GHS medley relay headed to state finals

Monday, February 7, 2011
Greencastle's Sydney Terry powers down the lane during the 200-yard medley relay event at Saturday's sectional. The GHS 200-medley relay team compete at state tournament Saturday.

CRAWFORDSVILLE -- After a postponement of the sectional prelims, the finals came around for the swimmers less than 24 hours later on Saturday. Much to the surprise of many, Putnam County's girls achieved personal bests in the short turnaround time.

Greencastle placed second in the meet with 242 points, behind Crawfordsville's score of 310. South Putnam was ninth with a 59.

"I didn't know how we would do with the quick turnaround to today, but we swam really, really well," Greencastle coach Luke Beasley said.

Greencastle started off the meet exceptionally. The Lady Tiger Sharks won the medley relay with a time of 1:58.68. By winning, the team of Sydney Cassida, Emily Wheeler, Melanie Bittles, and Sydney Terry gets the opportunity to swim at the IHSAA State Finals.

"We are really excited we get a chance to swim at the state meet next week. You have two freshmen and two seniors so it's a nice way to cap two fine swimming careers for Bittles and Terry, and a nice way to start two promising swimming careers for Cassida and Wheeler," Beasley said. "It is awesome (after four years together with Bittles and Terry), and I am grateful that we get to make that trip. We will make our goal to drop time and embrace the state experience.

"I think it is a great experience builder for the young girls too because I think they will be back there," he added. "They are the type of talents that could really have a lot of success in their four years.

South Putnam also had a great performance in the medley from Sarah New, Jessica York, Kate Sherwood and Josalynn Farmer -- first by making the finals and then by breaking their seed time by almost a second with a time of 2:07.89. It was good enough to finish sixth in the race.

"Our medley broke our record again, so we started off really well," Eagle coach Emily Karas said.

While the lone state qualifier came in the first race, it was a strong meet throughout for county swimmers, particularly the Lady Tiger Sharks, who were represented in the finals of every swimming event.

"The girls were focused, and they performed at a really high level," Beasley said. "I am ecstatic to see how well they did and see all the really hard work: time and effort and passion that they put into it. It is exciting to see it pay off for them."

In the 200 freestyle, Greencastle had two girls make the finals, Cassida and Alison Howard, placing third and fifth respectively. Both girls improved their qualifying times.

In the 200 individual medley, freshman Wheeler placed third with a time of 2:33.99, coming in behind a senior and a junior. Terry placed second in the 50 free with a time of 26.21, just getting out-touched by South Vermillion's Payton Thomas.

All county divers are juniors -- hopefully with plans to come back and dive their senior year. Greencastle's Cheyenne Fauvergue scored 176.45 to end up in 10th place. South Putnam's Madison Marsteller is a first year diver. As a first year diver she was able to prepare the 11 dives for a sectional performance. This is a huge task and accomplishment for a first year diver, especially when the diver is already a junior.

In the 100 butterfly, two Greencastle girls, Bittles and Rosio Gomez, represented GHS, placing second and sixth respectively. Bittles dropped time from her Friday night performance, while Gomez, a freshman, made the finals and placed sixth. The experience of making the finals should help her in the years to come.

Howard placed fifth in the 100 freestyle with a time of 1:00.89. The Lady Tiger Sharks also had a representative in the 500 Freestyle in Cassida, who place third and dropped time from Friday.

In the 200 freestyle relay South Putnam's team of Sabrina Arnold, Kaelynn Cox, Lyndsie Beasley and Farmer made the consolation round, ending up in ninth with a time of 1:59.79.

"My 200 and 400 free relays had great performances," Karas said. "They both had their season best times so I was really proud of those girls."

Greencastle's relay team of Terry, Howard, Custis and Bittles placed second only to Crawfordsville by about two seconds with a time of 1:48.80.

In the 100 backstroke, Terry came in fourth with a time of 1:06.82.

The finals of the 100 breaststroke held two county swimmers representing both teams. Wheeler of Greencastle finished fourth with a time of 1:15.09, and York of South Putnam placed fifth with a time of 1:18.18.

