Last Saturday Southmont seniors Emma Tyler, Suzi Pedro, Jane Scheidler, and junior Megan Scheidler helped give the Mounties their first team sectional title since 2001.
In the process, Tyler won the 500 freestyle, and the foursome swam to first-place finishes in both the 200 and 400 freestyle relays.
The team win was the fourth girls’ sectional title for the Mounties this school year, and fifth overall.
“It was kind of nuts, because swimming doesn’t usually get that much credit compared to basketball and everything,” Pedro said. “For us to be a part of the sectional title was surreal, and just super exciting to give our efforts to win it.”
Pedro remembers watching Jane Scheidler and Tyler make the state finals as a freshman, and has ever since chased that goal.
“I watched Jane and Emma go to state my freshman year, and I died to be a part of that,” she said. “So I made a promise to myself to work super hard the last few years.”
Jane Scheidler made the state finals as a freshman and sophomore with wins in the 50 and 100 freestyle at the sectional, and the 400 freestyle relay as a freshman. Despite it not being as an individual, the senior is thrilled to be headed back to IUPUI’s Natatorium for the state finals on Friday.
“It’s super exciting,” she said. “I’ve tried to be proud of myself no matter what, because I gave it all that I had. And I try to look at my swimming career as a whole and feel proud of myself. Going with a team is super exciting, and is going to be super fun. So I’m really excited about that.”
The Mounties, who broke the Southmont pool record during the regular season with a time of 1:43.01 in the 200 freestyle relay, are seeded 30th with a time of 1:42.28, and seeded 29th in the 400 freestyle relay in 3:46.45.
For Tyler, it’s a career’s worth of hard work paying off.
“It’s a really cool opportunity, I’ve been swimming for a really long time, and so this is my final chance,” she said. “It’s been a lot of years building up to me finally winning a sectional title by myself, so that was a really big deal for me. I’m really excited.”
The senior is seeded 30th in the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:28.50.
Megan Scheidler, has been looking up to the trio of seniors that will join her in the pool on Friday for both relays.
“Just seeing all of our hard work pay off,” she said. “Being with these seniors, I’ve looked up to them since I was in eighth grade, and being a part of it is really fun.”
