Tiger Cubs cruise into sectional finals

Greencastle freshman swimmer Libby Brush competes in the 500-yard freestyle event at Thursday's sectional preliminary at Avon. Brush finished with the fourth-fastest time in the race with a personal best 6:14.37. She will swim in lane six of the final heat in Saturday's final. (Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)

AVON -- The Greencastle Tiger Cubs girls' swimming and diving team will enter Saturday's sectional final with an enormous amount of momentum after a dominant performance at the preliminaries on Thursday.

GHS qualified multiple swimmers into nearly every individual final, including several who will swim in the advantageous center lanes for the main heats: freshman Mallary Meyer, junior Rosio Gomez in the 100 fly, freshman Amelia Smith in the 100 free, freshman Libby Brush in the 500 free, juniors Sydney Cassidy and Rachel Custis in the 100 back and the 200 medley relay team of Meyer, junior Emily Wheeler, Brush and Smith.

"It wa a great night," GHS coach Kent Menzel said. "I'm so proud of these girls. They swam their hearts out from the start to the finish. We have so many swims on Saturday that I can't wait to get to the results and count it up.

"We have so many top-eight swims, too, which are the real goal at this meet. I'm very excited for Saturday, but very satisfied with what they were able to do tonight."

In all, GHS will have 22 racers and two divers, Madi Fauvergue and Sydney Cassida, compete on Saturday.

"We had all kinds of breakthrough swims tonight, which is also what you look for when you back off of your training and you try to bring them to the right point on this night when they have to be their best," Menzel said.

The Tiger Cubs had a stunningly successful preliminaries performance, particularly when the team's youth and pool conditions are factored in.

If they can continue to adjust to the meet and improve, Saturday could be a historic meet for the Tiger Cubs' girls.

"Corrie Romer has been trying to figure out that sprint freestyle, both the 50 and the 100, and tonight it clicked," Menzel said. "She split 58.6 in that 400 free relay and it all came together for her. It's a nice moment for a swimmer, particularly a freestyle sprinter, to get that all straight in her head how it works. That was one of the great swims of the evening.

"But then you also have to look at Emily Wheeler's two swims in the 200 individual medley and the 100 breaststroke, which were also breakthrough swims. There were just great efforts overall and she really found herself tonight as well.

"The list goes on," Menzel said. "Amelia Smith in the 50 (free); Mallary Meyer in the 100 backstroke; Libby Brush in the 500 free. There were fireworks going on all night long."

The sectional final begins Saturday at 9 a.m. at Avon High School.