Center Grove junior Lara Phipps hopes to reach the state podium for a second straight year in the 100-yard butterfly.
Daily Journal file photo
Lara Phipps doesn’t always have to speak to send a message on the pool deck.
In stopwatch terms, she’s been Center Grove’s top swimmer since perhaps her freshman season — but it’s not just the junior’s times that set the tone for the Trojans.
“She’s a rock,” Center Grove coach Brad Smith said. “You just watch the girls look for her reaction, and how she handles it, and if Lara’s having a good meet, then we have a good meet. She’s not really a huge vocal leader, but definitely one that the team looks to.”
The way she’s performed, Phipps hasn’t needed to be too much of a vocal leader; her examples have spoken volumes. She earned a pair of state medals as a sophomore, finishing seventh in the 100-yard butterfly and helping the Trojans’ 200 freestyle relay team to an eighth-place showing.
After this past weekend, when she won the 200 individual medley and the 100 fly at the Franklin Sectional while also anchoring two victorious relays, she’s primed to earn even more hardware during Saturday’s state finals.
“I’m hoping for podium on both (of my individual events), but whatever happens I think I’ll be happy,” Phipps said. “I’ve put in a lot of work this season, and so I’m happy with whatever happens.”
That work has already paid dividends in terms of her future. Two months ago, Phipps delivered a verbal commitment to continue her swim career at Purdue beginning in 2024-25.
She says the recruiting process didn’t put too much pressure on her, but “knowing where I’m going to go now adds a little bit of excitement.”
Phipps hopes to add even more excitement this weekend by making a run at Center Grove’s school record in the butterfly. The current mark of 55.18 belongs to former Trojan All-American Michelle McKeehan; Phipps went 55.78 seconds in last year’s state prelims and 56.17 at last week’s sectional, and she believes she can go even lower at state, when she’ll be fully rested.
As much potential as she has to do big things individually in Indianapolis over the next two days, Phipps is just as excited about what her teammates can pull off. The Trojans finished 13th in the team standings a year ago; with entries in all three relays, including two with a solid chance to medal, plus whatever points Phipps and reigning state diving champion Mia Prusiecki can muster, the top 10 is very much a realistic goal.
She doesn’t always say a lot, but Phipps knows how to pick her spots and deliver the right energy for her teammates at just the right time.
“I really like the leadership role,” she said. “I like to embrace it, especially during those relays. No matter how hard or how bad of a day I’ve had, I make sure to go to those relays and really try to hype the girls up and get them ready for their swims, and just kind of build the energy.
“They do great on their own, but sometimes that little extra push goes a long way.”
IF YOU GO
IHSAA state meet
When: Today, 6 p.m. (swim prelims); Saturday, 9 a.m. (diving prelims) and 1 p.m. (finals)
Where: IU Natatorium, Indianapolis
Admission: $10 per session, $19 full weekend (digital only); a limited number of $22 reserved seats are also available
Live video: IHSAATV.org ($10 prelims, $15 full weekend)
SCOUTING THE STATE MEET
An event-by-event breakdown of what to expect at this weekend’s girls state swimming and diving finals:
200 medley relay
Top seed (based on sectional times): Carmel (1:39.26)
Local qualifiers: Franklin (13th, 1:47.39); Center Grove (26th, 1:50.73)
What to look for: With three swimmers back from last year’s state-record foursome and an upgrade on the breaststroke leg with freshman Molly Sweeney, the question isn’t so much whether the Greyhounds will break their own mark of 1:38.55, but how much lower this year’s group can go. The Grizzly Cubs will be shifting their lineup after losing their potent 400 freestyle relay at sectionals; look for them to load up here in an attempt to crack the top eight.
200 freestyle
Top seed: JoJo Ramey, Fishers (1:48.16)
Local qualifier: Lili Ratzlaff, Franklin (sixth, 1:50.80)
What to look for: Ramey, a senior, will battle a Carmel trio headed up by sophomore Lynsey Bowen in an effort to take the crown. Ratzlaff should be able to make it into the championship final, but scoring above her seed will take some work against a pretty top-heavy field. Each of the top five seeds went 1:49.51 or lower at sectional.
200 individual medley
Top seed: Kate Mouser, Fishers (2:00.48)
Local qualifiers: Lara Phipps, Center Grove (eighth, 2:04.55); Allie Lacy, Franklin (11th, 2:06.47)
What to look for: An epic showdown for the title between Mouser, Carmel’s Sweeney and Hamilton Southeastern’s Audrey Crawford. Both of the two local entries have a good shot to make the top eight — Lacy has medaled in this event each of the last two years, and Phipps is riding a high after a strong sectional showing.
