SCOUTING THE STATE MEET
An event-by-event breakdown of what to expect at this weekend’s boys state swimming and diving finals:
200 medley relay
Top seed (based on sectional times): South Bend Riley (1:30.65)
Local qualifiers: Center Grove (ninth, 1:34.84); Franklin (10th, 1:35.40)
What to look for: Both the Trojans and Grizzly Cubs are sitting right on the cusp of the top eight and a spot in the A final, but there are also plenty of teams right on their tails — just .14 seconds separate Franklin from 13th seed Fishers. If either or both can crack the top eight, they’ll be looking well above themselves at defending champ and perpetual favorite Carmel; Riley has the best chance of pulling the upset if anybody can.
200 freestyle
Top seed: Walker Mattice, Zionsville (1:38.00)
Local qualifiers: Isaac Layton, Franklin (eighth, 1:41.56); Max Hite, Center Grove (ninth, 1:41.73)
What to look for: Mattice was a distant second last year to Aaron Shackell, who broke the state record on the way to the win; with the Carmel star now swimming collegiately at Cal, the Zionsville senior is the favorite, with Castle’s Seth Cannon (fifth last year) the top threat. Layton and Hite are both on the A final fringe — there’s just a half-second gap between seventh and 12th, so both could make it in with strong swims.
200 individual medley
Top seed: Gregg Enoch, Carmel (1:47.51)
Local qualifiers: Aleksandr Ries, Franklin (ninth, 1:53.18); Isaac Lewis, Center Grove (12th, 1:53.79); Alijah Hall, Franklin (20th, 1:55.34)
What to look for: Three of last year’s top five — Enoch (second), Carmel teammate Michael Gorey (fourth) and Bloomington South’s David Kovacs (fifth) are back, with Enoch a solid favorite to take home the win. Ries was 15th last year and is hoping to punch his way up into the top eight this time around; he and Lewis both have a shot to make it. Hall is about one second back of the 16 seed and would need a lifetime-best swim tonight to earn a second one.
50 freestyle
Top seed: Matthew Klinge, West Lafayette Harrison (19.95)
Local qualifiers: None
What to look for: Klinge is pushing not only for a three-peat but also trying to make a run at Drew Kibler’s state record of 19.38. Nobody else in the field was even in the championship final a year ago. The sleeper could be Perry Meridian’s Stokes Knight, who was competing at the state meet last year as a diver but now comes in as the No. 3 seed after winning the Franklin Sectional with a 20.85.
1-meter diving
Top seed (based on regional scores): Ethan Swart, Hamilton Heights (527.50)
Local qualifiers: Austin Clark, Franklin (11th, 444.65); Skyler Jasper, Indian Creek (24th, 373.60); Noah Grady, Whiteland (26th, 363.75)
What to look for: All of last year’s top seven divers return, led by defending champion Swart; the top six all competed against one another at the Homestead Regional, so they should be pretty battle-tested coming in. Clark (24th last season), who was fourth at the nearly-as-tough regional in Jasper on Tuesday, has a strong chance to score some much-needed points for the Grizzly Cubs, but making the top eight will require some serious work against this field.
100 butterfly
Top seed: Klinge, WL Harrison (48.21)
Local qualifiers: Henry Lyness, Center Grove (16th, 51.05); Layton, Franklin (19th, 51.41)
What to look for: Reigning champ Klinge is the favorite, but he’ll face some stiff competition from Bloomington North junior Jay Stewart — a Franklin Regional Swim Team product who was third last year — and Carmel junior Andrew Shackell, who was fourth a year ago. Lyness and Layton both have a shot to make the B final, but it’ll like require a good swim under 51 seconds tonight.
100 freestyle
Top seed: Mattice, Zionsville (45.27)
Local qualifier: Hite, Center Grove (15th, 46.87)
What to look for: Mattice and Cannon (seeded third) are the only returning A finalists from a year ago; they’re coming in as fairly solid favorites along with Brebeuf’s Jake Tarara, who was ninth last year. The field below them is fairly wide open — Hite’s sectional time is just .65 seconds back of fifth and a quarter of a second up on 20th, so he could just as easily make the A final or not make it back at all. Can he deliver tonight?
500 freestyle
Top seed: Enoch, Carmel (4:26.13)
Local qualifier: Franco Chirinos, Franklin (27th, 4:49.97)
What to look for: Enoch, second to former teammate Aaron Shackell a year ago, is an overwhelming favorite, seeded more than four seconds ahead of the field. Chirinos will probably need to drop at least six or seven seconds to have a shot at earning a second swim; can he find a way to get it done in his first and only individual state appearance?
200 freestyle relay
Top seed: Carmel (1:24.54)
Local qualifiers: Franklin (fourth, 1:26.42); Center Grove (14th, 1:27.98)
What to look for: The Grizzly Cubs essentially sealed the sectional when this group won impressively enough to earn a top-four seed; can they deliver a strong enough follow-up performance to land in the A final? The top three of Carmel, Harrison and Zionsville are likely baked in at the top in some order; Franklin will face a push from the likes of Chesterton and Lake Central in their prelim heat. Center Grove looks to be a likely B finalist with an outside chance to swim up into the top eight if everything clicks this evening.
100 backstroke
Top seed: David Kovacs, Bloomington South (48.84)
Local qualifier: Lyness, Center Grove (second, 49.57)
What to look for: Kovacs is the favorite after finishing second last year to state record holder Will Modglin of Zionsville, who’s now swimming for the University of Texas. Lyness, who won the B final as a freshman, heads up a group of title contenders that also includes Carmel’s Anderson Kopp (seeded third) and Ignatius Ruszkowski of South Bend Riley (seeded fourth, finished fourth last year). The Trojan star is probably the county’s best chance at an individual champion this season.
100 breaststroke
Top seed: Christopher Bartmess, SB Riley (54.31)
Local qualifiers: Ries, Franklin (seventh, 57.11); Lewis, Center Grove (16th, 58.93); Lucas Ackermann, Franklin (17th, 59.03)
What to look for: Bartmess, the top returning finisher after placing fourth a year ago, sits a second and a half ahead of the field, but don’t be surprised if he ends up feeling some heat from Penn’s Cole Stevenson and Carmel’s Brandon Malicki, who finished right behind him last winter. Ries, 17th as the lone freshman qualifier last year, hopes to swim his way into the A final, while Lewis and Ackermann will both be battling to earn second swims in the B final.
400 freestyle relay
Top seed: Carmel (3:07.42)
Local qualifiers: Center Grove (11th, 3:12.59); Franklin (17th, 3:14.49)
What to look for: Carmel is almost never not the favorite in this event, though Bloomington South and South Bend Riley will both put together groups capable of springing an upset if the stars align. The Trojans, seeded about a second and a half back of eighth, will try to shove their way into the top eight, while Franklin will have to fight hard for a B final spot. Depending on how they perform in this event and elsewhere, both teams should finish the weekend in the top 15 overall and have a puncher’s chance to land in the top 10.
