GHS girls fifth at swimming sectional

Monday, February 4, 2013
Greencastle's Hannah Brattain (left) and Beth Ann Hansen compete in the finals of the 100-yard breaststroke event at sectionals on Saturday. (Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)

AVON -- The Greencastle girls' swimming team has been building momentum all season and it culminated with a fifth-place finish at Saturday's sectional meet at Avon.

The Tiger Cubs' are young with only one senior (Kaelynn Cox) competing in the event, but the squad performed beyond their experience.

Also at the event, South Putnam finished ninth and North Putnam finished 10th.

For Greencastle, the stars of the day were the freshmen. Mallary Meyer, Libby Brush and Amelia Smith, along with junior Emily Wheeler, contributed to a third-place finish in the 200 medley relay to start the day.

Freshman Corrie Romer (59.30) and Smith (59.38) also each broke the one-minute barrier in the 100-yard freestyle.

"The two absolute standout swims of the afternoon were Amelia Smith and Corrie Romer," GHS coach Kent Menzel said. "That's a tremendous accomplishment for a freshman. I'm just really proud of them."

The future looks especially bright for the Tiger Cubs, but NPHS and SPHS each have youthful squads as well.

For the Cougars, Saturday's meet was a test of their resolve.

The group struggled with nerves on Thursday but responded in the relays in Saturday's final. Each split was a personal record, NPHS coach Tony Gray said.

"They really responded how I wanted them to," he said. "We ended up on a positive note, so I'm excited. I will sleep better tonight than I did Thursday night."

For the Eagles, coach Matthew Edwards said he hoped the squad would be able to build from the season and come back with a positive, supportive attitude next year.

None of the area teams advanced any swimmers to the state finals, which begin on Friday, Feb. 7 at IUPUI. To qualify, a swimmer had to win her race or complete the race faster than a pre-specified qualifying time.

For young teams, though, gaining postseason experience and achieving personal goals can be just as important as advancing.

"Today was a great opportunity for some great, fast swimming," Menzel said. "The pressure was all off after we'd established our positions in the prelims on Thursday, so today the instructions were to swim fast and have fun, and that's what we did all afternoon."

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