Center Grove senior Garrett Crist gives coach Jim Todd a hug after their careers with the Trojans came to an end with Crist’s eighth-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke final at Saturday’s state meet.
Rob Baker | For the Daily Journal
INDIANAPOLIS
As his team warmed down following their final swims, Center Grove boys swim coach Jim Todd stood up against a wall at the IU Natatorium, still not fully ready to wrap his head around the fact that he’d just coached the final meet of a 40-year career.
“I’ve got to drive the mid bus home, and I’ve got to have all of my concentration to do that,” he said with a smile. “So maybe when I get home and sit down, I might start to reflect a little bit. But that mid bus is challenging.”
Center Grove finished the Todd era in style, steering its way to an eighth-place team finish with 75.5 points, matching last year’s position; it’s the Trojans’ third consecutive season finishing in the top 10.
Carmel won its eighth straight championship with 381 points, safely ahead of runner-up Zionsville (247).
“I couldn’t be more proud of the group,” Todd said. “Today was a tough day; to come back after all of the emotional highs from yesterday, so to come back today — we put ourselves in that position last night to be able to get there. I’m just very proud of them and everything they’ve done for us.”
The Trojans got on the board right away with a seventh-place finish in the 200-yard medley relay. Garrett Crist, Connor Conkin, Ben Clarkston and Evan Hernandez finished with a time of 1:35.25, just five hundredths of a second out of the sixth spot.
Crist then earned his second medal of the day with an eighth-place effort in the 200 individual medley (1:54.50), and Clarkston tied for 11th in the 50 freestyle, hitting the wall in 21.42 seconds.
Following a lengthy four-event break, a well-rested foursome of Clarkston, Hernandez, Harrison Hite and Crist came back and swam the 200 freestyle relay in 1:26.23, good for seventh place. Crist had to turn right around and swim in the A final of the 100 backstroke, where he secured his fourth medal of the day by placing eighth in 52.04.
Not a bad way to finish off a high school career — and send his coach out on a high note.
“It means a lot to us,” Crist said, “especially with how far we’ve all come this year and how he’s coached us through these years. It’s been a really good run.”
The lone non-Center Grove participant from the county on Saturday, Franklin junior Drake Keller, competed in the 1-meter diving but was eliminated after the five rounds of preliminaries, placing 30th.
While the Trojans graduate Crist and Clarkston from this year’s team, they’ll bring back Hernandez, Hite and Conkin along with a host of other assets — including a brand new state-of-the-art natatorium.
Thus, Todd doesn’t have too many concerns about the future of the program he’s leaving behind.
“I hope and pray for every bit of success for whoever gets the job,” he said. “I do know that they get a hell of a facility, so with that being said, they’re going to do great.”
