INDIANAPOLIS — The finality of the moment didn’t sink in for Mt. Vernon’s Aiden Tierney until much later.
Instead, the Marauders senior wanted to savor the present, first and foremost, immediately after placing runner-up in the 100-yard breaststroke championship final during Saturday’s IHSAA swimming and diving state finals in Indianapolis.
Deservingly so, given the magnitude.
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As the highest-placing Mt. Vernon boys swimmer in school history, Tierney’s time of 54.11 seconds in the event set a new program record and punctuated an already impressive day.
Prior to coming in less than six-tenths of a second behind state champion Ryan Malicki of Carmel (53.71) in the 100 breaststroke, Tierney placed eighth in the 100 butterfly (50.73) for his first of two individual state medals.
Before that, he teamed with sophomore Brady Gray and seniors Evan Flick and Aidan Murphy to finish 13th in the 200 medley relay consolation final with a school record time of 1:35.62.
Once the podium photos were taken, however, and Tierney could reflect, reality washed over him as he sat down in the stands and peered at the pool below.
This was it.
“It’s sad to see it go because it’s been a great 12 years, and that (100 breaststroke) race was awesome to finish it off. It would have been nice to have gotten that first, but second is still pretty darn good in my opinion,” Tierney said as his voice crack while wiping away tears in his eyes. “A 54.1 is top 15 in the nation, you know. It’s really cool. I’m still really excited, but it’s hard to see it go when it’s your whole life.”
Unlike Greenfield-Central senior Travis Black, a Grand Valley State commit, who placed sixth in the 50 freestyle (20.67) championship final and ninth in the 100 free (45.82) consolation to bookend his fourth-straight state finals, Tierney competed in what was truly his last race.
Tierney intends to enroll and study at IUPUI this fall, but he won’t swim competitively.
His finale, though, won’t soon be forgotten, not when it capped one of the program’s most prolific seasons.
“It was just an incredible swim, start to finish. He set a school record (Friday) night at 54.83 (during the prelims) and he comes back today with his goal being in the top-three here, and he did that tonight, swimming faster than he did last night,” Mt. Vernon head coach Brad Grieshop said. “His focus all along has been this breaststroke, and he achieved his goal of two top-eight swims this year.”
His individual state swims provided Mt. Vernon with 28 of its 36 total team points for 16th overall in the standings — one better than Greenfield-Central at 17th (34 points).
It marked the second straight year Tierney finished the season on the podium at state, placing sixth in the 100 breaststroke as a junior, along with a 12th-place run in the 200 IM.
Over the course of the past four seasons, he set new school records in the 200 IM, 100 butterfly, 100 breaststroke and with the 200 medley relay.
As a sophomore, Tierney was 12th in the 100 breaststroke and 17th in the 200 IM, which kicked off the first of three consecutive trips to the IU Natatorium on the campus of IUPUI.
“It’s been an amazing year for me and the team, especially that (Hoosier Heritage) conference championship and sectional championship for the team. That sectional championship was really, really sweet,” Tierney said.
“We’ve always talked about that, and the state runner-up is kind of the icing on the cake. It’s nice to go out with a bang, especially when you’re retiring.”
It was a family affair at pool deck, with his older brother, and former Mt. Vernon standout swimmer, Dixon, actively cheering on Aiden as he nearly went stroke for stroke with Malicki down the final 50 yards.
“I was pretty nervous, I’m not gonna lie. We’ve been talking about runner-up all season, and he swam freaking fast last night. We figured, we might as well go for the W, and he just really wanted that title. He had a great swim,” Dixon Tierney said. “You can’t complain with a state runner-up title. That’s big.”
Moving forward, Aiden Tierney will be the man to beat within the Marauders’ program while he and the seniors set a new standard for the future.
Gray established a new school record in the 50 free during Friday’s preliminary heat at 21.49, and the 200 medley relay record broke Dixon Tierney’s quartet’s previous mark.
Aiden’s 100 butterfly school record was another former Dixon Tierney standard that fell in the four-year swell that peaked this winter.
“It’s been extremely special for us. An undefeated season, we got our first conference championship in school history, second sectional title in school history for the guys. This is a great group of kids. They are extremely special and what they achieved has been nothing short of awesome,” Grieshop said.
Cougars’ head coach Mark Logan shared the sentiment in regards to his senior leaders.
The Greenfield-Central 400 freestyle relay team nearly shattered the school record at state as Black and fellow seniors Anthony Nagel, Clay Griffin and Samuel Logan placed 11th in 3:09.32.
“I’m real proud of the guys and the work they put in,” Mark Logan said. “Navigating the unusual practices and everything that happened and had to go on just to be here. The example they set for everybody has just been incredible to watch.”
The Cougars were impacted this season by COVID-19 contact tracing quarantines that led to the end of their string of dominance in the HHC and as sectional champions.
Limited due to the unexpected in-season hiatus, the Cougars offered zero excuses despite lost preparation and training time. They were merely grateful.
“Honestly, this has probably been the best state meet in my high school career. It was just so much fun to be able to swim with the guys for the last time and really being here. I didn’t expect to have a state meet. I didn’t expect to have a season. So, to be here and still experience it and still do alright, it’s great,” Black said. “This is the best my high school career could have ended. I’m really happy.”
Black’s first state appearance in 2017-18 led to a sixth-place medal in the 200 freestyle relay with former mentors Christopher Joven, Ethan Kile and Zachary Cook.
As a sophomore, Black placed 14th in the 200 medley relay, sixth in the 50 free and 15th in the 100 free. Last year, he was 4th in the 50 free, 12th in the 100 free and his 200 medley relay team finished 12th and the 400 free relay was 15th.
In his final 100 yards, Black made a lasting statement, besting the school’s record time with a 45.34 run as the relay team’s starter.
“I think Travis was just warming up. It was kind of a focus of ours, to work on his endurance. It was kind of his weakness, even last year, coming down to the last relay. It was that fatigue, so we worked on it,” Mark Logan said.
“He recovered (after the 50 free) and swam a great 100 (free), and then coming back in that last 100. That was a fast time. That would have put him in the top eight for sure.”
His 100 free consolation time tied Fort Wayne Carroll’s Chandler Lipp, who placed eighth in the championship final. His swim in the 400 free relay would have been good enough for seventh in the 100 free championship final.
“I was not expecting to do that well in the 100 (consolation). I kind of caught myself off guard,” Black said. “I kind of kicked everything in and went sub-46. It was a nice way to finish off individually, and then in the relay, I actually got my school record off the start, which really, once again, was a great way to end it. It was an absolutely beautiful way to end my high school career.”
