Westfield’s Griffin Barents Froman will swim for the Shamrocks in the individual medley and breaststroke. (Julie Brown)
By RICHIE HALL
The Carmel boys swim team will travel down to the IU Natatorium tonight in an attempt to keep their state championship streak going.
Carmel’s William Allen is the defending state champion in the 200 and 500 freestyles and is seeded No. 1 in both events at this year’s state meet. (Becky Meek/beckymeekphotography.com)
The Greyhounds are heavy favorites to win a 12th consecutive state title. Carmel qualified 26 swims to state this year, with seven of them receiving the top seed in tonight’s prelims.
In fact, the Hounds are seeded 1-2-3 in both distance events. William Allen is the defending state champion in both the 200 and 500 freestyles. He easily holds the first seed in both events, based on his sectional-winning times of 1 minute, 36.26 seconds in the 200 free and 4:24.55 in the 500 free.
Carmel has two other state champions back. Yi Zheng was part of Carmel’s winning medley and 200 free relays last season. Zheng is the top seed in the individual medley (1:43.60) and the second seed in the breaststroke (54.42).
Carter Hadley swam on the Greyhounds’ state champion 200 and 400 free relay teams last year. Hadley holds two top individual seeds: the 100 freestyle (44.46) and the backstroke (49.02).
In this year’s relays, Carmel is seeded first in the medley (1:29.90) and 400 free relay (3:03.21). The Greyhounds are seeded second in the 200 free relay (1:24.21); they swept all three relays at state last year.
Top five finish in sight for Tigers
Fishers will have 13 swims at state this season, which puts the Tigers in line for a top-five finish at the Natatorium.
Alex Koo has the potential to score many points. He holds the fourth seed in the 50 free (20.48) and butterfly events (49.25). Fishers’ highest swimming seed is in the 200 free relay, in which the Tigers are seeded third (1:25.14).
Fishers has a secret weapon in diving. Mason Lawson and Kirby Danglade finished 1-2 in that event at both their own sectional last week and earlier this week at the Fort Wayne South Side regional.
Lawson won the regional with a score of 524.10 points, while Danglade was second with 495.65 points. They are seeded third and fourth based on regional scores but earned much higher marks at the sectional. Lawson won that round with 640.90, with Danglade right behind by totaling 630.40.
Rocks ready for top 10
Westfield is in the running for a top-10 finish at state. The Shamrocks qualified 11 swims and have a solid distance man in Zach Welch.
The junior is seeded fourth in the 500 free (4:31.06) and fifth in the 200 free (1:41.06). Westfield has two swimmers in both those events, as well as in the individual medley. Also, look out for Griffin Barents Froman, who is in the podium conversation with his eighth seed in the breaststroke (56.83).
Other teams
Hamilton Southeastern will have eight swims at state. The Royals will make some noise in the 500 free, where Zachary Marchisin is seeded eighth and Bryce Salvadori is seeded ninth.
Noblesville qualified seven for state. The Millers advanced all three relays to state, with the medley and 200 free relays seeded ninth with room to move into podium contention. Joshua Naas holds the 11th seed in the IM and is rated 13th in the breaststroke.
Hamilton Heights’ Aiden Clarke will swim in two events and has the potential to score points in both. He is rated 14th in the 500 free and 18th in the IM.
Guerin Catholic’s Sam Holl qualified for state in the 500 free. He is seeded 20th, not far from the top 16.
Hamilton County state qualifiers
200 medley relay: 1. Carmel 1:29.90, 6. Fishers 1:33.34, 9. Noblesville 1:33.94, 12. Westfield 1:35.09, 21. Hamilton Southeastern 1:37.01.
200 freestyle: 1. William Allen (C) 1:36.26, 2. William Lathrop (C) 1:39.59, 3. Lewis Zhang (C) 1:39.65, 4. Camden Bailey (HSE) 1:40.94, 5. Zach Welch (W) 1:41.06, 8. Carter Schultz (F) 1:41.80, 9. Landon Wendel (W) 1:41.82, 11. Caden Askren (F) 1:42.31.
200 individual medley: 1. Yi Zheng (C) 1:43.60, 4. Noah Moeller (C) 1:48.82, 6. Cory Han (C) 1:50.31, 10. Garreth Thomas (W) 1:52.00, 11. Joshua Naas (N) 1:52.98, 14. Elijah Fishman (F) 1:53.78, 15. Griffin Barents Froman (W) 1:54.67, 18. Aiden Clarke (Hamilton Heights) 1:55.30, 19. Qwinton Upshaw (F) 1:55.43.
50 freestyle: 4. Alex Koo (F) 20.48, 13. Donald Zhao (C) 21.17, 21. Lukas Biller (C) 21.44, 26. Drew Setmeyer (N) 21.58.
One-meter diving: 3. Mason Lawson (F) 524.10, 4. Kirby Danglade (F) 495.65, 25. Alrik Mensberger (C) 354.05.
100 butterfly: 4. Koo (F) 49.25, 5. Jack Street (C) 49.53, 10. Moeller (C) 49.99, 14. Thomas (W) 50.50, 18. Eddy Zhu (C) 50.57, 25. Zachary Marchisin (HSE) 51.28.
100 freestyle: 1. Carter Hadley (C) 44.46, 8. Lathrop (C) 46.06, 11. Biller (C) 46.21, 13. Bailey (HSE) 46.32, 17. Setmeyer (N) 46.70.
500 freestyle: 1. W. Allen (C) 4:24.55, 2. Zhang (C) 4:29.44, 3. Austin Bruford (C) 4:29.52, 4. Welch (W) 4:31.06, 5. Askren (F) 4:34.22, 8. Marchisin (HSE) 4:40.31, 9. Bryce Salvadori (HSE) 4:40.43, 11. Wendel (W) 4:41.77, 12. Brody Chop (F) 4:41.77, 14. Clarke (HH) 4:43.15, 20. Sam Holl (Guerin Catholic) 4:44.25.
200 freestyle relay: 2. Carmel 1:24.21, 3. Fishers 1:25.14, 9. Noblesville 1:26.58, 15. Hamilton Southeastern 1:27.23, 19. Westfield 1:28.58.
100 backstroke: 1. Hadley (C) 49.02, 6. Andrew Allen (C) 50.63, 7. Street (C) 50.67, 16. Jackson Teske (N) 51.45, 22. Logan Senior (F) 51.75.
100 breaststroke: 2. Zheng (C) 54.42, 8. Barents Froman (W) 56.83, 9. Han (C) 56.99, 10. Luke Feller (C) 57.00, 13. Naas (N) 57.40, 14. Upshaw (F) 57.49, 16. Dylan Geesaman (F) 57.98, 20. Jagger Chan (HSE) 58.33.
400 freestyle relay: 1. Carmel 3:03.21, 9. Westfield 3:11.46, 13. Fishers 3:12.36, 17. Noblesville 3:12.72, 21. Hamilton Southeastern 3:13.97.
