Farlow 11th for SA

INDIANAPOLIS — Cady Farlow finished her freshman season as the 25th fastest breaststroker in the state.
After her performance Friday and Saturday, she’s already got a state medal on her mind for next season.
Farlow capped her sophomore season for South Adams Saturday by climbing another rung on the state ladder and finishing in 11th place in the 100-yard breaststroke at the IHSAA Girls Swimming and Diving State Finals at IU Natatorium.
“That’s huge. Even to move in to the top 16 … is a huge move,” said SAHS coach Janelle Gresla of Farlow, who entered the state finals as the No. 18 seed and then qualified for the consolation heat of the 100 breaststroke with a 12th-place finish during Friday’s preliminaries. “For her to finish 11th as a sophomore, it just makes South Adams extremely proud to have her as part of our swim program.
“I’m thrilled.”
Farlow got off to a bit of a slow start as she was seventh out of eight swimmers in the consolation heat at the midway point of her race. But just like in the preliminaries, she came on strong.
She closed the gap heading into the last turn and surged past several competitors in the final 25 yards. She finished third in the consolation race behind Amanda Short of Zionsville and Haley Harris of state champion Carmel to place 11th overall.
“I think it’s kind of the adrenaline of state,” said Farlow of her strong finishes. “I really think that adrenaline kicks in the last 25 (yards) or so.
“I got 11th place and that was actually my goal,” she added, noting that SAHS athletics director Jason Arnold told her just before she left school Friday that he thought she could finish top-11. “I’m really excited. I was happy to represent our sectional and South Adams the way I did.”
Her effort scored six points for the SAHS, placing it 34th at the state finals. Carmel won its 27th straight state title by nearly 200 over Penn with 397.
The top eight swimmers in each event earn state medals. Carroll’s Ciana Heaston was eighth in the breaststroke at 1:06.45 while Bethany Galat of Penn won the state championship at 1:00.29.
Farlow broke the 1:07 mark for just the second time of her career in the state consolation finals. Her only faster race came a night earlier, when she shattered her own school record with a time of 1:06.58 to earn her place in Saturday’s meet.
She had set the previous school record of 1:07.07 a week earlier at the Jay County sectional, where she broke her own record in the 100 freestyle and joined three teammates to set a new SAHS mark in the 200 medley relay.
Gresla believes Farlow is capable of breaking the 1:06 mark next year. And Farlow said she’s already thinking about a state medal.
“She and I have already talked that I’d like to see her in that top eight next year,” said Gresla.
“Hopefully I’ll be able to have something around my neck next year,” added Farlow. “That’s definitely the goal.”[[In-content Ad]]