FIRST IN 40

From the first race, there really was no doubt.
So when the Patriots huddled together, it wasn’t in suspense. It was in anticipation.
They knew, for the first time in 40 years, this was their moment.
They listened as announcer Steve Arnold read the names of their vanquished foes — Blackford, Norwell, Delta and four-time defending champion Muncie Central among them. And then, when he got to the top of the list, they let out a collective scream the likes of which had never been heard before at the Jay County High School pool.
“It feels so good, so good to finally win this, after four years, to make history, our last year, as seniors,” said a giddy Laurann Schoenlein while bouncing with excitement next to classmates Katy Smeltzer and Taylor Campbell. “It’s an amazing feeling.”
The host Patriots set records in three of the first four events Saturday and dominated the 12-team field for their first sectional championship in school history.
Jay County racked up enough points to have won even if it had sat out of the final two events, as its total of 395 was 71 more than runner-up South Adams. It had finished second to Muncie Central in each of the last four years, including by 23 last season and 11 in 2013.
“It’s just awesome knowing that we made history,” said junior Anne Vormohr. “I walk in every day and you see the picture on the wall; you see the boys 2002 sectional champions. … And it’s just like, ‘I wish I had that. I wish my team was up there.’ So it’s going to be awesome when we see our picture up on the wall.”
Finishing in second place marked a major turnaround for the Starfires under first-year coach Andy Lehman.
SAHS was eighth in a 10-team field last season, but outdistanced Muncie Central by 19 points for the No. 2 spot Saturday.
“It’s so awesome to be a part of something bigger,” said SAHS senior Cady Farlow, who qualified for the state finals for the fourth straight season. “I’m really proud of the whole team.”
The Patriots’ prolific day started in a hurry as Anne Vormohr staked her team to a lead of more than 2.5 seconds on the first leg of the 200-yard medley relay. Alex Bader held that advantage, and then Sophie Bader and Katy Smeltzer pulled away as JCHS shattered the previous school (1 minute, 49.27 seconds), pool (1:49.27) and sectional (1:50.03) records in 1:47.35.
After Alex Bader won the 200 freestyle by more than five seconds in 2:00.23, she watched her sister Sophie reclaim her school record in the 200 individual medley. Sophie took down the mark of 2:12.64 Alex had set just two weeks earlier at the Allen County Athletic Conference championships as well as the sectional and pool records (2:09.88) held by 2014 Muncie Central graduate Emmy Rawson with a win in 2:08.62.
And then Vormohr, the Baders’ cousin, and Smeltzer went one-two in the 50 freestyle with the former exploding into yells and fist pumps after seeing she had broken the 24-second barrier for the first time.
“I don’t think I’ve ever (been) that excited after a race,” said Vormohr, who broke her own school and sectional records and took down the 28-year old pool mark of 24.33.
Four events, four wins, three records.
“That just gets you so fired up,” said JCHS coach Matt Slavik. “The way I had things figured out in my head, they just kept blowing my expectations away.”
Sophie Bader added her second record of the day, breaking her 100 butterfly mark for the second time in as many weeks with a winning time of 56.88. And then Smeltzer, Vormohr and the Bader sisters posted a first-place time of 1:37.83 in the 200 freestyle relay to decimate their previous school record (1:41.74) and the sectional and pool marks (1:40.95).
Vormohr joined Sophie Bader as a double winner by taking the 100 backstroke by more than five seconds.
Cady Farlow picked up two wins to lead South Adams, first taking the top spot in the 100 freestyle in 53.31 with Smeltzer in second place. She fought off a strong challenge from Alex Bader in the 100 breaststroke in 1:04.48.
She also anchored the Starfires’ winning 400 freestyle relay team, joining Ashton Klopp, Olivia Von Gunten and Brette Klopp for a time of 3:45.74.
SAHS earned another state berth in the 200 medley relay thanks to its second-place time of 1:50.3.
The winner of each event and those meeting the state-qualifying standard, as Alex Bader did in the 100 breaststroke, earn automatic trips to the state finals. The rest of the 32-entrant field in each event is filled by the next fastest times posted at sectional meets.
Heather Stinson advanced to the diving regional with her third-place effort (305.5 points) behind champion Allyson Norby of Bellmont and runner-up Breanna Evans of Delta. The top four divers from each sectional earn regional berths.
Ashley Mark was fourth for the Patriots in the 200 individual medley and fifth in the 500 freestyle.
“Ashley Mark just swam out of her mind today,” said Slavik, who also got a pair of top-eight swims from freshman Elizabeth McDowell (fourth – 200 freestyle, seventh – 500 freestyle).
Jamie Valentine (fifth) and Campbell (seventh) joined Alex Bader to give the Patriots three of the top seven places in the 100 breaststroke.
Brette Klopp was second in both the 100 freestyle and 200 IM for South Adams, and twin sister Ashton placed second in the 100 butterfly and third in the 50 freestyle. Olivia Von Gunten was third in the 200 individual medley and the 500 freestyle. Korinna Schindler placed fifth in diving, and Audrey Burson took sixth in the 100 breaststroke.
Also scoring for the Patriots were Abby Saxman (10th – 100 backstroke), Samantha Link (12th – diving), Cassie Reno (12th – 100 butterfly, 13th – 100 backstroke), Makenzie Knisley (14th – diving) and Campbell (14th – 200 IM).
Adding points for South Adams were Caroline Kloepper (10th – 50 freestyle, 10th – 100 butterfly), Riley Thompson (10th – 200 freestyle, 15th – 500 freestyle), Victoria Richardson (11th – 100 breaststroke, 16th – 500 freestyle), Mayia Curtis (12th – 100 backstroke) Burson (13th – 200 IM), Olivia Mason (15th – 100 freestyle) and Hadi Hawbaker (16th – 100 freestyle).
Former JCHS swimmer Emi Minnich, who now competes for Burris, was 10th in the 100 freestyle and 12th in the 50 freestyle.
Mark, McDowell, Valentine and Schoenlein finished off the win for the Patriots with a fifth-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay.
“That swim meet was the most fun I’ve had at any swim meet I’ve ever been to,” said Slavik. “Holy smokes. That was fun.”