Stoked for state

Sophie Bader won the 200-yard individual medley at the Norwell Invitational by more than 10 seconds, breaking the school record.
Later in the day, Anne Vormohr set one of her own in the 100 backstroke, becoming the first Patriot to surpass the minute mark in the event.
That was Nov. 12, 2012 — the cousins’ first meet as Jay County High School swimmers.
This weekend will mark their last.
The two most decorated swimmers in JCHS history have their sights on the state podium as they join fellow senior Ashley Mark and sophomore Alex Bader to compete in eight events beginning at 6 p.m. Friday at the IHSAA Girls Swimming and Diving State Finals at Indiana University Natatorium in Indianapolis.
“It’s been my complete pleasure for the past four years to get to know these girls,” said JCHS coach Matt Slavik, whose team is hoping to crack the top 10 after finishing 15th in the state last season. “I’ve coached some great swimmers in my 20 years of doing this, and probably none of them would rank where these girls rank. …
“They’re just all-around good people. It’s bittersweet. Friday and Saturday are bittersweet. I’m anxious to see how they do, but it’s kind of sad that it’s time for them to move on.”
South Adams will compete in a pair of events, and former Patriot Sydney Mathias will swim as part of a Vincennes Lincoln relay squad. The top 16 swimmers from Friday’s preliminaries advance to the finals at 1 p.m. Saturday, with the top eight guaranteeing themselves state medals.
The senior cousins, who account for JCHS records in seven of eight individual events as well as all three relays, are in the best position to earn a spot on the podium, as they are each seeded ninth in an individual event.
Bader holds that spot in the 100 butterfly, with her sectional time (56.48 seconds) putting her just 0.12 seconds behind eighth-seeded Kaitlyn Ducker of Homestead. Vormohr, the only girls swimmer in JCHS history to earn a state medal thanks to fifth-place finishes in the 100 backstroke in her freshman and junior years, holds the ninth seed for the event at 56.57 seconds.
It’s a goal for both of them to have medals around their necks in an individual event, but there’s an even greater focus on earning the honor in the 200 medley relay, 200 freestyle relay, or both.
“If I alone would be able to do that, I think it would be awesome, but if the four of us together could get up there that would be a memory that would last me an entire lifetime,” said Bader, the school record holder in the 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle, 200 individual medley and 500 freestyle. “I think that would be the neatest thing ever.”
Jay County’s relay teams are legitimate contenders in both the 200 freestyle and 200 medley, in which they are seeded 10th and 12th respectively. They are less than a half second behind No. 8 seed Chesterton (1:36.76) in the latter.
The Patriots tied for ninth in the medley relay and placed 15th in the 200 freestyle last season with Katy Smeltzer, who now swims for University of the Cumberlands, joining Vormohr and the Bader sisters. It’s been a motivating factor for Mark all season to try to be the swimmer to help her teammates into the top eight.
“I can’t think of three other girls who deserve it more than my teammates. They work so hard,” said Mark. “This season has been tough, but if that were the end result of this season, I can’t even imagine the feeling. It’s exciting.
“I’ve swam with them my whole life, and they’ve definitely pushed me through a lot. I’m constantly trying to keep up and just be that fourth person, because I want to see them succeed as much as I want to succeed.”
Jay County’s swimmers are seeded outside of the top 16 in their other events, but they hope to crash Saturday’s party in all of them.
Sophie Bader is just barely on the outside looking in for the 200 individual medley, in which she is seeded 17th just 0.23 seconds behind 16th-seeded Allison Sperring of Fishers. Vormohr holds the No. 21 seed in the 50 freestyle after placing 11th in the event last season.
It’ll be the little things that make the difference in both events, said Vormohr, who owns school records in the 100 freestyle as well as her two state events. Her goal is to swim Saturday in the freestyle and crack the top four in the backstroke.
“I want to hold my kick-outs hard, especially on the third turn,” she said of the backstroke. “And then on the flip turns I noticed yesterday I kind of stopped my kick, so I need to continue a fast beat kick around all the way.”
Alex Bader is seeded 27th in the 100 breaststroke and 28th in the 100 freestyle, both of which Slavik said are faster this year after already having blistering times a year ago. She finished 11th in the breaststroke last season, and is focused on being among the top 16 again.
“I’ve just got to put my mind to it and know that I can do it instead of doubting myself,” she said. “I need to be working my pull-outs on my breaststroke, getting a faster turnover, getting my hips up.”
The Starfires are long shots to return to the pool Saturday as they are seeded in the low 20s in both of their events. Ashton Klopp holds the No. 28 seed in the 200 freestyle, more than four seconds off of the No. 16 seed, and the 400 freestyle relay team of Ashley LeFever, Olivia Von Gunten and twins Brette and Ashton Klopp are 29th.
Mathias, a junior who spent her first year-and-a-half of high school at JCHS, and her Vincennes Lincoln teammates Jessi Donovan, Becca Rutherford and Susan Skinner are 30th in the 200 freestyle relay.