<p>Some will throw the term "late bloomer" around as an insult, which seems pretty silly. ‘Tis far better to blossom late than not at all, no?</p><p>Nick Klenner doesn’t run from the description, and why should he? The Whiteland senior swimmer has enjoyed a rapid ascent over the past year or two, and he’s expecting to reap the rewards this weekend in the form of his first-ever trip to the state meet.</p><p>"I definitely feel like the training I’ve put in has put me in a good spot, and I feel confident going into sectionals," Klenner said.</p><p>It didn’t come as quickly or easily as it did for some others, but Klenner has put himself in position to compete against the area’s best — particularly in the backstroke, which has become his strongest event.</p><p>When Klenner was a freshman, he swam the 100-yard backstroke in 1:03.98 to finish seventh at the Johnson County meet. Compare that to this year, when he went 54.30 at the same meet to finish second. He set the school record in that event last season at 53.97 and has already shaved half a second off of that this winter, with an eye on hitting the state cut time of 52 seconds flat in Saturday’s sectional final.</p><p>Whiteland coach Alec DeWitt sees a swimmer who has physically developed over time and added some burst from his work during the club season with the Franklin Regional Swim Team, where there’s a greater emphasis on sprinting.</p><p>"His strength is completely different," DeWitt said. "Working with Zach (DeWitt) over at FRST, and weights and conditioning, obviously, he’s way stronger. We’ve been doing a lot more weights this year … so he looks stronger, his tempo looks faster. His front end of his 100 back is going to be faster."</p><p>And it’ll need to be. The 100 backstroke is one of the more loaded events at the Franklin Sectional, with at least three or four swimmers capable of qualifying for the state meet — including Franklin junior Cade Oliver, a likely state medalist.</p><p>Klenner isn’t likely to finish first this weekend, but he also knows he doesn’t have to if his time is good enough — and having strong competition around him is likely to help him get the time he needs.</p><p>"Knowing that our sectional is crazy fast, and knowing that the guys that are going to be there, I’ve been racing for a long time," Klenner said, "I know who’s going to be there, and I know what I have to do to be where I want to be."</p><p>Alec DeWitt believes that because of Klenner’s technique and his strong underwaters, he’s better suited for the 200 backstroke — an event he’ll get to swim next year at Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois. But he says that they’ve put more of an emphasis on Klenner’s sprinting this season, not only to help him in the 100 back, but also to strengthen his legs on Whiteland’s medley and 400 freestyle relays — both of which also have a chance to advance to state.</p><p>Ideally, Klenner can help his teammates move on while also helping himself to a state berth in the backstroke — and his coach sees no reason why he can’t, especially after seeing all of the progress that’s been made.</p><p>"He just looks like he’s more confident in the water as a senior, as a leader on the team," Alec DeWitt said. "He just looks like he’s ready to race, and I don’t think he’s afraid to swim against any of those big guys.</p><p>"It’ll be fun. I’m excited to see how he does. I think he’s the second-best backstroker (in the sectional). Whether he gets second or not, we’ll see. It just depends on if he shows up ready to go."</p><p>By all indications, Klenner’s as ready as he’s ever been.</p>[sc:pullout-title pullout-title="If you go" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p><p><strong>Franklin Sectional</strong></p><p><strong>Thursday</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 for both sessions</p><p>Teams competing: Center Grove, Franklin, Greenwood, Indian Creek, Whiteland, Martinsville, Mooresville, Owen Valley, Perry Meridian, Southport</p><p>Advancement: All event winners will qualify for the state meet, along with any individuals and relay teams that match or beat the state standard times on Saturday. If there are fewer than 32 such qualifiers in any event, the remaining state slots will be filled in order by those with the next-best sectional final times.</p>[sc:pullout-text-end]
