NEW PALESTINE — Mark Logan was a little worried.
The Greenfield-Central swimming coach grew anxious during the weekend when the boys sectional championship meet was pushed back two days because of Saturday’s snowstorm.
It was possible, he thought, that his team might find it difficult to rediscover the momentum they had heading into Saturday.
Fortunately for Logan, he found out early Monday morning he had no cause for concern.
“Emily (Logan) has a lot of them in her first class, her aquatics class, and she said, ‘They’ve got way too much energy,’” Mark said his wife and Greenfield-Central girls swimming coach told him. “So if they don’t swim fast there is something wrong.’”
There was absolutely nothing wrong.
The Cougars cruised to their fifth straight sectional championship Monday at New Palestine, finishing with 482 points and leading the meet from beginning to end, while snagging a few state finals berths.
Connersville claimed runner-up at 385 points, and Mt. Vernon (381) rounded out the top three. Following them were Richmond (238), New Castle (175), New Palestine (156), Hagerstown (115), Centerville (105), Eastern Hancock (98) and Rushville (29).
As has become their custom, Greenfield-Central’s depth was their deadliest weapon. At least one Cougars swimmer notched a top-three finish in every sectional event.
They finished with 16 top-three performances, and it all started Saturday morning with Jacob Keener and Benjamin Rader.
Keener (324.60 points) and Rader (315.00) finished No 2 and No. 3 in the one-meter diving contest, the only even to take place Saturday before the meet was postponed.
The pair will compete at the Plainfield regional Wednesday.
The Cougars’ swimmers picked up where their diving teammates left off, qualifying for state in Monday’s first event, then winning three of the next four races.
Despite being unable to defend their 200-yard medley relay title, the Cougars team of Allen Forbes, Zach Cook, Ethan Kile and Jordan Cermak bested the automatic state qualifying time (1:38.15), swimming the race in 1:37.03 and earned a state berth.
Junior Jared Tomer made it five Cougars heading to state with his win in the 200-yard freestyle.
The junior blasted his competition, finishing the event in 1:47.86, nearly six seconds better than the runner-up.
Tomer also would deliver the Cougars’ final win of the day in the 500-yard freestyle event (4:59.05). Mark Logan said he was extraordinarily proud of Tomer, whom he said suc-cess has been a long time in coming.
“He’s such a hard worker, but he’s kind of had to sit and wait for his turn in the distance, because Drew (Logan, Mark’s son and a former state qualifier) was distance and Spencer Young as well. But that’s part of it here. A lot of times, you have to wait your turn to really shine. He did a great job of working hard and being patient. He’s earned it.”
Jordan Cermak won Greenfield-Central’s second race of the day in the 50 yard freestyle (22.45), barely edging Mt. Vernon’s Matthew Bauchert (22.85).
The freshman Cook was the Cougars’ other winner, as he completed a season-long quest to defeat Mt. Vernon dynamo Dixon Tierney in the 100-yard butterfly.
Not only did he take down the event’s defending champion, but he also set a new sectional record (51.24) in doing it.
“I faced him in a dual meet earlier this season, and I said, ‘OK. This is my goal now’” Cook said. “When I saw him at conference, I came a little closer, so when I came here, I knew I could do it.”
Mauraders win 7 events
It is rare, Mt. Vernon swim coach Matt Kruse said, that a team triumphs in all three relays and does not finish in the top two. It is even stranger that a team wins more than half of a meet’s events and not finish inside the top two.
But that is exactly what happened to the Marauders on Monday, as they won seven races, yet finished behind deeper teams in Greenfield-Central and Connersville.
“I’m extremely happy with how my guys performed tonight,” said Kruse who will send a total of seven Marauders to the state meet. “I couldn’t ask for anything more. We kind of figured we weren’t going to be able to win the meet, so this was excellent performance based on what we are able to do.”
Mt. Vernon kicked off the meet with a sectional-record setting win in the 200 medley relay.
Cole Case, Zane Smith, Tierney and Bryce Gray clocked in at a 1:36.60, nearly two seconds faster than the previous best. Tierney then came out and dominated the 200 individual medley (1:56.96), winning it by more than five seconds over Greenfield-Central’s Kile (2:02.15).
