July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.

State swimmers

JCHS girls swimming
State swimmers
State swimmers

By RAY COONEY
President, editor and publisher

The Patriots competing in the state finals are coming into the meet from four thoroughly different angles.
Junior Mary Hudson is making her second straight trip to the meet at the Indiana University Natatorium, while her classmate, Eme Miller, has never competed at the facility at any level. And the other two are both Jay County High School newcomers — Caitlin Mark as a freshman and Charlotte Becot as a foreign exchange student from France.
The four of them will team to compete in the 200-yard freestyle relay in Friday’s preliminary round of the IHSAA Girls Swimming and Diving State Finals at the natatorium in Indianapolis. Hudson will also swim in the 100 breaststroke for the second straight season.
“All four of these girls are fantastic young ladies,” said JCHS coach Matt Slavik, whose team has athletes at the state finals for the fourth straight season. “I’ve had the opportunity to work with some really nice and hard-working and fast swimmers up to this point. These four girls, I can’t think of anyone that would make me happier to see them at the state tournament.”
South Adams senior Erika Waugh will also compete in a pair of events Friday after winning sectional championships at Jay County in both the 100 backstroke and 500 freestyle. She also competed in those events at the state finals last season.
The top 16 swimmers from each event Friday will advance to Saturday’s championship and consolation finals.
As the 21st seed for the breaststroke, Hudson represents the best chance of anyone from the Jay County sectional to advance to the second day of the competition. Muncie Central’s Emmy Rawson is seeded 22nd in the 100 butterfly, and no one else form the JCHS group is better than 28th.
Hudson finished 27th in the event at the state finals last season, and she said she’s happy to have some company this time around.“I’m pretty excited, especially taking a relay down there this year instead of just going individually,” she said. “It gets me more pumped up when I have more people with me.”
Hudson’s school-record sectional time of 1:08.4 puts her about 1.5 seconds away from No. 16 seed Myra Retrum (1:06.91) of Columbus North. The No. 1 seed is Erika McCormick (1:02.44) of Mount Vernon.
Slavik said he believes his top swimmer has a chance to break her own school record and compete on Saturday.
“I think Mary has a legitimate shot to make the top 16,” he said. “She swam at sectional fast enough in her first 50, if she splits it out like that again I think … she can go 1:07-mid. I think she has the potential to go 1:06.”
Waugh, who dominated the JCHS sectional in both of her events, is the No. 28 seed in the 500 freestyle and No. 29 in the backstroke. She placed 32nd in both events at last season’s state finals.
Miller, Becot, Mark and Hudson are the No. 30 seed for the 200 freestyle relay, about five seconds off the pace needed to move on to Saturday’s competition. That said, the group’s main goal is to erase a school record that has stood for 11 seasons.
The current Patriots, who won the sectional title in 1:44.67, are chasing the mark of 1:44.04 held by Abby Arnold, Taylor Fullenkamp, Janelle Johnston and Libby Weaver.
“The main thing as far as the relay is just getting some experience,” said Slavik. Our goal for this is to have fun, and beat the school record.”
In addition to Hudson’s goal of swimming Saturday and the team’s try for the school record, the state meet will hold special meaning for other reasons.
Mark has competed at the IU Natatorium before in the Indiana Swimming State Age Group Championships with Jay County’s winter team. But as a freshman, she said she never expected to be swimming at the state’s biggest meet.
And the same can be said for Becot, who explained that there is no school swimming in France. It is a club sport, with meets held on Saturdays.
Becot has experienced meets like the sectional before, but “This week, no. I don’t know (what to expect),” she said. “I’m excited.
“I had no idea (anything like this would happen). I just wanted to swim … I’m so happy.”
And while the goal of a trip to the natatorium is a new thing for Becot it has been a long-term goal for Miller, who said she has no doubt she will swim Friday despite an illness that has kept her from practicing so far this week.
She has competed with Jay County’s summer and winter swim teams ever since she was eligible, but has never competed at the age group state meet. She explained that because of where her birthday falls in relation to the swim tournament season, she has always had to bump up to an older age group.
So while she’s made the trip to what is considered one of the fastest pools in the world many times, she has never been in the water. In fact, she said she’s only been on the deck twice — accompanying Cori Vormohr for her trip to the state finals in 2009 and Hudson last season.
“I’ve been waiting for this since I was 4 years old,” said Miller of the opportunity. “I’ve never even warmed up there, never even been in (the pool).
“It’s amazing. I still can’t believe it. I’m still in shock that I actually get to go.”[[In-content Ad]]
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