While York was South's only individual representative in a championship race, Karas expressed her pride in all three seniors' individual races. Sherwood was ninth in the 100 butterfly, while New was eighth in the 100 backstroke

"My three seniors in each of their individuals had a great performance," Karas said. "I am happy for them that they have had an exceptional four years with me and they make me really proud."

The 400 freestyle relay consoles held the South Putnam team of Cox, Sherwood, Beasley and Farmer placing seventh overall with a time of 4:27.06, dropping just over three seconds from their qualifying time from Friday night. The Greencastle relay of Cassida, Custis, Howard and Wheeler placed second behind Crawfordsville with the time of 4:08.31. The Greencastle girls also dropped time from their time Friday night by just over seven seconds.

"Your goal at the end of the year is to be as good as you have been or better, and we certainly accomplished that," Beasley said. "I think the future is very bright for Greencastle swimming. We have a lot of really good young swimmers. We had huge drops (in time), going from fringe competitors to finalists."

Similarly, Karas was thrilled with what she's seen out of her team this season.

"Overall I have a great team," she said. "It is an honor to coach these girls. They work hard for me. They try their best. I feel like we are (our own little) family. I am really proud of them today. "

Greencastle's medley relay team will compete at the IHSAA State Finals at 5 p.m. Friday at the IUPUI Natatorium.

At Crawfordsville

IHSAA Girls' Swimming Sectional

Finals

Crawfordsville 310, Greencastle 242, Fountain Central 208, South Vermillion 137, Southmont 116, North Montgomery 98, Seeger 79, Western Boone 77, South Putnam 59, North Vermillion 29, Rockville 13

200 Medley Relay: 1. Greencastle (Cassida, Wheeler, Bittles, Terry) 158.68, 2. Seeger 2:05.98, 3. South Vermillion 2:06.09, 4. Southmont 2:06.20, 5. Fountain Central 2:07.40, 6. South Putnam (New, York, Sherwood, Farmer) 2:07.98. Consolation: 7. Crawfordsville 1:56.22, 8. North Montgomery 2:09.04, 9. Western Boone 2:11.30, 10. North Vermillion 2:27.57.

200 Freestyle: 1. Hunt (C) 2:09.35, 2. Sheldon (FC) 2:12.52, 3. Cassida (G) 2:13.37, 4. Gulley (FC) 2:15.35, 5. Howard (G) 2:16.28, 6. Warner (C) 2:19.85. Consolation: 7. Zachary (Sm) 2:19.16, 8. Beams (G) 2:24.43, 9. McGee (WB) 2:25.86, 10. Mathison (NM) 2:25.07, 11. Haddock (Se) 2:25.25, 12. Henry (WB) 2:25.78.

200 IM: 1. Menzel (C) 2:23.53, 2. Burkhart (Sm) 2:24.64, 3. Wheeler (G) 2:33.99, 4. Millikan (SV) 2:36.28, 5. Gibbs (FC) 2:38.98, 6. McGrady (FC) 2:42.86. Consolation: 7. Custis (G) 2:36.67, 8. Servies (C) 2:36.96, 9. Lewis (C) 2:38.59, 10. Gomez (G) 2:41.11, 11. Dorwart (WB) 2:44.38, 12. Leonard (Se) 2:47.72.

50 Freestyle: 1. Thomas (SV) 26.12, 2. Terry (G) 26.21, 3. Simpson (NM) 26.60, 4. Franke (C) 26.63, 5. Gregory (C) 26.66, 6. Campbell (FC) 26.82. Consolation: 7. Bittles (G) 26.91, 8. Tarter (Se) 28.19, 9. Cloncs (Sm) 28.37, 10. Parker (Sm) 28.62, 11. Kay (Se) 28.94, 12. Zimmerman (WB) 28.97.

Diving: 1. Neal (C) 294.15, 2. Forrest (R) 266.15, 3. Cagle (WB) 258.20, 4. Randolph (SV) 255.55, 5. Leister (SV) 244.20, 6. Hamady (FC) 211.70, 7. Roberts (SV) 207.35, 8. Million (Se) 205.80, 9. Nelson (C) 196.85, 10. Fauvergue (G) 176.45, -- Marsteller DQ, -- Williams (G) DQ.

