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Firebaugh flies to remarkable fifth-place finish in 100 fly
INDIANAPOLIS -- On the second day of the 2013 IHSAA Boys' Swimming State Finals at the IU Natatorium at IUPUI, Nash Firebaugh was looking to better his fifth-place seed from the preliminaries.
Firebaugh, taking on the defending state champion and current state record holder in the 100 meter butterfly, held his seed to take home a fifth place finish in the championship race with a time of 50.87 seconds.
Aaron Whitaker of Chesterton, who set a state record in the event the night before, broke the record again with a swim of 47.33 seconds to take home one of his three state titles on the day.
Defending state champion Max Irwin of Bloomington North finished second, followed by Bowen Anderson of Penn, Theodore Stein-kamp of Indianapolis North Central and Firebaugh.
The race was an improvement over the 2012 finals in which Firebaugh placed 10th overall. The Greencastle swimmer cut over a second off of his time from last year, which Greencastle head coach Kent Menzel said was part of the plan.
"I thought the race went very well," Menzel said. "We prepared right on schedule. Nash was relaxed and comfortable.
"It takes so much effort to qualify Friday night that that's inevitably going to take a little bit out of a swimmer, which showed in his time.
"I was very pleased that he held on to his fifth seed and swam very well in a talented pool of swimmers. Whitaker and Irwin are great competitors. For Nash to be able to hang on and get fifth place was a great thing."
Firebaugh said that a big part of finishing higher in 2013 was not getting over anxious.
"Putting aside physical form, I feel like I managed my nerves better because I get so nervous before these races," Firebaugh said. "I relaxed more and had more fun with each swim."
Whitaker and Irwin quickly established themselves as the duo vying for the state crown, leaving Firebaugh, Anderson, Steinkamp and the rest of the field to sort themselves out.
Firebaugh was neck and neck with Anderson and Steinkamp through the first 50 meters of the race but began to trail off on the second half, finishing half a second behind his preliminary time but holding on to his seed placement.
Firebaugh said that the overnight was a test all its own but that the race was a successful one.
"The 50 free might have made me faster last night and the races didn't hurt a lot last night," Firebaugh said. "It was a pretty easy swim in the 100 fly.
"It hurt a little more through this race. I didn't sleep a lot last night because I was excited for today's race. That might be a factor in it but I'm happy with the result."
Menzel said that Firebaugh looked like he belonged among the state's elite more so than last season.
"I think, overall, Nash was very comfortable and has found his place in this meet," Menzel said. "I think it showed last night in both of his swims. We're looking forward to building on that even more so for next year.
"His teammates are all motivated by what he is doing and they're thinking about what they can do in this meet next year. That's a real good foundation for all of us moving forward."
With the success of the Chesterton squad, which set four state records and claimed six individual and relay titles on their way to the overall team title, Firebaugh said that improvement would be mandatory to stay competitive.
"Every event is so much faster this year than it was last year," Firebaugh said. "Last year, 50.87 might have been seventh but the top end was a second or two faster. That goes for every event because teams and swimmers get faster.
"I need to work on the second 50 meters and get below 27 seconds. As I mature, I'll naturally get better and be in the top three come next year."
Menzel said the goal now is to get Greencastle in position to bring more swimmers to the state meet, which means improving the speed of all the swimmers in the squad.
"The main goal is always getting faster in all the events across the board," Menzel said. "We have some strong freshmen moving up and we'll be looking to find a place for them on the team.
"Building on the success that we've had and making them as fast as they can possibly be is what we're all about," Menzel added. "We try to do that having fun all the time, enjoying the work that we do while being thoughtful with what we do.
"Coach Gregory, Coach Lewis and I will figure out how to build on the success this year and make the squad even faster for next year."
Firebaugh agreed and added that it would be nice to have company at the 2014 finals.
"The guys on the team have seen what I've been doing this year and they think it's possible to do it as well, so hopefully next year we'll make some noise at the state meet.
At IU Natatorium, IUPUI
IHSAA 2013 Boys' State Swimming Finals
100 Meter Butterfly Results
1. Whitaker (Chesterton) 47.33*; 2. Irwin (Bloomington North) 47.88; 3. Anderson (Penn) 49.65; 4. Steinkamp (Indy North Central) 50.41; 5. Firebaugh (Greencastle) 50.87; 6. Colonis (West Lafayette) 51.34; 7. McKay (Carmel) 51.56; 8. Kelley (Hamilton Southeastern) 51.92
*State Record