The stage is set for the 2020 Sagamore Conference swimming and diving finals.
All eight teams competed Thursday night in the preliminary rounds to decide the final and consolation final races for Saturday. Crawfordsville is the defending champion on both the boys’ and girls’ side, while the Athenian boys are chasing their sixth-straight league title.
And they have the talent to do it.
Thristan Callejas is seeded No. 1 in the 100 butterfly, and second in the 200 freestyle. Evan Chaney owns the No. 3 seed in the 200 individual medley, and third in the 100 backstroke. Hunter Conrad and Marshall Horton will also swim in the finals in the 200 IM, while Cameron Nordenbrock will swim in the 100 butterfly, and Jack Pendleton and Ben Brown both made the final in the 100 freestyle. Aidan Mason will swim the final of the 100 backstroke, while Conrad, Horton and Nordenbrock all made the finals in the 100 breaststroke. The Athenians own the top time in each of the three relays (200 and 400 freestyle, and 200 medley).
“Our guys are very eager for this championship, and we are ready to do our best and hopefully that will be enough to secure another championship,” Crawfordsville coach Kevin Hedrick said. “We have the philosophy that if we do our best, things go well and we have been training very hard for this opportunity to race.”
Danville will be Crawfordsville’s top competitor.
On the girls’ side, the Athenians, who continue to rebuild this season after losing top-talent from last season’s title team, will look to compete with Lebanon and Southmont at the top.
“Our girls are healthy, working hard and we are fine tuning for this weekend,”Hedrick said. “We have had many personal best swims already this season and are looking for 30 percent personal bests this weekend.”
Abby Bannon owns the top seed in the 100 breaststroke, and the No. 5 seed in the 200 individual medley. Alyx Bannon is seeded third in the 50 freestyle, and second in the 100 freestyle. Cathleen McGrady also earned a pair of trips to the finals with a No. 6 seed in the 500 freestyle, and No. 7 in the 100 breaststroke. Halle Smith is seeded No. 8 in the 200 freestyle and seventh in the 100 butterfly. Frannie Fuller is seeded No. 7 in the 200 individual medley.
Southmont enters Saturday as one of the favorites to compete for the girls’ title. It would be the Mounties first since 2001.
“I would say Lebanon is the team to beat,” Southmont coach Jane Coudret said. “We swam them last Thursday, and they are very strong. The key is to get as many girls through to Saturday is possible. There is going to be some great competition from all the teams.”
Emma Tyler and Jane Scheidler lead the Mounties with a pair of No. 1 seeds. Tyler is seeded first in both the 200 individual medley, and the 500 freestyle, while Scheidler is seeded first in the 50 and 100 freestyle. Megan Scheidler is seeded No. 2 in the 200 freestyle, while Bailey Barker is seeded seventh. Megan Scheidler is also seeded fourth in the 500 freestyle. Suzi Pedro is seeded No. 7 in the 50 freestyle, and Aubrey Jones eighth in the 100 backstroke.
Southmont’s 200 freestyle relay is seeded No. 1.
On the boys’ side, Trent Jones is seeded third in the 100 butterfly and fifth in the 50 freestyle. Gavin Waddell is seeded seventh in the 500 freestyle, and eighth in the 200 freestyle, while John Zimmerman is seeded fourth.
North Montgomery is hoping to improve upon a sixth place finish on the girls’ side and eighth place on the boys’ side from last season. The Chargers have a handful of girls who will swim in the finals on Saturday.
“Out of my girls team I’m hoping to see some strong swims,” North Montgomery coach Erin Yeager said. “We have a chance to do well in several events and I hope to see them be aggressive and go after that. We have been dropping time all season and I’d like to see that tradition continue.”
Sidney Campbell is seeded third in the 100 freestyle, and fourth in the 50 freestyle, while Maggie Michael will have a pair of final swims in the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke. Kelsey Anderson is also seeded fifth in the 100 freestyle, and eighth in the 500 freestyle.
Swimming finals will start at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday afternoon at Crawfordsville.