100 Butterfly: 1. Menzel (C) 1:04.07, 2. Bittles (G) 1:06.68, 3. Campbell (FC) 1:06.91, 4. Amstutz (NM) 1:06.96, 5. Millikan (SV) 1:07.10, 6. Gomez (G) 1:10.04. Consolation: 7. Gregory (C) 1:08.50, 8. Zimmerman (WB) 1:10.45, 9. Sherwood (SP) 1:11.62, 10. Warner (C) 1:12.19, 11. Parker (Sm) 1:15.93, 12. Lowe (WB) 1:17.55.

100 Freestyle: 1. Franke (C) 57.93, 2. Thomas (SV) 59.07, 3. Simpson (NM) 59.18, 4. Sheldon (FC) 1:00.02, 5. Howard (G) 1:00.94, 6. Horner (C) 1:01.89. Consolation: 7. Custis (G) 1:00.88, 8. Haddock (Se) 1:02.03, 9. Romer (G) 1:02.25, 10. Lewis (C) 1:03.89, 11. Chavez (FC) 1:04.29, 12. Cloncs (Sm) 1:04.73.

500 Freestyle: 1. Conrad (C) 5:30.80, 2. Gulley (FC) 6:09.31, 3. Cassida (G) 6:12.93, 4. Zachary (Sm) 6:13.51, 5. McGrady (FC) 6:25.55, 6. Evans (C) 6:27.17. Consolation: 7. Byrum (NV) 6:15.02, 8. Riegel (WB) 6:25.80, 9. Beams (G) 6:27.93, 10. Carver (FC) 6:29.01, 11. Hayden (WB) 6:35.03, 12. Stanley (C)6:46.07.

200 Freestyle Relay: 1. Crawfordsville 1:46.77, 2. Greencastle (Terry, Howard, Custis, Bittles) 1:48.80, 3. Fountain Central 1:52.25, 4. Seeger 1:53.50, 5. North Montgomery 1:54.51, 6. South Vermillion 1:54.53. Consolation: 7. Southmont 1:55.77, 8. Western Boone 1:56.60, 9. South Putnam (Arnold, Cox, Beasley, Farmer) 1:59.79.

100 Backstroke: 1. Conrad (C) 1:01.14, 2. Hunt (C) 1:04.40, 3. Burkhart (Sm) 1:05.96, 4. Terry (G) 1:06.82, 5. Byrum (NV) 1:10.17, 6. Gibbs (FC) 1:12.10. Consolation: 7. Ward (Sm) 1:12.06, 8. New (SP) 1:13.15, 9. Shumaker (FC) 1:15.19, 10. Evans (C) 1:15.20, 11. Chavez (FC) 1:15.91, 12. Lowe (WB) 1:16.75.

100 Breaststroke: 1. Horner (C) 1:13.90, 2. Ireland (FC) 1:14.43, 3. Amstutz (NM) 1:15.01, 4. Wheeler (G) 1:15.09, 5. York (SP) 1:18.18, 6. Servies (C) 1:20.56. Consolation: 7. Roberts (SV) 1:18.58, 8. Romer (G) 1:19.99, 9. Wolf (C) 1:20.10, 10. Kay (Se) 1:22.06, 11. Ragsdale (WB) 1:22.29, 12. Ordway (WB) 1:24.57.

400 Freestyle Relay: 1. Crawfordsville 3:54.56, 2. Greencastle (Cassida, Custis, Howard, Wheeler) 4:08.31, 3. Fountain Central 4:10.33, 4. Western Boone 4:21.95, 5. Southmont 4:24.75, 6. North Montgomery 4:26.97. Consolation: 7. South Putnam (Cox, Sherwood, Beasley, Farmer) 4:27.06, 8. South Vermillion 4:36.26, 9. Seeger 4:39.38, 10. North Vermillion 5:26.57.

Next meet: Greenastle's medley relay team advances to the IHSAA State Finals at 6 p.m. Friday at the IUPUI Natatorium in Indianapolis.