has definitely made her stronger in the water, and her physical presence is so much greater this year than it has been,&quot; Smith said. &quot;She’s stronger coming off the walls; just the little things you see. Her power off the walls, her power off the starts, is definitely what’s given her a little bit more of an edge this year.&quot;</p><p>Smith also sees a calmer and more confident swimmer. In the past, he noted, Wilhoit may have had a tendency to put too much pressure on herself in certain situations — but as a senior, she seems to have found an inner peace.</p><p>It certainly showed at the county meet, as well as at the Western Indiana Conference meet, where Wilhoit swam in two of her off events (200 freestyle and 100 butterfly) and dominated both, smashing conference records.</p><p>Now, she’ll try to carry that over into the biggest meets of the year against top-notch competition that has been prepping and tapering with these two weekends in mind.</p><p>The backstroke should again be particularly compelling. Fraley, a Ball State recruit, had season-ending surgery on her labrum and will miss the sectional meet, but Friend will still be there to give Wilhoit a push in the backstroke — something that Wilhoit, who verbally committed to swim at Marshall earlier this week, absolutely welcomes.</p><p>&quot;The whole time we’ve been swimming against (Franklin), I feel like having them there helps, just having someone to push you all the time,&quot; she said.</p><p>With that push, Wilhoit believes she can not only crack the 57-second barrier for the first time, but also get under 56. If she can, that would almost certainly get her that podium finish she desires.</p><p>Smith likes her chances.</p><p>&quot;I just see her really thriving right now,&quot; he said. &quot;I think she just knows it’s her time to step up and do this.&quot;</p>[sc:pullout-title pullout-title="If you go" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p><p><strong>Franklin Sectional</strong></p><p><strong>Today</strong></p><p>Swimming preliminaries, 5:30 p.m.</p><p><strong>Saturday</strong></p><p>Diving preliminaries, 9 a.m.</p><p>Swimming and diving finals, 1 p.m.</p><p>Admission: $6 per session, $10 both sessions</p>[sc:pullout-text-end]