Sidney Campbell saved her best for last.
The North Montgomery swimmer entered her senior season with school records and the state finals on her mind.
Performing at her best was the only way she could achieve her goals.
Naturally gifted at everything she does — soccer, school, swimming — Campbell still knew the work started way sooner than the season.
“After not having the results I wanted my junior year, it really hit me hard during the summer that this really was my last high school season,” Campbell said. “So I knew that I needed to start putting in the work now in order for it to pay off the next season. I also wanted to give coach Yeager one more trip to The Nat. She has been coaching me almost my entire life and I wanted to be able to share that accomplishment and experience with her.”
Campbell enjoyed the taste of the IHSAA State Finals as a sophomore in the 50 and 100 freestyle, but fell short in both events as a junior at the sectional.
COVID-19 canceled Campbell’s junior track and field season, postponed early summer swim workouts and even threatened her senior soccer season, but it never stopped her from working toward her goals.
“Sidney was very focused on what she needed to do to get/stay in shape so that she could get back to state. With everything going on with COVID she wanted to make sure she was prepared both physically and mentally to get there,” North Montgomery coach Erin Yeager said. “Sidney was focused all season. With the many changes due to different practice expectations with COVID, she and I talked about the changes and how to make the most out of the different things we did. Her drive also pushed those around her to be their very best in practice and in the weight room.”
The hard work paid off.
Campbell won the 100 freestyle at the sectional to advance to the state finals, and took teammates with her as the Chargers won sectional titles in both the 200 and 400 freestyle relays. The senior also leaves the Charger swim and dive program with five school records.
She is the 2020-21 Journal Review Girls Swimmer of the Year.
With the ultimate goal of the state finals at the end of the season, that’s where Campbell left it — wanting to prove much more first.
“I knew when I set out to start my last season I wanted to break the 200 free record,” she said. “I really wanted to show that I couldn’t just do sprints, but that I could do mid-distance too. Yeager really helped me reach that goal by creating some much longer (and harder) sets for us which in the end helped out the whole team.”
Campbell set the school record in the 200 freestyle with a county meet winning time of 1:59.72. She also won the county in the 100 butterfly with a time of 1:02.76.
At the Sagamore Conference meet, Campbell won the 50 freestyle with a time of 24.69 seconds, but finished second to Crawfordsville’s Alyx Bannon in the 100 freestyle. She also helped the 400 freestyle relay team to a conference win.
“I mean truthfully, I was really disappointed that I lost the 100 at conference,” Campbell said. “I’ve always felt I was better at that race than the 50 and so I was really looking forward to seeing some hard work pay off there. But, things don’t always go as planned and I knew I’d get another shot at sectionals. That only motivated me even more to work on the back half of the 100 for the rest of the season and really focus on that during sectionals.”
Bannon’s win in the 100 freestyle at the conference meet helped add fuel to the fire of a friendly battle between two county rivals. It followed with a win by Bannon in the 50 freestyle at the sectional, leaving Campbell with one last chance to get back to state as an individual.
“Alyx is such a strong competitor so when she won the 50 I was genuinely happy for her,” Campbell said. “However, I’ve never lost the 50 and then been able to turn around and win the 100 at a big meet before. I knew I had to get that mentality out of my head and recognize that every race is a brand new race and a win or a loss in a previous race shouldn’t define the outcome of a race that hasn’t already happened yet. I felt that for the first time in my whole high school career I was really able to overcome that mental roadblock and get myself to perform even though I’d already lost that day.”
Campbell set a personal best in the 100 freestyle at the sectional — winning the crown with a school record time of 53.56 seconds — and sealing a return trip to the IU Natatorium for the state finals.
Even after the individual sectional win, the best was still yet to come.
In four years as a Charger athlete, Campbell has always put her teammates first. They had come too far together not to end together.
“Sidney was the type of teammate who pushed others to be their best,” Yeager said. “She led by being willing to work hard and showed others the value of the hard work and intensity. To the program as a whole Sidney has been an encourager, supporter, and allowed the swimmers to see that there are new heights to reach for. She has been an excellent leader, a strong person of faith, and a hardworking student. She encourages, supports, and helps those around her. As a leader she will be missed.”
Campbell and teammates Maggie Michael, Maddie Mershon, Annabel and Kelsey Anderson helped seal the deal by winning the 200 and 400 freestyle relays at the sectional to qualify together for the state finals. The 200 team of Campbell, Michael, Mershon, and Kelsey Anderson set a school record at the sectional with a time of 1:43.21.
It’s who Campbell was, always taking ‘teammate’ to a whole new level.
“I really think that as an athlete I try my best to create relationships with my teammates outside of whatever our sport is,” she said. “Often I feel like athletes are just friends with people during practice, or even just during their season, in order to help the team accomplish whatever it wants to accomplish. I truly believe that the best team chemistry and relationships are made outside of the pool (court, field, track, whatever it may be). I know that I have grown close to my teammates by making an effort to hang out with them on weekends or when we aren’t in practice, talking to them about things unrelated to sports, and I have come to know some of my best friends that way rather than just knowing them during practice.”
May many more future Chargers strive to be like Sidney Campbell.
