INDIANAPOLIS — The goal on Friday night for Mt. Vernon’s Lydia Tierney was to survive and advance.
On Saturday, with her first goal achieved, the primary objective became seizing the opportunity, and Tierney did just that as she competed for a top-16 placement during the IHSAA Girls Swimming and Diving State Finals in Indianapolis.
Tierney finished 11th overall with a time of 2:06.75 during the 200-yard individual medley consolations finals to earn a ribbon inside the Indiana University Natatorium on the campus of IUPUI.
Greenfield-Central’s regional championship diver Maci Montgomery concluded her career with a 20th placement overall at state. The senior tallied a preliminary score of 172.60 before posting a state semifinal total of 260.95.
The Indiana State recruit failed to make the cut for the state’s final round Saturday morning, however, as the top 16 advanced. Despite not reaching the finals, Montgomery improved upon her 25th placement during the 2016-17 state meet.
Her preliminary score was 17th best Saturday, which pushed her into the second round of the competition, a new height for the diver, who is just four seasons into her career.
This season, Montgomery captured her first Hoosier Heritage Conference title and was second at sectional before reaching her second straight state finals.
For Tierney, shaving time helped propel the senior into Saturday’s consolation heats. On Friday, she bested her seed time of 2:09.54 with a 2:06.35 to finish 13th in the 200 IM. Her performance solidified her spot among the final top 16 competitors.
Tierney won the 200 IM at sectional to qualify for the state finals and was also first in the 100 butterfly in 59.15. On Friday, she posted a 57.88 in the butterfly, but she missed the cut, finishing 24th during preliminaries.
