By GREG MENGELT
The Floyd Central girls’ swimming sectional begins tonight at the New Albany High School Natatorium, and it concludes on Saturday with what should be a tight championship race.
The preliminaries are scheduled to start at 6 tonight with the top 12 in each event advancing to Saturday’s finals. The diving preliminaries are slated 9 a.m. on Saturday, with the swimming finals beginning at 1 p.m.
Floyd Central, New Albany and Jeffersonville are the top three contenders again, as they were three weeks ago at the Hoosier Hills Conference meet.
That day, Floyd Central came away with the title, needing a win in the final race to capture the HHC crown, 271 1/2-252 over New Albany.
Less than a week later, the Bulldogs got revenge — and brought the Highlanders three-plus-season winning streak to a halt — with a 97-86 dual-meet win over Floyd.
The seedings indicate another close team-title chase on Saturday.
“I think this meet will be close like the HHC meet was,” Floyd Central coach Joe Perkins said. “The difference will be the girls who can step up and make a move on Thursday night. With 19 teams in the sectional, there are some smaller schools that have a fast swimmer in each event, so our second and third swimmers need to put forth a great effort on Thursday to help us on Saturday.”
“I think it could be a very close meet. At least I hope so,” New Albany coach Steve Bonifer said. “Floyd has been a little better in big meets, as they were this year in the conference meet. And they have that experience.”
Perkins said, like at the HHC event, experience could be the difference on Saturday.
“I like our girls’ chances heading into the meet this weekend,” he said. “The experience of this group is tremendous, and they have the ability to focus in when needed to put forth a tremendous performance. As far as a favorite? We have been close with New Albany and Jeffersonville all year, so I don’t look for that to be any different this week.”
Unlike Floyd, New Albany is very young. Of their 13 swimmers, the Bulldogs will have nine freshmen competing on Saturday.
“Nine of the 13 swimmers we have competing are freshmen, and we have a first-year diver,” Bonifer assessed the situation. “They have to understand that the Thursday night preliminaries are very important. I do not expect us to hold our seed positions in some events.”
The difference between the conference meet and the sectional is that individual performances are almost as important as the team event. Some teams will even change their lineup to help individuals advance to next week’s state finals at IUPUI in Indianapolis at a cost to the team score.
The top finisher in each event will advance. Also, anyone who beats a state-standard time will go to state, but that isn’t expected.
“We are hoping to get a couple of relays and some individuals through to the state meet in their best events,” Bonifer said. “That is what makes this different than the conference meet. If it were strictly a team scoring event, coaches might not have the same lineups.”
New Albany’s best chance to advance to state is freshman Hannah Manger, who has rewritten the record book at New Albany in her first year.
Manger is the No. 1 seed in the 200-yard individual medley and 500 freestyle. However, Manger’s not the only Bulldog with a shot at heading to state. New Albany’s 200 medley relay team is seeded No. 1, as is freshman Rachel Klein in the 50 freestyle and the 100 backstroke. In the 50 free, her best time is .08 of a second ahead of second-seeded teammate Abby Litkenhous.
“I think Hannah Manger will make it through to state in both of her events. (She) has been preparing for the state finals,” Bonifer said. “Everything else is in doubt.”
For Floyd, Haley Dresner is seeded first in the 100 freestyle and 100 breaststroke.
“She should do well this weekend,” Perkins said of the sophomore. “We are looking for her to continue to improve and set herself up for a great state meet.”
Highlander senior Katelyn Cato also had a shot at advancing. She is the second seed in the 100 backstroke — behind Klein — and third in the 50 freestyle — behind Klein and Litkenhous. Shelby Weathers has a shot at advancing in the 100 butterfly. She is seeded No. 2 in the event.
Floyd’s 400 freestyle relay team also is seeded first and its 200 medley relay team is seeded second.
Although Jeffersonville finished third at the HHC meet, head coach Keith Gast believes his team is a contender on Saturday.
“We’ve tweaked our lineup and moved a couple of people around to different events,” he said. “We didn’t back off or rest a day for the conference meet, so we’re hoping to come in (tonight) and catch some people by surprise.”
Bonifer agreed with Gast’s assessment.
“Jeff has some great swimmers and could improve their position, as their swimmers will probably finish higher than they are seeded,” Bonifer said.
Jeffersonville senior Katie Daily is the favorite to go to state in the 200 freestyle and is seeded second in the 100 freestyle behind Dresner. Sophomore Hannah Martin is the top seed in the 100 butterfly.
“Katie raced against everyone in the sectional and she’s has beaten them,” Gast said. “She’s a senior and she’s been there. Quite honestly, her job is to go out and win that. If someone’s going to beat her, they’re going to have to go really fast.”
Gast said he hasn’t had to make any adjustments in the team versus individual aspect of the meet.
“Obviously, we would sacrifice individuals for a team win,” Gast said. “Winning the sectional has been our goal all season, but Katie’s and Hannah’s hopes for state fit right in with that plan.”
Henryville sophomore Katie Guernsey is the area’s top seeded swimmer not swimming for Jeff, New Albany or Floyd. Guernsey is the fifth seed in the 100 breaststroke and has a shot at swimming in the championship heat. She is also seeded 11th in the 200 individual medley.
For Providence, Erica Knear is seeded eighth in the 200 freestyle and ninth in the 500 free, while Courtney Murphy is No. 8 in the 50 free.
