FLOYDS KNOBS — Floyd Central won its fifth consecutive girls’ swimming sectional championship Saturday at Highland Hills Middle School.

The Highlanders won five championships en route to a 21-point win over rival and runner-up New Albany.

“This is really exciting,” Highlander senior Haley Dresner said. “We knew it was going to be tough coming into the season against New Albany. To finish undefeated and win the (Hoosier Hills) conference and the sectional, we feel pretty good.”

Dresner won two individual events — the 100-yard freestyle and the 100 breaststroke — and was on Floyd’s championship 200 and 400 freestyle relay teams. Dresner won her 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th sectional crowns, including four breaststroke championships in four years. Dresner and the other sectional champions will swim next Friday and Saturday in the IHSAA State Finals at the IUPUI Natatorium in Indianapolis.

“She’s someone we can count on,” Highlander coach Joe Perkins said. “To win four titles in a row in one event, obviously that’s very tough. It means a lot to us to be able to count on that.”

New Albany won the 200 medley relay to open the sectional and led through the first 11 events. The Bulldogs, who tied Floyd for their first sectional championship in 31 years last season, led by 32 points heading into the breaststroke — the 12th of 13 events.

Dresner led Floyd to a 1-2-4 finish in the breaststroke, and the Highlanders outscored New Albany 52-7 in the event. Senior Brittany Baird finished second and sophomore Lauren Batliner was fourth.

“Being down 32 points freaked us out a little,” Dresner said. “Going 1, 2 and 4 was awesome. Brittany Baird had an incredible swim and Lauren was right there behind her. That really turned around the meet.”

Dresner then teamed with 500 freestyle champion Meg Taylor, Maryn Meldrum and Amy McCormick to win the 400 freestyle relay and lock up the program’s sixth sectional title.

“It’s a different bunch of kids every year,” Perkins said. “This one is just as special.”

Taylor also was the champion in the 200 free, with Jeff's Elizabeth Browne placing second in the event. Highlanders Amy McCormick and Kayleigh Brewer took fourth and sixth in the event, respectively. 

New Albany junior Hannah Manger won three times, setting meet records in the 200 individual medley (2:09.15), the 100 backstroke (58.22 seconds) and as part of the 200 freestyle relay team with Alexis Lete, Abby Litkenhous and Rachel Klein (1:04.19).

“I’m very pleased with the way I swam in all of my events,” Manger said. “Getting records and (beating) state cuts are just bonuses. I’m looking forward to next week.”

Klein — the defending 50 freestyle sectional champion — finished .01 seconds behind Seymour champion Sidney Stout in the 50 freestyle. Lete was just .13 behind Stout, and Litkenhous, the 50 freestyle champion in the 2010 sectional, and Meldrum finished tied for fourth, .24 behind.

“I didn’t know who won,” Klein said. “I thought it might be me. But in the 50 free, everything has to be perfect. It was very close.”

Klein also was just .41 behind Dresner in the 100 freestyle for a pair of runner-up finishes. In all, the Bulldogs had 14 top-five finishes on the day.

“We had a great day and Floyd Central had a great day, too,” Manger said. “We can’t be disappointed with the way we swam.”

Jeffersonville finished one point behind third-place Seymour. The Red Devils were led by 100 butterfly champion Hanna Martin. Martin, who also finished third in the 100 backstroke, had to come from behind to out-touch Lete at the wall to take her third career sectional title.

“She scared me,” Martin said of Lete. “My kick is where I’m strongest. I knew it was going to be close, but I was going to give it my all.”

Jeff junior Alex Waldrip followed her HHC diving championship with her first sectional title on Saturday. Waldrip, who finished third at the sectional a year ago, beat New Albany’s Lauren Kessinger by 37 points. Waldrip and Kessinger will both take part in Tuesday’s Bloomington North Diving Regional.

“She had a great day,” Jeff coach Keith Gast said of Waldrip. “She dove real well. Her first five dives (in the preliminaries) were fantastic. Her middle three dives weren’t great, but she finished very strong.”

