HANCOCK COUNTY — So many have seen the top step of the podium before.
When the New Palestine Sectional awards its champions Saturday at the swimming and diving finals, more than a few will know the pool deck route to the awards stand.
Qualifying for Saturday’s championship round is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. today at the New Palestine Natatorium.
Nine of 12 sectional champions return for this year’s event.
Team-wise, Greenfield-Central is familiar with the top spot, too. The Cougars are going for their 11th straight sectional title.
Mt. Vernon is expected to give G-C a run for its money. The Marauders ended a 10-year run of Cougar victories in the Hoosier Heritage Conference meet this season, though G-C was without all-state sprinter Travis Black among others.
“I always tell them, we compete for it. Nothing is ever given,” Greenfield-Central coach Mark Logan said. “We don’t ever tell them to expect it. I want that competitiveness going into it. The next goal is to get as many bests time as we can. If everybody swims their best times of the season, then we’ve done all we can do.
“Those are the two goals we focus on. We rely on our legacy to motivate us and inspire us, but we don’t ever tell them it’s for sure and this year is going to be a tighter, more competitive year than most. We definitely can’t take anything for granted.”
Black is back.
He, along with Anthony Nagel and Sam Logan, were part of last year’s victorious 200-yard medley and 400 freestyle relay teams.
All three are multi-time state qualifiers.
Black also won the 50 freestyle —he later placed fourth at the state meet in the event — and 100 freestyle. Logan is the returning champion in both the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke.
Mt. Vernon’s Aiden Tierney was a winner last year in the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke, though he will swim the butterfly instead of the IM this week. Tierney, like Black was an A race finalist at the state meet. He placed seventh in the butterfly.
Tierney and teammates Brady Gray and Evan Flick are back from last year’s 200 free relay title.
As a team, our goal is to win the sectional this year,” Mt. Vernon coach Brad Grieshop said. “We have some really great seeds and it’s going to take some great racing and diving out of everyone to pitch in to get the win.
Along with looking to get Tierney to the state meet for the third straight year, Grieshop is hopeful that he won’t be going alone.
“We’ve got some really good goals relay-wise, as well, We want to get a couple of relays advanced to state instead of just one” Grieshop added. “We feel like we’re in a good spot again to advance (the 200 free relay) again and we feel like we have a strong medley relay and strong 400 relay. The goal is that one if not both make it through to state this year.”
All 12 sectional events last year were won by Hancock County swimmers and divers. G-C graduate Sam Jennings won the 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle. New Palestine’s Colin Stacey won the 1-meter diving competition, and later finished third in the state.
Eleven teams will be competing at the New Palestine Sectional. Along with Hancock County schools, Eastern Hancock, Greenfield-Central, Mt. Vernon and New Palestine, others in the mix are Centerville, Connersville, Hagerstown, New Castle, Richmond, Seton Catholic and Shelbyville.
“Looking over the heat sheets, there is more depth from all of the teams,” Logan said. “Mt. Vernon won conference. Even though we were down a few guys, they still had the depth to win that. New Pal has a few good kids coming up. In general, the entire sectional is getting stronger in depth. Again, we can’t take anything for granted.”
Individual and relay champions will advance to next week’s IHSAA boys swimming and diving state finals preliminary round to be held Friday, Feb. 26 at the Indiana University Natatorium in Indianapolis.
“It’s going to be a fast sectional and going to be a fun sectional to be a part of,” Grieshop added. “When you’re talking Greenfield’s dominance they’ve had and we’ve been slowly getting closer and closer. We really feel like this could be a great year for us.
“Our goal is to win the title this year, but there is a lot of experience all across (the sectional) and it’s going to heighten the level of the meet and the competition we see.”
Along with sectional champions, any contestant who equals or betters the state time standard in their respective event in the consolation or championship finals will qualify.
The final criteria for advancement is to be among the next fastest in your event that would bring the total of state meet entrants to 32. There are 20 sectionals, leaving 12 spots to be added in each event among state standard times and next fastest.
