November 17, 2015 at 6:21 p.m.
From hunter to hunted
Jay girls hope to build off team’s first sectional title
For nearly four decades, the Patriots were chasing a sectional championship.
They were the hunters.
Now they’re defending one, and they are the hunted.
And when the Jay County High School girls swim team dives into the pool Saturday at the Westfield Invitational, the goals will be the same as they were a year ago.
“We have set the bar higher,” said JCHS coach Matt Slavik. “As a team I think our goal is to do what we did last year. I?think we need to improve as a team. We have plenty of areas for improvement.
“We have (fewer) girls out this year, but I?think the girls we do have are extremely focused and driven, and I?think it’s only going to benefit us.”
Jay County’s success starts with a pair of sisters and their cousin.
The Bader sisters — Sophie, a senior, and Alex, a sophomore — and their cousin Anne Vormohr are perhaps the best trio to swim at Jay County at the same time.
They own all eight individual records. Vormohr is the fastest-ever Patriot in three events (100-yard backstroke, 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle), and is the only medalist in school history. She was fifth in the 100 backstroke in both her freshman and junior seasons.
Sophie Bader holds the school record in the 100 butterfly, 200 butterfly, 200 individual medley and 500 freestyle. In her first high school meet last season, Alex Bader set a new school record in the 100 breaststroke.
Vormohr, the Baders and 2015 graduate Katy Smeltzer — she now swims for University of the Cumberlands — are the record holders in all three relays.
After returning to the podium to finish a strong junior campaign, Vormohr set her sights on earning another state medal.
“It’s hard coming off last year because I don’t want to make the same mistake (as) sophomore year,” said Vormohr, who finished 11th and missed the podium that season. “That is always in the back of my head. I just need to look what I did last year and grow upon that and do more … doing that little extra that I won’t let anything like that happen.
“It’s just the little things like not breathing out of my turns and doing extra kicks. It sounds cliché but it’s true.”
While there certainly is pressure as to how well the Patriots will follow up their sectional title, Vormohr said she is relieved there is no stress as to where she will swim after she graduates. She and Bader signed a national letter of intent Wednesday to swim for Ball State University.
“Now I can just enjoy my senior year,” she said. “A lot of pressure has been taken off.”
Vormohr and the Baders were a driving force behind the Patriots’ sectional title last season, and with that kind of firepower returning the girls are hungry for another championship.
“They are on a mission,” said Slavik, whose squad last year had sectional champions in seven events and competed at state in eight total races. “I spoke highly of every team I’ve had the opportunity to be with and every year it has gotten better and better. We are continuing that trend. I?am extremely blessed to have this group of girls that we have.
“Every girl here knows they have a target on their back. That’s no secret.”
Jay County lost three seniors — Laurann Schoenlein, Taylor Campbell and Smeltzer — who scored at sectional last season, and Slavik has to find the right pieces to fill their void.
He said that will rest on seniors Ashley Mark and Abby Saxman as well as sophomore Elizabeth McDowell.
“They have proved they are capable of stepping it up,” he said. “They kind of live in the shadows a little bit but have scored a bunch of points.
“All of them are improving tremendously. Jamie Valentine in the breaststroke, she has already been on a state team in the breaststroke and she could potentially be back there.”
While the Patriots lost three seniors, they only gained two freshmen in Kaitlyn Dow and Vivienne Kunkler.
“It is a great addition to the team,” Slavik said. “Kaitlyn has been swimming a long time. I told her flat out where she needs to be to be an impact swimmer and I thinks she’s up to it.
“When (Kunkler) walked on the pool deck I was like ‘I have the epitome of a swimmer’ with her length. I have a lot of hopes for her.”
Also competing for time in the pool are juniors Cassie Reno, Madi Brown and Abby Chapman and sophomores Alyssa Myers, Shanay Newton and Allyson Smith.
Heather Stinson returns as the leading Jay County diver, coming off a junior season during which she qualified for regional.
Junior Samantha Link and sophomores Lou Moser and Mackenzie Knisely round out the four-member diving team.
“We have four pretty solid divers,” Slavik said. “I would like to see two of (them) at regional. That is setting the bar higher than last year. I still think we’ve got a lot of potential.