 

FLOYD CENTRAL SECTIONAL

Team scores — Floyd Central (FC) 394 1/2, New Albany (NA) 373 1/2, Seymour (Se) 293, Jeffersonville (J) 292, Madison (M) 193, Jennings County (JC) 191, Southwestern (SW) 144, Scottsburg (Sb) 95, Salem (Sa) 66, Corydon Central (CC) 52, North Harrison (NH) 49, Charlestown (Ch) 42, Switzerland County (Sw) 20, Madison Shawe (MS) 18, Silver Creek (SC) 18, Providence (P) 2.

200 medley relay — 1. New Albany (Klein, Lete, Manger, Litkenhous) 1:51.22*, 2. Floyd Central 1:54.69, 3. Jeffersonville 1:56.88, 10. Charlestown 2:16.22, 12. Silver Creek 2:30.97.

200 free — 1. Taylor (FC) 1:58.72, 2. Brown (J) 2:02.27, 3. Doran (JC) 2:02.57, 4. McCormick (FC) 2:04.52, 5. Stuckwisch (S) 2:07.64, 6. Brewer (FC) 2:07.74, 7. Hawkins (S) 2:07.79, 8. Worcester (SW) 2:09.15. 

200 individual medley — 1. Manger (NA) 2:09.15*, 2. Judd (J) 2:17.34, 4. McCool (NA) 2:20.93, 5. Taylor (FC) 2:23.53, 7. Pinnick (FC) 2:27.04, 9. Y. Martin (J) 2:26.70, 13. Hanna (FC) 2:31.04.

50 free — 1. Stout (Se) 25.06, 2. Klein (NA) 25.07, 3. Lete (NA) 25.19, 4t. Litkenhous (NA) 25.30, 4t. Meldrum (FC) 25.30, 11. Glover (J) 27.20, 12. Waldrip (J) 27.22, 15. Cato (FC) 27.94.

1-meter diving — 1. Waldrip (J) 358.15, 2. Kessinger (NA) 319.75, 5. Stotts (NA) 282.30, 6. Baumann (FC) 281.65, 7. Sherrell (NA) 251.35.

100 fly — 1. H. Martin (J) 1:00.38, 2. Lete (NA) 1:00.44, 3. Meldrum (FC) 1:01.49, 8. Gwin (J) 1:07.22, 9. Y. Martin (J) 1:06.55, 10. Batliner (FC) 1:06.79, 11. Brewer (FC) 1:07.91, 14. Crace (Ch) 1:13.68, 16. Newlin (NA) 1:16.82.

100 free — 1. Dresner (FC) 54.20, 2. Klein (NA) 54.61, 3. Litkenhous (NA) 55.71, 5. Browne (J) 56.09, 6. Baird (FC) 56.81, 11. Scott (J) 1:00.65, 14. Hartlage (FC) 1:02.05.

500 free — 1. M. Taylor (FC) 5:16.18, 2. Judd (J) 5:26.85, 3. McCormick (FC) 5:27.88, 4. McCool (NA) 5:36.50, 8. Lancaster (NA) 5:54.09, 9. Renner (NA) 5:45.94, 14. Hanna (FC) 5:52.27, 15. Leininger (J) 5:53.89, 16. Mays (J) 6:04.57.

200 free relay — 1. New Albany (Klein, Lete, Litkenhous, Manger) 1:40.19*, 3. Jeffersonville 1:45.17, 5. Floyd Central 1:47.92, 7. Charlestown 1:57.36, 13. Silver Creek 2:12.03.

100 back — 1. Manger (NA) 58.22*, 3. H. Martin (J) 1:01.06, 7. Cato (FC) 1:06.84, 8. S. Taylor (FC) 1:07.86, 9. Stewart (NA) 1:06.27, 11. Pinnick (FC) 1:09.50, 14. Scott (J) 1:11.23, 15. Carney (P) 1:13.78, 16. Crace (Ch) 1:14.34.

100 breast — 1. Dresner (FC) 1:09.95, 2. Baird (FC) 1:10.87, 4. Batliner (FC) 1:12.87, 6. Gwin (J) 1:15.99, 9. Glover (J) 1:17.15, 10. Lancaster (NA) 1:17.19.

400 free relay — 1. Floyd Central (M. Taylor, Meldrum, Dresner, McCormick) 3:46.16, 3. New Albany 3:58.68, 5. Jeffersonville 3:59.78, 10. Charlestown 4:45.97.

* — sectional record