Local swimmers gear up for new season in pool

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Greenfield-Central

Head Coach: Mark Logan

Assistant Coaches: Emily Logan, Lindsay Maus, Duane Knecht and Melanie Buff.

2016 Finish: Greenfield-Central won its sixth straight sectional championship and also won a Hoosier Heritage Conference title last season.

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Key Losses: Jordan Cermak, Jared Tommer, Kody Garcia, and Jacob Keener.

Top Returners: Zach Cook, Ethan Kile, Allen Forbes, Chris Joven, Lane Kitner, Miles Prince, Tyler Bianchi, Ben Rader, and Cameron Rader.

Newcomers: Kohler Kirber, Sam Jennings, Drew Noah, and Cooper Deno (diving).

Quotable: “The guys have already been practicing incredibly well coming into this season and are excited to start competing. The guys all have big individual goals and even bigger end goals at the state meet. We are a very diverse team, and so we will spend most of the season moving guys around to determine our sectional line up,” Logan said.

Season Projection: “We have team goals to continue our legacy of conference and sectional wins, but we will be focused on getting as many guys though to the state meet as possible,” Logan said.

New Palestine

Head Coach: Stephen Maxwell

Assistant Coaches: Jason Tillage and Aaron Godby.

2016 Finish: New Palestine finished in fifth at the sectional and sixth at the HHC meet.

Key Losses: Tyler Carrie, Conner Page, Luke Reed, Joseph Rogers and Matthew Taylor-Smith.

Top Returnees: Sutton Biddle, Tyler Corey, Chase Crowder, Michael O’Leary and Carter Stephenson.

Newcomers: Evan Denger, Damon Estes, Connor Phipps and Colin Stacey.

Quotable: “Our men have always performed especially well at the sectional, and I am confident that tradition will continue with this group of men. Early workouts have been encouraging, especially so when the number of new swimmers and divers outnumbers our veterans,” Maxwell said.

Season Projection: “The points we lost to graduation, I do feel we will field a balanced and competitive team. However, much of our sectional success will be in how well some of our untested athletes perform as the regular season unfolds,” Maxwell said.

Mt. Vernon

Head Coach: Rick Isham

Assistant Coaches: James Cochran, Dixon Tierney and Karyn Tierney.

2016 Finish: Mt. Vernon finished in third at the New Palestine Sectional and fifth in the HHC.

Key Losses: Dixon Tierney and Matt Bauchert.

Top Returnees: Bryce Gray, Kreig Frye and Tim Broaders.

Newcomers: “We start the season with one veteran dive coach, James Cochran, and three new swim coaches. Each bring an outstanding skill and strength to the team. Together with some hard work and competition-loving high schoolers, we hope to build on the great team we had last year and help the team reach the success they strive for,” Isham said.

Quotable: “Mt. Vernon swimmers and divers are an excellent group of high schoolers that are willing to put in the hard work, yet have loads of fun and laughs as they strive for their team and personal accomplishments. I am thankful for the great student athletes, influential coaches and outstanding parent volunteers who make up this team. We work as a team and win as a team,” Isham said.

Season Projection: “We plan to work hard this season in hopes of having a good number of sectional winners who will enjoy the thrill of competing in the IHSAA state championships this year,” Isham said.

Eastern Hancock

Head Coach: Derek McCormick

Assistant Coaches: Carrie McCormick and Mike Dolence.

2016 Finish: Eastern Hancock scored 89 points and finished in eighth at the New Palestine Sectional ahead of Hagerstown and Rushville.

Key Losses: Jacob Stacy and Jacob Fish.

Top Returnees: Chris Walton, Lane Coffin and Elijah Harris.

Newcomers: Kaeden Smith and Garret Henderson.

Quotable: “The boys are a small but hardworking group. Because of last year, the returning swimmers understand they must work together and hard in order to be successful at invitationals. The boys have already begun to mesh well, and are looking to be competitive in all of their individual events as well as two relays,” McCormick said.

Season Projection: “The boys team is looking to score over a 100 points at the sectional with just five boys. We have set goals that every boy score in individual events at the sectional and both relays must be in the top eight. Moving up in the standings is our loftiest goal. We are looking to have another solid season with practices, dual meets, invites and sectionals,” McCormick said.

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200 Yard IM

7. Mt. Vernon – Dixon Tierney

100 Yard Backstroke

5. Greenfield-Central – Zach Cook

18. Greenfield-Central – Allen Forbes

100 Yard Breakstroke

25. Greenfield-Central – Ethan Kile

100 Yard Butterfly

5. Greenfield-Central – Zach Cook

14. Mt. Vernon – Dixon Tierney

200 Yard Medley Relay

14. Greenfield-Central – Allen Forbes, Ethan Kile, Zach Cook, Jordan Cermak

50 Yard Free

31. Greenfield-Central – Jordan Cermak

Diving

20. Greenfield-Central – Jacob Keener

31. Greenfield-Central – Ben Rader

100 Yard Freestyle

23. Greenfield-Central – Jordan Cermak

200 Freestyle Relay

11. Mt. Vernon – Matt Bauchert, Dixon Tierney, Tim Broaders, Bryce Gray

24. Greenfield-Central – Allen Forbes, Ethan Kile, Austin Payne, Chris Joven

400 Freestyle Relay

15. Greenfield-Central – Chris Joven, Zach Cook, Allen Forbes, Jordan Cermak

18. Mt. Vernon – Matt Bauchert, Dixon Tierney, Tim Broaders, Bryce Gray

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2016 Boys Sectional

1. Greenfield-Central;506

2. Connersville;368

3. Mt. Vernon;306

4. Richmond;264

5. New Palestine;263

6. Centerville;106

7. New Castle;93

8. Eastern Hancock;89

9. Hagerstown;87

10. Rushville Consolidated;61

2016 Boys HHC

1. Greenfield-Central;494

2. Delta;395

3. Pendleton Heights;300

4. Shelbyville;253

5. Mt. Vernon;239

6. New Palestine;180

7. Yorktown;127

8. New Castle;39

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