FR seeks to keep building

In 2016, Cori Stone became the first Indian swimmer to stand on the district podium.

Two years later, Cassy Martin became the program’s first individual to advance to the state finals.

The goal for the Fort Recovery High School swim team is to keep building on that success.

Stone was the breakthrough district swimmer for the Indians, thanks to her fifth-place finish in the 100-yard butterfly in her senior season at the district meet at Bowling Green State University.

She and Martin, then a freshman, were also part of a pair of top-11 relays.

Martin, who holds eight FRHS records, took the next step two years later when she qualified for the OHSAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championships and placed 23rd in the 50-yard freestyle race. Last season she moved up to 22nd in the same event.

“She’s going to be a tough one to replace, probably ever,” said Fort Recovery coach Mindy Bubp.

In order to keep building the program, Bubp will look to her junior class to stand alongside solo senior Rachel Acheson to lead the team this season.

The Indians’ strength is in the distance events led by juniors Ava Bubp and Shelby Stammen.

Bubp, Mindy’s daughter, is the top returning swimmer after posting a second-place finish in the 2019 Ayersville sectional meeting the 200 freestyle. She also went three-four with Stammen in the 500 freestyle.

And Stammen added a third-place finish in the 200 individual medley.

Mindy Bubp said she expects her daughter, who swam in the 2018 state finals as a freshman in the 400 freestyle relay with her sister Alexis, Sophie Timmerman and Martin, to return to the distance events while also possibly taking on the backstroke. Likewise, Stammen will return to her strength in the distance races and individual medley.

The only other returning swimmer who finished in the top eight at the sectional meet is Autumn Burk, who was sixth in the butterfly.

The junior class also includes Katie McIntosh, also a distance swimmer who was ninth in the sectional in the 200 freestyle last season and 10th in the 100 breaststroke, and two — Kyra Clark and Paige Fortkamp — who are back after sitting out their junior seasons.

Fortkamp, who is also playing basketball, was on the FRHS 200 medley and 200 freestyle relay teams as a freshman and placed 10th in the 50 freestyle at the sectional meet. Clark was 10th in the sectional in the breaststroke and 11th in the backstroke.

“I have a strong returning junior class,” said Mindy Bubp. “I’m going to be looking for them to step up and do well this year for us.”

“I think that’s what we will see because I have so many of these juniors … returning. I think you’ll see them really push themselves to do well this year. I think they know they don’t have that one swimmer anymore … but as a team if they all pull together they can do really well this year.”

Josh Gonzalez is the top returning swimmer on the boys roster of six athletes. The senior was ninth in the 100 freestyle at the 2019 sectional meet and 11th in the 50 freestyle.

While he’ll still sprint, he may have a more diversified portfolio of events this season.

“He oftentimes swims freestyle for us, but he may be doing a lot of different things as he’s going to be my most experienced swimmer,” said Bubp.

Also back to the team are junior Michael Braun, who looks to swim the backstroke and freestyle events, and sophomore Aiden Sheridan, who stuck with freestyle for most of last season as he battled a shoulder injury.

A new aspect for the Indians for the 2019-20 season is diving, an event they’ll field for the first time. Laura Hipple and Burk are planning to try their luck on the board, with possibly a few others joining them.

“We decided because our MAC meet (the Coldwater Invitational) offers diving now … it was time to try and see if we could offer it and if there was interest,” said Bubp, noting that there had not been previously. “This year we had several, so we thought this year would be the year to try it and see where it went.”

Fort Recovery is hoping the extra points diving can bring can help boost its score in the Coldwater Invitational — it is contested at Jay County — which is looked at as the de facto Midwest Athletic Conference Championships though the conference does not yet offer swimming.

Both Indian teams were fourth at the meet last season.

While it’ll be tough for the Indian boys to compete at large meets because of their slim numbers, Bubp thinks her 16-member girls squad can perform well against MAC competition.

“Girls-wise, we’ll have high goals as far as trying to place well in the Coldwater Invitational,” said Bubp. “I think because we have the depth in the junior class we will be competitive.”