Center Grove’s Lara Phipps swims the 100-yard freestyle during Friday’s state preliminaries. The senior finished the night in third place and added a fourth-place effort in the 50 freestyle.
Ethan Gable | For the Daily Journal
INDIANAPOLIS
Center Grove’s Lara Phipps and Franklin’s Lili Ratzlaff enjoyed being next to one another in the 100-yard freestyle so much last week, they decided to run it back.
The two local standouts finished third and fifth, respectively, in the event during Friday’s state preliminaries at IU Natatorium, setting up another side-by-side showdown in today’s championship final.
Each added another top-five effort, with Phipps swimming the 50 freestyle in 23.05 seconds to earn the fourth overall seed heading into the A final and Ratzlaff going 1:47.66 in the 200 free to shatter her own school record and end up second behind defending state champion Lynsey Bowen of Carmel (1:46.40).
“I didn’t feel very well today until I got in the water,” Ratzlaff said. “(But) after the 2 free, I was like, ‘Whoa, I’m in a good spot for today.”
Indeed she was; in the 100 free, Ratzlaff finished in 50.58 seconds.
Phipps clocked a 50.16 two heats later to land in lane 3 for the final, with top seed and reigning champ Lilian Christianson of Penn (49.35) at her right in lane 4 and Ratzlaff to her right in 2.
“The times weren’t exactly where I wanted them to be,” Phipps said of her day overall, “but … they were good swims, and I know what I need to improve for finals.”
In addition to her individual swims, Phipps also anchored a pair of top-eight relays for the Trojans. She joined Addyson Matern, Lexi Stuart and Tenley Wilkins on the second-place 200 freestyle relay (1:34.94) and swam with Stuart, Matern and Clara Brandon on the sixth-place 400 free relay (3:28.56).
Center Grove senior Karlie Dodd will also be swimming in a championship final today after earning the eighth and final qualifying spot in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:03.65.
“I didn’t think I was going to do it, honestly, after my (200 individual medley); I added a second,” Dodd said. “But … I was going to do anything I had to do to get in.”
Dodd also earned a second swim in the 200 individual medley, finishing 14th in 2:07.53 to pick up a spot in the B final. Center Grove’s medley relay quartet of Wilkins, Dodd, Kayla Fischer and Stuart also advanced, placing 11th in 1:46.93.
Matern snuck into the consolation final of the 100 butterfly, her time of 57.55 good for 15th place. The sophomore narrowly missed making it back in the 200 free, finishing 17th in 1:52.91 to miss the consolation final by .07 seconds. Stuart tied for 22nd in the 50 free with a time of 24.40 seconds, while Wilkins was 25th in the 100 free (53.66) and Rayah Rugenstein finished 27th in the 100 breaststroke (1:08.10).
“Usually if you can maintain your times from last week, you’re sitting pretty good, and overall that’s exactly what we did,” Center Grove coach Brad Smith said. “I think we set ourselves up for a great day tomorrow.”
The Grizzly Cubs’ medley relay team of Vitatoe, Emma Small, Jovie Mowrey and Ratzlaff placed 12th (1:47.06) to join Center Grove in the B final. The foursome of Ratzlaff, Graves, Mowrey and Vitatoe went 3:31.73 in the 400 free relay, finishing in 10th.
Franklin’s Reagan Graves made the B final in the 200 freestyle, finishing 14th in 1:52.52. She narrowly missed out on a second swim in the 500 free, posting a 5:08.23 to land in 17th. Fellow junior Chloe Vitatoe was 19th in the 100 butterfly (57.93). The Grizzly Cub quartet of Graves, Addi Doss, Small and Autumn Routien was 21st in the 200 free relay with a time of 1:40.78.
Diving preliminaries will start at 9 a.m., with returning state medalists Ella Taylor of Indian Creek and Camy Quiggins of Franklin both among the entrants. Taylor re-aggravated a shoulder injury while practicing at the Nat on Friday night but said she still plans to give it a go this morning.
On the swim side, Phipps is hopeful that she can help lead the Trojans to a top-five team finish.
“Top five this year is a real testament to how much hard work we’ve been putting in,” Phipps said. “It would be amazing if we could get top five.”
Ratzlaff, meanwhile, hopes to outduel Bowen for an individual crown in the 200 free — one that narrowly eluded her older brother Mac in 2021.
“I’m so beyond pumped,” she said. “I want to win it for Mac.”
