The high school swimming season doesn’t really play to Cade Oliver’s strengths. He managed to power his way through anyway.
The Franklin junior made a big leap forward this past winter, finishing third in the state in both the 100-yard backstroke and the 200-yard individual medley and slashing large chunks off of his school-record times in both events.
For his efforts, he is the Daily Journal’s Swimmer of the Year.
Oliver’s style is better suited for the longer events, such as the 200 backstroke or 400 IM, that he’ll compete in at the college level once he starts at the University of Missouri in the fall of 2021. He has come to appreciate, however, the shorter distances that he races during the high school season, because they’ve forced him to improve in areas outside of his comfort zone.
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"Honestly, short-course anything — 100, 200, even 500, helps me in the long run for long course," Oliver said, "just because I get to build up that speed, and whenever long course comes I know I have that endurance. So that speed work helps me a ton."
"He has to be so sharp at a meet like high school state," Franklin coach Zach DeWitt added, "just because it values different elements in terms of transitions, explosiveness, underwaters, raw speed, and that’s not really who he is, and so to hone in on those things as much as he can and try to milk as much as he can out of that really helps prepare him well for something he’s already good at."
This past winter, Oliver showed that he’s pretty strong in his so-called weaker areas, too. He dropped his top time in both the 200 individual medley (from 1:51.19 to 1:47.82) and the 100 backstroke (from 50.72 to 48.53).
He was one of three Johnson County individuals to earn at least one top-three state finish last month, joined by Franklin classmate Mac Ratzlaff and Center Grove junior Ethan Martin. All three return next season.
Between now and next season, though, Oliver will shift his focus to the long-course season, and his goal of qualifying for this summer’s U.S. Olympic Team Trials in the 200 backstroke. He had hoped to make a run at the cut time of 2:02.99 at the Senior State meet last weekend, but it was canceled due to coronavirus concerns.
Oliver swam a 2:04.00 last July.
Barring a prolonged outbreak that continues to keep competition on hold, Oliver’s next shot would likely come in May at the TYR Pro Series meet in Indianapolis.
Actually making the Olympic team isn’t yet a realistic goal for Oliver, but should he be one of the top two under-18 swimmers there in his event — which is attainable, according to DeWitt — he would become part of the United States team for next year’s Junior World Championships.
"Something like that, being in that pipeline, might be that extra carrot on the end of the stick that he’s never quite had in order to take that next jump from being one of the state’s best to being one of the nation’s best," DeWitt said. "He’s got the talent, and he’s certainly got the focus and the work ethic now, but if he could get to that meet and accomplish that, it opens doors that maybe he otherwise wouldn’t have access to.
"I know him. Once he gets a taste of something like that, he’s really going to take it to the next level."
From a high school standpoint, the next level for Oliver would be winning a state championship or two as a senior. Wyatt Davis of Carmel, who has dominated the IM and the backstroke in recent years, has graduated, so the door has opened for someone new to seize the throne.
Oliver knows he’ll face stiff competition, primarily from Carmel’s Gus Rothrock in the medley and Zionsville’s Will Modglin in the back, but that’s part of what makes it fun. He says that he keeps close tabs on what his peers are doing, using their successes as motivation to keep pace.
"Even at sectionals, I saw that Wyatt went a 49-something in the 100 back prelims, and I was like, ‘Okay, I’ve got to beat him, come on, I’ve got to do this,’" Oliver said. "I’m always trying to compete against everyone, and seeing other people’s times always encourages me to do better."
So far, it’s been working.
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The 2020 All-County team for boys swimming and diving:
Caleb Crady, Center Grove junior: Won sectional championship on 1-meter diving board and advanced to state meet, where he finished 11th with a score of 429.40.
Tony Gipson, Center Grove senior: Won sectional and returned to state meet in 100 butterfly. … Swam on Trojans’ sixth-place medley relay as well as 400 free relay, helping team to its first top-10 state finish since 2005.
Nick Klenner, Whiteland senior: Advanced to state meet for the first time and finished 18th in the 100 backstroke, shattering his own school record with a time of 52.26 seconds.
Ethan Martin, Center Grove junior: State runner-up in 50 freestyle (20.25 seconds) and sixth in 100 free (45.16). … Also won state medals by anchoring Trojans’ medley relay (sixth) and 200 free relay (fifth).
Ben Mitchell, Center Grove senior: Qualified for first state meet and scored, placing 16th in the 500 freestyle (4:42.10). … Also a part of Trojans’ 400-yard free relay that finished 11th in the state.
Cade Oliver, Franklin junior: Finished third in the state in both the 200 IM (1:47.82) and 100 backstroke (48.53) after dominating both events at county, conference and sectional meets.
Mac Ratzlaff, Franklin junior: Broke out in a big way after sitting out sophomore season, finishing third at state in the 200 free (1:37.24) and fourth in the 100 free (44.98). … County champion in the 200 and 500 freestyle.
Honorable mention
Ben Clarkston, Center Grove; Garrett Crist, Center Grove; Barrett Daily, Franklin; Logan Dales, Center Grove; Evan Dennis, Indian Creek; Nolan Greene, Indian Creek; John Hasquin, Center Grove; Clay Key, Indian Creek; Max Kramer, Franklin; Albert Nusawardhana, Franklin; Conner Peckinpaugh, Greenwood; Ethan Pheifer, Franklin; Anthony Ries, Franklin; Joe Sheets, Greenwood; Chase Smith, Indian Creek; Joey Smith, Indian Creek; Sam Smith, Indian Creek; Justin Xia, Center Grove
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