Tierney Tradition: Marauder swimmer following waves made by older siblings

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Mt. Vernon’s Aiden Tierney competing in the butterfly leg of the 200-yard IM at the HHC swim meet on Dec. 21, 2019. (Rob Baker/Daily Reporter) By: Rich Torres | Daily Reporter

FORTVILLE — It’s more than a family tradition. It’s a family tradition of excellence.

Aiden Tierney is following in those footsteps — make that swim strokes — of his older brother and sister.

Last year, as a sophomore, he extended the streak of Tierneys representing Mt. Vernon at the IHSAA State Swimming Finals to six years. It was the fifth straight year one of them placed in the biggest event of the year.

Older brother Dixon Tierney, a 2016 Mt. Vernon graduate and now an assistant coach on the team, went to the state meet from 2014-16. Sister, Lydia Tierney, who graduated from Mt. Vernon in 2018, qualified from 2016-18.

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All three hold school records, too. Dixon has two individual records and is part of all three Marauders relay records. Lydia has six records, four individuals and two relays.

Aiden has two. Earlier this month he set the Marauders mark in the 50-yard freestyle (21.79). At the state prelims as a sophomore, he set a school record in the 100 breaststroke (57.39).

He placed 12th in the breaststroke at last year’s state meet.

“They’re all super technical, very focused in on the technique of the stroke, the turns, and where they’re at in the water,” Mt. Vernon’s third-year head coach Brad Grieshop said. He’s coached all three either at the school or with the Southeastern Swim Club. “They understand splits within a race and what it takes to do a certain time.

“As a group, they’re very driven individuals. They know their goals and they fight for their goals.”

At the Hoosier Heritage Conference Meet, held in December, Aiden Tierney picked up a pair of HHC titles, winning the 200 IM and the 100 breaststroke.

On Jan. 9, in a dual meet against Yorktown, the junior set the record in the 50 freestyle.

“I’ve had some fast times this season that I’m super, super excited about,” Aiden said. “I’m really looking forward to see what I can do when I am tapered down.”

Grieshop believes his latest Tierney has benefited from having an older brother and sister succeeding in the pool.

He is picking up right where the others have left off.

“He’s had two older siblings go through it,” Grieshop said. “He’s reaping that benefit of extra knowledge and education from both of them. It’s kind of an advantage in that they have been here. They know how he feels, know what he’s going through, and know his expectations with how high his goals are and what he wants to accomplish.”

It’s just a great relationship between the three of them."

“I have really enjoyed that,” Aiden said, of having siblings that have swam for Mt. Vernon and done extremely well. “It has given me something to look up to. It’s like, ‘Man, I really want to be like that.’ It gives me a lot of motivation.”

Aiden not only benefits from the knowledge of family at home. He gets it at the pool, too.

Dixon has been an assistant coach for the Marauders in each of Grieshop’s three years as head coach.

“We have a really good relationship,” Dixon said of the brotherly connection. The elder Tierney added that he’s been trying to help Aiden with not just things he did well as a competitive swimmer, but to learn from the mistakes he made along the way.

“I’ve been trying to help teach him some lessons from things that I did poorly on as a high school swimmer,” Dixon added. “I think it’s cool that he can see my perspective, some of the time. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s about, us bonding and (coaches) trying to teach him as much as we can.”

Aiden has liked the extra camaraderie with his older brother. It gives him an additional connection, and perspective, that adds to their relationship.

“It’s a very different dynamic and I really enjoy it, because I am super close to my brother,” Aiden said. “It’s a really different relationship when he goes from being a brother to a coach. There are sides you don’t see as a brother, but you see as a coach. He pushes me a lot and I know it’s out of love. He wants me to swim fast.”

Aiden is doing that, swimming fast, just like his brother and sister. And, the best could still be yet to come.

Dixon said he believes Aiden will “obliterate” his records.

“It’s been a good season,” Grieshop added. “(Aiden has) been training extremely hard. He is very focused on what he wants to accomplish and has been a great leader for these kids in the water.

“We’re really looking forward to what sectional and ultimately state has in store for him.”