The Warsaw boys swimming and diving sectional finals had the expected and the unexpected.
The expected was the Warsaw Tigers claiming their fourth-consecutive sectional title with a score of 293, 87 more points that second-place Huntington North'w 205. The unexpected was the Manchester Squires qualifying two relays and an individual to this weekend's state finals at the IUPUI Natatorium in Indianapolis.Whether or not the outcome was expected or not, both coaches were equally pleased.
"We're fairly deep." Warsaw coach Terry Aukeman quickly said before being thrown into the pool by his swimmers in celebration. "With the rearrangement of the sectional, and Wawasee not being here, that made a difference. So we kind of figured we'd be able to win."
The Squires entered the finals with the top seed in four events following Thursday's prelims. At those prelims, the Squires set three school records, coming in the 200 medley (1:43.58) and 200 free relays (1:32.00), consisting of Joey Rich, Gavin McNeeley, Daniel Brown and Josh Kissinger, as well as McNeeley's 1:01:40 time in the 100 breaststroke. In the finals, both relays broke those two-day old records, swimming the 200 medley in 1:43.09 and the 200 free in 1:30.84. Those times didn't only set school records, but also won each event, therefore qualifying for the state finals. Brown also earned at spot at state, winning the 50 free in 22.51 seconds.
"It's a huge accomplishment," Manchester coach Kyle Wieland said about his team having state qualifiers in three events. "We haven't had anybody make it down to the state meet in about eight years. To get two relay teams and an individualto go down is great. It's gonna be really neat for those guys."
Along with winning the sectional, the Tigers will be represented at IUPUI by Daniel Lowrance in the 100 free (49.26), Brian Thallemer in the 100 backstroke (54.91) and the 400 free relay team of Lowrance, Keaton Petro, Thallemer and Max Revere (3:25.26).
The state trip will be a repeat for Lowrance and Thallemer, as both were part of last year's 200 medley relay, along with Michael Suhany and Seth Smoker, which finished 28th at state and 200 free, with Smoker and Alex VanDuyne, which placed 22nd. Thallemer also placed 27th (56.73) in last year's 100 backstroke at the state meet. Lowrance also made the trip to state two years ago in the 400 free relay team of VanDuyne, Kyle Marose and Nate Taylor. So with that much experience, Aukeman doesn't believe his guys will be overwhelmed.
"A lot of these guys are ready to go," the Warsaw coach said. "Brian Thallemer is fully tapered for this weekend, and I think he's going to do pretty well in the 100 backstroke. I'm really happy with what we may be able to do."
For the Squires, no one has state experience, but they have plenty of experience in the pool, led by McNeeley.
"Brown, he's a great asset to the team, but in all honesty - Gavin McNeeley - our program would not be where it is today without him," Wieland said. "He was one of the only kids who came swimming through the youth program, and has put in so much work and time. For these other kids, once they saw how fast he was going and how hard he was working, they just followed his lead."
The Manchester faithful had hoped the McNeeley would win the 100 breaststroke, but Huntington North's Skyler Ruschhaupt edged him out at the end, winning in 1:01.35 to McNeeley's 1:01.41. But even with that individual loss, he's still going to state as a part of two relays, and he appears happy with that.
"I gave him the option to get out of that 200 free relay that was before his breaststroke, but he wanted no part of that," Wieland said. "He told me, 'I want to be in that relay.' And he wasn't disappointed at all."
So with one team winning a championship and another breaking a long streak without a representative at the state meet, everyone came away from the meet with a smile on his face.
"We did well today," Aukeman said. "We swam well, but had hoped to win another with the 200 free relay, but Manchester swam great today. We had a bunch of seniors that did very well."
And Wieland was pleased to see his team's hard work pay off.
"It's always nice to see a guy get through with sheer talent every once in a while, but these guys work hard and deserve everything they've gotten," he said.
In diving, three local guys will advance to Tuesday's Penn Regional, which takes the top four finishers at the sectional.
Following Zac Robbins of Huntington North's score of 422.90, Tippecanoe Valley's Brady Baugher took second with 374.25 points, followed by Warsaw's Ben Rankin (373.25) and Ryan Hepler (344.70).
"I started off feeling real, real good and confident," Baugher said. "I messed up one dive, and that kind of threw the rest of them off. Towards the end, I was thinking that if I could hold second place, why not? I'm still going to regionals, and my goal is to go to state. As long as I stay in the top five all the way to state, I'll be happy."
If Baugher, or anyone else, finishes in the top eight at Penn, he'll qualify for state. The state meet will begin with prelims Friday at 6 p.m. Those who finish in the top 16 at those prelims will move on to Saturday's finals round, the top eight in the finals heat and nine through 16 in consolations.
Team Scores - Warsaw 293, Huntington North 205, Culver Military Academy 167.5, Plymouth 162.5, Manchester 143, Columbia City 112, Logansport 98, Rochester 58, Tippecanoe Valley 43, Pioneer 42, Northfield 29
Note - Top finisher qualifies for state meet; top four divers advance to Penn Regional Tuesday
200 Medley Relay - 1. Manchester (Rich, McNeeley, Brown, Kissinger) 1:43.09, 5. Warsaw (Thallemer, Hensley, Richcreek, Rankin) 1:48.89, 9. Valley (Hileman, E. McDonald, Filippelli, L. McDonald) 2:18.78
