HANCOCK COUNTY — The podium was plentiful with Hancock County swimmers and divers at the 2019-20 IHSAA boys swimming state finals this past February.
Graduation took a couple of the top-county placers, but area swimmers could have another strong year as the 2020-21 season commences.
New Palestine diver Colin Stacey placed third in last year’s state finals. He is now on the diving team at Texas Christian University. He scored all of the Dragons 16 points last year, leading New Pal to a 26th place finish out of 49 scoring schools.
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Greenfield-Central and Mt. Vernon finished higher in the standings at last year’s state meet. Both return their top swimmers.
The Cougars placed 14th, scored in six events and have sprinter Travis Black, who placed fourth in the 50 freestyle, leading a trio of returning state qualifiers.
Mt. Vernon’s Aiden Tierney accounted for all 18 of the Marauders points, good enough for a 22nd place finish. Tierney was sixth in the 100 breaststroke and has a few returning teammates that have state preliminary experience in relays.
Eastern Hancock opened the season Monday, hosting a tri-meet that included Centerville and Seton Catholic. Greenfield-Central and Mt. Vernon each open at home today. The Cougars welcome Franklin Central, while the Marauders entertain the Lawrence Central Bears. New Palestine hosts Greenfield-Central in its initial competition on Dec. 1.
Eastern Hancock
First-year head coach Mike Dolence said his team is “very engaged and very focused.”
The Royals graduated just one senior (Nick Edwards) from last year’s team and have just one senior (Aaron Surberg) among his group of nine swimmers for this season.
The Royals scored 120 points and finished eighth out of 10 teams in last year’s New Palestine Sectional. All three relays and two individuals (Surberg and Matthew McDaniel) reached ‘A’ finals.
McDaniel, now a junior, was sixth in the 200 IM, setting a school record with a time at 2 minutes, 11.07 seconds. Surberg was eighth in the 100 backstroke.
Junior Ryan Dagley returns and, like McDaniel, added a school record to his portfolio with a time of 1:10.30 in the 100 breaststroke in last year’s sectional.
Juniors Luken Edwards, Chase Morrow, Lucas Elliott and sophomore Joey Blocher all return from last year’s successful relay teams.
Greenfield-Central
The Cougars are coming off their 10th straight titles in both the sectional and Hoosier Heritage Conference.
They finished 14th in the state. They’re proud of their successes, but they strive to do even better, continuing to win big event championships and climbing the state finals ladder.
“We’d like build on last year’s performances,” veteran coach Mark Logan said. “It’s always a goal to be a Top 10 team at the state. That’s what we’re focusing on.”
Black, who has plans to swim at NCAA Division II Grand Valley State next year, leads a group of eight seniors.
Along with his fourth-place finish in last year’s 50 freestyle, Black has earned medals in each of his three appearances at the state finals. He was on a sixth-place 200 freestyle relay team as a frosh and was sixth in the 50 free as a sophomore.
Seniors Sam Logan and Anthony Nagel are also state veterans. Both have swam individually and with relays at the state meet. They were both part of last year’s 12th place 200 freestyle relay team and 15th place 400 free relay.
Logan swam prelims in the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke. Nagel was in the 100 breaststroke.
Sam Jennings graduated from the quartet of swimmers that have made it to state, as a group, the last two years. Jennings finished 10th in last year’s 500 free.
Kien Dalton, a sophomore, also returns with state experience in the diving competition.
Logan has a number of swimmers that have scored points in the sectional and conference that could help the Cougars move up that scoring pylon.
Clay Griffin, Michael Joven and Jack Mays bring additional strength to the senior class.
Sophomore Alex Jahrsdoerfer is one of the most versatile Cougars with experience in both swimming and diving.
“I started off (our first practice) reminding them all, we have a legacy,” Logan said. “We’re a championship team. Championship teams find ways to win year-in, year-out. This is no different.
He added that, with the pandemic, quarantine and contact tracing, everyone needs to be ready as if they are a varsity swimmer.
“At any time anybody could be called on to step up and they need to be prepared to perform,” Logan said.
Mt. Vernon
Tierney leads a strong senior Marauder class.
The multi-time state qualifier, added a 12th place finish — he just missed qualifying for the ‘A’ final by less than .5 seconds — in the 200 IM to go with his sixth-place swim in the 100 breaststroke.
“He’s performed extremely well and he has got high hopes again this year,” Mt. Vernon coach Brad Grieshop said of Tierney.
Seniors Evan Flick and Logan Schomaker were part of last year’s state prelim qualifying relay team. Classmates James Demircioglu, a member of the 2018-19 state-qualifying relay group, and Aidan Murphy add to the strong unit.
“We’ve got a great senior class across the board,” Grieshop said. “It’s a very special group. There’s going to be a lot of big shoes to fill whether it’s performances, personalities, characters, there’s going to be a hole after this year.
“The younger kids will more than fill, but these seniors have been something special for us.”
Juniors Jack Champion, Grant Hoeppner and Caleb Strege; sophomores Camden Cave, Matthew Garey, Brady Gray, Ethan Murphy, Braden Thomas and Brady Youngs are among the returnees with big-meet experience.
Grieshop added some incoming freshmen will add depth they haven’t had in the past.
New Palestine
The Dragons will miss Stacey, but coach Jason Tillage has some veterans he believes will help fill the void.
Seniors Austin Lines and Darrell Drake are veteran divers. Lines was fourth in the sectional and qualified for the regional. Drake placed ninth in the sectional
“Austin had a great sectional and decent regional,” Tillage said. “Darrell has worked hard this offseason and I think those two together are going to do a great job trying to make up some points from losing Colin.”
Jack Schwartz and Cody Koch are seniors on the swimming side.
Schwartz placed fourth in the sectional last year in both the 50 free and 100 free. He was also part of the third-place 200 freestyle relay team along with returnee Ben Miesse, one of four key juniors back on the Dragons squad.
Miesse, Eli Kleine, Kyle Ellis and Quincy Shirk are all part of a strong junior class that has sectional experience. Kleine and Shirk were part of the team’s 200 Medley Relay team that placed fifth, while Ellis qualified for the ‘A’ Final in both the 200 free and 500 free.
Chase Martin is a sophomore expected to be a contributor, plus Tillage believes a few others from the sophomore and freshman class will provide depth.
