Cardinal cousins

Since the first time they dived into a pool for a competitive race, Anne Vormohr and Sophie Bader have been synonymous with Jay County swimming.
Their calendars for 14 years have revolved around the summer, winter and middle and high school teams.
That will finally change next fall. But the cousins will make the adjustment together.
Vormohr and Bader, both Jay County High School seniors, made it official Wednesday, signing national letters of intent to swim next season for Ball State University.
“We knew that these two girls were something special when they came into this program and even before,” said Patriot coach Matt Slavik. “Culminating their career with both going to Ball State and continuing, it’s a pretty big deal.
“I think it’s going to be a great fit for them. They’ve got an outstanding coaching staff that is moving the program forward. … I think they’ll be able to step in right away as freshmen and contribute.”
While they ended up at the same place, Vormohr and Bader took divergent paths to their decision.
Bader was leaning toward Ball State from the start. She knew she wanted to pursue a nursing career, and she wanted to stay relatively close to home.
And though she considered several other schools, including IUPUI in Indianapolis, Ball State always had an edge.
Vormohr, meanwhile, began with a different mindset. She didn’t want to go to Ball State.
It was too close. And though her sister, Cori, had a good experience with the Cardinals, Anne wanted to forge her own path.
She made a variety of college visits, including to the United States Naval Academy in Maryland and the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado. But none of them felt quite right.
So after talking with her father, Frank, on the flight back from Colorado, she called her cousin.
They discussed what they were thinking about their college choices, discovering they were both now leaning in the same direction. They called Ball State coach Kristy Castillo to ask a few questions. And later that evening, they got together and made a dual video call via Facetime to make their commitment.
They would both be Cardinals.
“I kind of wanted to be different and do something different. But after taking my visits I realized I didn’t want to go hundreds of miles away,” said Vormohr, noting that Cori lives in Portland and her brother, Joseph, plans to move back from Indianapolis in 2018 to work at Jay County Hospital. “I really liked coach Kristy. Cori had a great experience with her and really liked her coaching tactics. …
“And when I went there on my visit … It was so comfortable, laid back. But when they got in the pool, they knew what they had to do. They had a mission.”
The coach — Castillo is in her fourth season leading the program — and team atmosphere was key for both cousins.
“She was very involved throughout the entire recruiting process, both her and the assistant coach, Becca (Westrick),” said Bader. “They always made me feel comfortable when I would talk to them. …
“When I went on my visit I felt like I connected with all the girls really well. That was really important to me. I’ve always grown up with a really close team that always felt like family.”
While part of the Jay County family, Vormohr and Bader have led the Patriots to their greatest success and rewritten the record books in the process.
They each broke a school record in their first high school meet — the 2012 Norwell Invitational — leading JCHS to a five-point win over Bishop Dwenger. And they haven’t slowed down since.
Vormohr became the first Jay County High School girls swimmer to earn a state medal when she finished fifth in the 100-yard backstroke during her freshman season. She reprised that effort a year ago, placing fifth in the event again while surpassing her own school record time as she finished in 55.79 seconds.
She also holds school records in the 50 freestyle (23.88) and 100 freestyle (52.18).
Bader advanced to the consolation finals at the state meet last season for the first time in her career, placing 16th in the 100-yard butterfly. She holds the school record in that event in 56.68 — the time she posted during the state preliminaries — as well as the 200 freestyle (1:55.31), 200 individual medley (2:07.61) and 500 freestyle (5:14.57).
Vormohr and Bader are also record holders along with Katy Smeltzer and Alex Bader, Sophie’s sister, in all three relays, giving them 10 records out of 11 swimming events. (Alex holds the other in the 100 breaststroke.)
“Obviously they have some God-given talent. But they’ve been able to capitalize on that through their work ethic, through their devotion to the sport,” said Slavik of the duo, which also led the Patriots to their first sectional title last season. “They’ve just showed an incredible dedication to the Jay County swimming programs and have offered such leadership, more by example than anything else.”
The cousins and their coach all said they’re relieved to have the recruiting process completed before the team begins its season Nov. 21 at the Westfield Invitational. They’ll now be able to focus on the goals they still have at the high school level — another sectional championship and more state success.
But they’re also looking forward to the opportunity to continue their careers for another four years, and that they will experience college swimming together.
“I’ve been with Sophie since she was born. It sounds cliché, but it’s the truth,” said Vormohr, who is three months older than Bader, admitting she was worried about the possibility of being away from her best friend for four years. “So we’ve been inseparable ever since then.”
“It’s very, very, very special to me,” said Bader. “I feel extremely blessed to be able to go on another four years to be able to continue that with her because I have no idea what I would have done without her … It would have been so weird and very challenging. So I’m very grateful that we both ended up going on the same path.”