There’s no question what Crawfordsville swimming has accomplished the last decade in the swimming ranks. Last season however might have been the most impressive as on the boys side CHS sent eight individuals to the IHSAA State Finals and one of those individuals in Marshall Horton qualified for the finals of the last day of the swimming season. But now in 2022-23 the Athenians will look to replace the most decorated group in school history as there will be no Thristan Callejas, Ben Brown, Evan Chaney, Aidan Mason, Joseph Sanchez, or Horton.
“Our outlook for the boys team becomes one of steady improvement,” longtime Crawfordsville coach Kevin Hedrick said. “We have some really really talented young men on the team and we just need to be patient to allow them to secure their spot and find a way to do the hard work needed to achieve success. The guys are excited for another great season and having Whit (Whitman Horton) and Campbell (Mason) coming into the season in great shape will give the team the confidence needed to make those improvements.”
As Hedrick mentioned Whitman Horton and Campbell Mason return for their junior seasons for CHS. They’ll lead a group that will feature the likes of Hutton Haas, Ryan Miller, Leon Brumett, and Rylan Huckstep.
The Athenian girls lose one of the best freestyle swimmers the team has seen as Alyx Bannon graduated from a season ago. The team also loses Ella Hudson from diving but will have four divers on the team this season as well as ton of young talent that saw plenty of action a season ago.
State qualifier Sophia Melevage is back for her sophomore season as well as Zoey McFarland and Guinevere Schmitzer-Torbert. Pair that group with freshamn such as Marie Hesler, and Katherine Novak and Hedrick loves the talent that the Lady Athenians are bringing back and has high expectations.
“Our girls team is super loaded with talent, although they are very young, they are very experienced at racing and knowing how to get the job done,” he said. “We will build on this excitement and who knows what might happen later in the season. We’re also excited to have four divers who will score loads of points for us during the season.”
CHS kicks off its season with dual meet on Tuesday when they make the quick trip to Fountain Central.