50 freestyle
Top seed: Alex Shackell, Carmel (22.42)
Local qualifiers: None
What to look for: For the second straight year, this event looks like it’ll boil down to a showdown between super sophomore Shackell and Penn junior Lilian Christianson (22.60 seed time), who set the state record last winter with a 22.14. Can either of them become the first Indiana girl to get into the 21s? It might be necessary to win.
1-meter diving
Top seed (based on regional scores): Mia Prusiecki, Center Grove (539.85)
Other local qualifiers: Ella Taylor, Indian Creek (fifth, 441.10); Camy Quiggins, Franklin (11th, 391.30)
What to look for: It’s a banner year for Johnson County diving. In terms of the top prize, it’s Prusiecki’s to lose; the defending state champ has been well over 500 points each of the past two weekends, and nobody in the state was within 68 points of her regional score. Barring a catastrophe, she should be in line for a repeat. For Taylor and Quiggins, each making her third state appearance in a row, podium finishes are well within reach.
100 butterfly
Top seed: Shackell, Carmel (52.04)
Local qualifier: Phipps, Center Grove (ninth, 56.17)
What to look for: Shackell, whose sectional time was nearly two and a half seconds clear of the field, is racing against the record time she set last year (51.71). Everyone else is racing for second — and while Phipps will have some stiff competition just to make the A final on Saturday, she could potentially finish that high with a good weekend.
100 freestyle
Top seed: Christianson, Penn (49.26)
Local qualifier: Ratzlaff, Franklin (ninth, 52.07)
What to look for: If Ratzlaff can make it into the top eight tonight — not a given in this deep of a field — then she has a chance to finish as high as second. That’s likely the ceiling, given the separation between Christianson and everybody else coming in.
500 freestyle
Top seed: Ramey, Fishers (4:48.27)
Local qualifier: Kayla Fischer, Center Grove (5:18.38)
What to look for: Perhaps the most interesting race of the meet. Ramey is the top seed, but she wasn’t in this race last year. Fellow senior Mouser, the runner-up a year ago, has the No. 2 seed time (4:48.35). Bowen was the state champ last year but coasted through the sectional (5:03.78). Another Carmel soph, Alexandra Ward, was third last year and is seeded there again. Any of those four could win it. Fischer would need to drop a good bit of time to reach the B final.
200 freestyle relay
Top seed: Carmel (1:33.82)
Local qualifiers: Center Grove (seventh, 1:36.27), Franklin (11th, 1:37.61)
What to look for: The Greyhounds are the favorite, as they are in almost every state relay every year, though Fishers and Wawasee could challenge. The Trojans and Grizzly Cubs both have at least a puncher’s chance at the top eight, and it would be a surprise if either of them didn’t score.
100 backstroke
Top seed: Berit Berglund, Carmel (54.31)
Local qualifiers: Lacy, Franklin (14th, 57.02); Jovie Mowrey, Franklin (22nd, 58.45)
What to look for: Berglund is the overwhelming favorite here, and the senior will be making a run at her own state mark of 51.50. Lacy, an A finalist as a sophomore and junior, will be trying to climb her way back into that top eight one more time. Mowrey hopes to crack the top 16 in her rookie season, but it’ll likely take a time drop of around a second to get there.
100 breaststroke
Top seed: Sweeney, Carmel (1:01.94)
Local qualifier: Kathleen Lacy, Franklin (20th, 1:05.86)
What to look for: The breast traditionally hasn’t been the Greyhounds’ strength, but they’ve got the top three seeds this year and two of them — Sweeney and No. 3 Lucy Enoch — are freshmen. It’s a tough field, with 14 swimmers having gone under 1:05 in the sectionals, but Lacy could still conceivably make it into the consolation final with a good swim tonight.
400 freestyle relay
Top seed: Carmel (3:23.62)
Local qualifier: Center Grove (ninth, 3:34.74)
What to look for: This would have been a big point-scoring opportunity for Franklin, who had a quartet capable of finishing in the top three — but the Grizzly Cubs were disqualified in the sectional prelims. Now, the county’s torch-bearer here is the Trojans, who wouldn’t need to drop much time to make the top eight. Everything behind Carmel and No. 2 seed Fishers is likely up for grabs.
