<p><strong>W</strong>hen the high school swim season rolls around, Ethan Martin and Mac Ratzlaff will both be coming in with the highest of expectations. Each won a pair of state medals this past winter and will again be gunning for the top of the podium at IU Natatorium — perhaps against one another.</p><p>The rivalry between Johnson County’s top two returning male swimmers, though, has taken a bit of an odd twist.</p><p>Center Grove’s Martin and Franklin’s Ratzlaff, as it turns out, will become teammates once their high school days are over a year from now. Both have made verbal commitments to swim at the University of South Carolina.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]<p>“It definitely raises some stakes, but it’s kind of friendly stakes. I’m feeling like it’s going to make us push each other,” Martin said. “We’re going to be pushing each other, but instead of it being to beat each other it’s going to be more of a benefit. We’re going to see who can beat each other, and we’re going to push each other to try and get faster so that we can both be where we want to be for college. It’s just going to be fun.”</p><p>The two went head to head during the postseason in the 100-yard freestyle, with Ratzlaff edging Martin in the sectional before the two finished fourth and sixth, respectively, in the state. Martin was the state runner-up in the 50 freestyle, while Ratzlaff was third in the 200.</p><p>Both are excited for the opportunity to shine for the Gamecocks, who have not traditionally been among the SEC’s top teams but are looking to climb the ladder behind the two Indiana standouts. The chance to be more than just another piece in a machine proved appealing.</p><p>“If I go to a college to spend the next four years of my life, I want to go to coaches that will spend more time with me,” Ratzlaff said. “Texas and all those programs are really good, but they’re gold medal-producing programs, so they don’t pay as much attention to their new up-and-comers unless they show potential and such. I just like a team that’s more welcome to everybody.”</p><p>The COVID-19 outbreak had changed the recruiting process for thousands of high school juniors across the country. Both Martin and Ratzlaff had envisioned being able to take their time and visit several different campuses before making a decision — but as it turned out, they wound up having to choose almost sight unseen. All of their campus tours, all of their meetings with coaches and prospective teammates, happened virtually.</p><p>Ratzlaff said that the changes forced him to do more research into the schools since he couldn’t just go by feel. For Martin, a local connection helped solidify his choice — Kevin Swander, who once swam at Center Grove for longtime coach Jim Todd, and Swander’s mother Pam are both on the Gamecocks’ coaching staff.</p><p>“Coach Todd told me that Kevin was almost identical to me in high school — energetic kid, super great at swimming, just a really good kid,” Martin said. “That was a lot of the reason that I ended up going to South Carolina, because I trusted coach Todd, and I had that gut feeling that if (Swander) was like me in high school, he would know what’s best for me to make me better.”</p><p>Though the recruiting pressure was a lot to deal with in recent months, especially with the added restrictions in place since mid-March, both local stars are happy to have it all out of the way before their senior year starts.</p><p>“It relieves a lot of stress off my shoulders, which is nice,” Ratzlaff said.</p><p>And while it may be a little while before either gets to tour the South Carolina campus in person, the prospect of venturing off to parts unknown is made at least a bit more comforting by the thought of having at least one familiar teammate — even if they’ll remain rivals for another year.</p><p>“I’m hoping we get close,” Martin said of Ratzlaff. “That’s somebody that I know from hometown that I’m going to be on the same team with, so that brings me a little more comfort. I’ve always respected him in the pool; he’s a great kid, great swimmer, and I’m honestly so stoked to see what we can do combined for the same team in the future. I’m super excited to see what happens.”</p>
