After advancing to the state finals as an individual in both the 50 and 100 freestyle as a sophomore, Sidney Campbell came up empty as a junior in 2020.
While being determined to get back to state in her senior season, the goal set forth by North Montgomery swimming and diving coach Erin Yeager was to make sure she wouldn’t be alone.
“We kind of set out a goal,” Yeager said. “After everything that happened with Sid last year, I was like ‘I want to go and I don’t want to just take you. I want to get a relay and I would really like to get two.’ That’s where my mind was at the start of this year. I’ve got a good strong core of seniors, but not just the seniors, but the rest of those girls have swam together for years now. They’ve done relays together, they’ve participated together, and so they know one another and they know how to push one another and they just encourage and strengthen each other. They all make each other better.”
The Charger veterans rallied around their senior leader in Campbell. First Campbell won the 100 freestyle with a time of 53.56 seconds at last Saturday’s IHSAA Sectional at Crawfordsville. And then North Montgomery followed with wins in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays to advance to the state finals. Campbell joined junior Maggie Michael and seniors Maddie Mershon and Kelsey Anderson by setting a new school record in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:43.21.
A record that was not an original target for the 2020-21 season, but one that will forever hold a special place for the foursome after checking back at the Northridge (North Montgomery Middle School) record boards.
“It was only like halfway through the season when Yeager was going through times and pulled us all aside and was like ‘I don’t know if you guys realize this, but we can actually break this record,’” Campbell said.
A school record in a season where multiple girls have been quarantined, practices have been canceled, and at times the season outlook has been bleak. It’s as impressive of a feat as it sounds.
“I started doing some looking,” Yeager said. “I knew we were within striking distance, but I knew it would take them really pushing the envelope and getting their times down there. It’s been a struggle this year just getting everybody going and moving forward. So we just kind of dropped the carrot out a little bit and then they went after it. And then to see them pull it all together. I hope we aren’t done yet. We’ve got some things that we are looking and chasing for Friday to just keep them focused and working hard.”
The 200 freestyle relay team is seeded 15th. And their record-breaking performance at the sectional, goes much deeper than just this season.
“I think it means a lot to us, because we have been swimming together for so long,” Michael said. “A lot of us swam in middle school together, so it’s pretty cool that it’s some of our last years and we got to have a really successful season.”
And not only have Campbell, Mershon, Michael and Kelsey Anderson been swimming together since middle school and beyond — they also own the middle school record in the 200 freestyle relay.
In the 400 freestyle relay, the Chargers swam to a win at the sectional with a time of 3:51.74. and are seeded 18th at Friday night’s session of the state finals prelims. Joining Anderson, Campbell, and Michael on the team is Anderson’s sister, Annabel, who is just a freshman.
“I’m really excited to have the chance for the season not to end and to swim one more time with all of you guys, especially Annabel, my sister, it’s just really exciting,” Kelsey Anderson said. “I think it’s a realy good way as a senior to end it off. Being there with people you’ve been with for seven plus years and getting the chance to end it with the people you’ve been working hard with.”
This group of Chargers is the latest example of high school athletes continuing to put in the work, despite the unfortunate circumstances during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m really excited about this because we’ve had such a hard season with getting quarantined and just getting excited for the success we’ve had,” Annabel Anderson said.
Campbell says the Chargers have reason to be proud after all their hard work paid off at the end of the season.
“I think we are all really proud, because we have been working hard all season,” she said. “And everybody has been quarantined at different times, we didn’t always get to swim together at the beginning of the season on relays and everything. I think we are just really happy that we were able to put it all together and finally have the success that we had been working so hard for all season.”
And with one last chance to all swim together, it’s a final reward for successfully navigating a difficult season.
“I think it’s really nice to have other people there to support you,” Michael said. “Obviously when Sidney went alone, we went there to support her, but being all on one team and getting to swim together is really cool and it’s a really nice bonding opportunity and something we will carry on together in life.”