“It’s going to be a fun season. I’m looking forward to it. I like the position we’re in and the girls are responding pretty well.”
They were the hunters.
Now they’re defending one, and they are the hunted.
And when the Jay County High School girls swim team dives into the pool Saturday at the Westfield Invitational, the goals will be the same as they were a year ago.
“We have set the bar higher,” said JCHS coach Matt Slavik. “As a team I think our goal is to do what we did last year. I?think we need to improve as a team. We have plenty of areas for improvement.
“We have (fewer) girls out this year, but I?think the girls we do have are extremely focused and driven, and I?think it’s only going to benefit us.”
Jay County’s success starts with a pair of sisters and their cousin.
The Bader sisters — Sophie, a senior, and Alex, a sophomore — and their cousin Anne Vormohr are perhaps the best trio to swim at Jay County at the same time.
They own all eight individual records. Vormohr is the fastest-ever Patriot in three events (100-yard backstroke, 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle), and is the only medalist in school history. She was fifth in the 100 backstroke in both her freshman and junior seasons.
Sophie Bader holds the school record in the 100 butterfly, 200 butterfly, 200 individual medley and 500 freestyle. In her first high school meet last season, Alex Bader set a new school record in the 100 breaststroke.
Vormohr, the Baders and 2015 graduate Katy Smeltzer — she now swims for University of the Cumberlands — are the record holders in all three relays.
After returning to the podium to finish a strong junior campaign, Vormohr set her sights on earning another state medal.
“It’s hard coming off last year because I don’t want to make the same mistake (as) sophomore year,” said Vormohr, who finished 11th and missed the podium that season. “That is always in the back of my head. I just need to look what I did last year and grow upon that and do more … doing that little extra that I won’t let anything like that happen.
“It’s just the little things like not breathing out of my turns and doing extra kicks. It sounds cliché but it’s true.”
While there certainly is pressure as to how well the Patriots will follow up their sectional title, Vormohr said she is relieved there is no stress as to where she will swim after she graduates. She and Bader signed a national letter of intent Wednesday to swim for Ball State University.
“Now I can just enjoy my senior year,” she said. “A lot of pressure has been taken off.”
Vormohr and the Baders were a driving force behind the Patriots’ sectional title last season, and with that kind of firepower returning the girls are hungry for another championship.
“They are on a mission,” said Slavik, whose squad last year had sectional champions in seven events and competed at state in eight total races. “I spoke highly of every team I’ve had the opportunity to be with and every year it has gotten better and better. We are continuing that trend. I?am extremely blessed to have this group of girls that we have.
“Every girl here knows they have a target on their back. That’s no secret.”
Jay County lost three seniors — Laurann Schoenlein, Taylor Campbell and Smeltzer — who scored at sectional last season, and Slavik has to find the right pieces to fill their void.
He said that will rest on seniors Ashley Mark and Abby Saxman as well as sophomore Elizabeth McDowell.
“They have proved they are capable of stepping it up,” he said. “They kind of live in the shadows a little bit but have scored a bunch of points.
“All of them are improving tremendously. Jamie Valentine in the breaststroke, she has already been on a state team in the breaststroke and she could potentially be back there.”
While the Patriots lost three seniors, they only gained two freshmen in Kaitlyn Dow and Vivienne Kunkler.
“It is a great addition to the team,” Slavik said. “Kaitlyn has been swimming a long time. I told her flat out where she needs to be to be an impact swimmer and I thinks she’s up to it.
“When (Kunkler) walked on the pool deck I was like ‘I have the epitome of a swimmer’ with her length. I have a lot of hopes for her.”
Also competing for time in the pool are juniors Cassie Reno, Madi Brown and Abby Chapman and sophomores Alyssa Myers, Shanay Newton and Allyson Smith.
Heather Stinson returns as the leading Jay County diver, coming off a junior season during which she qualified for regional.
Junior Samantha Link and sophomores Lou Moser and Mackenzie Knisely round out the four-member diving team.
“We have four pretty solid divers,” Slavik said. “I would like to see two of (them) at regional. That is setting the bar higher than last year. I still think we’ve got a lot of potential.
“It’s going to be a fun season. I’m looking forward to it. I like the position we’re in and the girls are responding pretty well.”
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