Tierney also would qualify in the 100 butterfly despite falling to Cook. His time of 51.62 was just under the automatic state qualifying time.
He then, along with Case, Gray and Matthew Bauchert, helped the Marauders snag the 400 freestyle relay.
Other winners for Mt. Vernon were the 200 freestyle relay team (Bauchert, Smith, Daniel Majors and Timothy Broaders) Cole Case (100 freestyle, 100 backstroke) and Smith (100 breaststroke).
“I absolutely think we’ll be scoring points at state,” Kruse said after the meet. “We’re definitely going to do some damage Friday.”
Notes: New Castle’s Jennifer Kelsik was named coach of the year by her peers. … Kohler Kerber notched Eastern Hancock’s top finish for the day. He came in fifth in the 100 yard butterfly (58.47). … New Palestine’s best finish was their fifth-place effort in the 200 yard freestyle relay. Joseph Rogers, Michael O’Leary, Jake Mitchell and Luke Reed clocked in at 1:40.36 less than 10 seconds off the champion.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”New Palestine boys swim sectional results” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Here are the results from Monday’s boys Sectional 15 meet at New Palestine High School. Winners from each swimming event advance to the state meet Feb. 27 and 28 at the IUPUI Natatorium. Swimmers who best the automatic qualifying time for their event also move on to state.
The top four divers, whose event took place Saturday, advance to Wednesday’s regionals at Plainfield.
Team Results:
- Greenfield-Central 482
- Connersville 385
- Mt. Vernon 381
- Richmond 238
- New Castle 175
- New Palestine 156
- Hagerstown 115
- Centerville 105
- Eastern Hancock 98
- Rushville 29
Individual Results:
200 yard medley relay
1. Mt. Vernon 1:36:60#
2. Greenfield-Central 1:37.03##
3. Connersville 1:46.02
200 yard freestyle
1. Jared Tomer, Greenfield-Central 1:47.86
2. Alan Volz, Connersville 1:53.30
3. Brennan Beckman, Connersville 1:53.73
200 yard IM
1. Dixon Tierney, Mt. Vernon, 1:56.96
2. Ethan Kile, Greenfield-Central 2:02.15
3. Bryce Gray, Mt. Vernon 2:06.85
50 yard freestyle
1. Jordan Cermak, Greenfield-Central 22.45
2. Matthew Bauchert, Mt. Vernon 22.95
3. Zane Spurlock, Connersville, 22.95
1-meter diving
1. Ike Khamis, Richmond 499.45#
2. Jacob Keener, Greenfield-Central 324.60
3. Benjamin Rader, Greenfield-Central 315.00
4. Wyatt Parish, Centerville 260.15
5. Mason Sullenberger, Connersville 259.90
100 yard butterfly
1. Zach Cook, Greenfield-Central 51.24#
2. Dixon Tierney, Mt. Vernon 51.62##
3. Daniel Majors, Mt. Vernon 58.28
100 yard freestyle
1. Cole Case, Mt. Vernon 48.29
2. Jordan Cermak, Greenfield-Central 49.07
3. Allen Forbes, Greenfield-Central 49.38
500 yard freestyle
1. Jared Tomer, Greenfield-Central 4:59.05
2. Brennan Beckman, Connersville 5:11.44
3. Layne Kintner, Greenfield-Central 5:12.93
200 yard freestyle relay
1. Mt. Vernon 1:31.65
2. Connersville 1:32.55
3. Greenfield-Central 1:34.23
100 yard backstroke
1. Cole Case, Mt. Vernon 52.27#
2. Allen Forbes, Greenfield-Central 52.44##
3. Zach Cook, Greenfield-Central 54.90
100 yard breaststroke
1. Zane Smith, Mt. Vernon 59.61
2. Ethan Kile, Greenfield-Central 1:02.32
3. Brayton Helderbrand, New Castle 1:05.17
400 yard freestyle relay
1. Mt. Vernon 3:16.79
2. Greenfield-Central 3:19.52
3. Connersville 3:31.38
# new sectional record
## qualified for state
[sc:pullout-text-end]
