GREENFIELD — The year after Zachary Cook graduated from Greenfield-Central, Travis Black decided to relocate.
Black, a sophomore at the time in 2018, moved into Cook’s old swim locker. Samuel Jennings, a junior that season, immediately put the connection together.
“He told me, ‘you know, Zach is the only one to win state, and you just took his locker?,’” Black recalled. “’You have the best shot at winning state, so you know what you have to do now?’ I was OK and laughed.”
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
As a three-time career state-medal winner, Black isn’t far from making Jenning’s prognostication a reality. As a freshman, Black was part of Greenfield-Central’s sixth-place 200-yard freestyle relay, a year after Cook won the gold in the 100 butterfly in 2017.
The next year, Black was sixth in the 50 free with a time of 20.99 seconds in the finals while posting a 20.88 in the preliminaries.
This year, he moved up to fourth in the 50 free and remains on target for more with his senior season ahead in 2020-21.
The key to success for the 2019-20 Hancock County Co-Swimming Athlete of the Year wasn’t merely speed. It was the approach, and it supplied Black with both the school’s records in the 50 and 100 free to date.
“Sophomore year, a lot of it was I wanted to get to state and I wanted to make top-eight. That was the goal,” Black said. “For junior year, it was, how do I want to place at state? It was a different mentality.”
The mentality he used to fuel his kicks, led to 20.64 in the 50 free during this year’s state preliminaries and a 20.66 in the finals with 11 swimmers overall coming in at sub-21 seconds.
“When you’re looking for placing rather than making it, there is a lot more technique stuff that we trained on. It was to the point where we were going fast enough to where every little bit counts,” Black said. “Every small little thing could help that much.”
That was the focal point inside the IU Natatorium on the campus of IUPUI in Indianapolis this past February. Competing in multiple events, as is his routine, Black took 12th in the 100 free in 46.41, and the 200 free relay team with Jennings, Anthony Nagel, Samuel Logan and Black were 12th in 1 minute, 35.66 seconds.
But, the focus for Black were sprints, especially the 50 free where the junior entered with the state’s second fastest time at 20.57. However, this year was unlike most in the past.
“This year was crazy fast for sprinters. Even for sectional, I felt was one of the faster years of sprinting. I like to see that because I’m a sprinter, but yes, it was insanely fast,” Black said. “I’m surprised I didn’t see anyone go sub-20 at state.”
The closest was Braden Rollins of Boonville, who won the event at state in 20.20 after recording a 20.18 in the preliminaries.
However, with the offseason and another go-around remaining for Black, Greenfield-Central head coach Mark Logan believes there is still room to improve for his state-contending sprinter.
“He’s as natural as it comes, but he still has a lot of technique work he can work on, but he has that natural kick and feel for the water,” Logan said. “He’s pretty strong.”
The proof of his strength is evident during bungee cord swims at practice. While many swimmers struggle to move, Black stretches the strongest red cords to their maximum.
“He can still do a 25 in 15 seconds with the red bungee on, while the other guys can’t make it to the wall,” Logan said. “They can’t stretch it that far. They’re stuck swimming in place, but he’s going that little extra and going further. He’s got a natural grab and feel for that water.”
Team-wise, Black is thinking No. 11 as the Cougars chased down a 10th straight Hoosier Heritage Conference team title this past season and placed 14th as a team at state.
Then, there are still those state-medal predictions.
“I have a very vivid memory of my freshman year, when my 200 free relay got sixth. Zach (Cook) and Ethan (Kile) told me, you’re the only one that could make a medal at state in all four years of your high school career. None of us have,” Black said. “To hear that from Zach and Ethan at the time was really cool to me. Now, to see I can actually do that, it’s exciting.”
