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Small, talented SHS girls swim team chasing sectional titles, state finals berths

Coen Weiler’s Shelbyville swim program will be numerically challenged this season. With just nine athletes in the girls’ program and 10 in the boys’ program, Weiler must be detail-oriented when creating lineups for meets this season.

The Golden Bears girls program debuts Tuesday at Lawrence Central in a three-team meet that includes New Palestine.

Weiler is not surprised by the low numbers, the girls program added just one freshman this season, but is confident the talent will shine when used correctly.

“I think we’ve had quite a few kids that with our third school year affected by COVID-19 and a second full season, they are exhausted and tired and we’ve lost a few along the way,” said Weiler. “I hope they straggle back eventually.

“We are in a little bit of a drop with the team but we have a really strong group at the middle school coming up, so that’s a bright spot for us.”

Shelbyville returns three swimmers that qualified for the 2021 State Finals in the 200-yard freestyle relay. In addition, senior Karissa Hamilton returns as a state qualifier in the 50 freestyle.

“These first three weeks have been interesting because we’ve been able to do more individualized practices … very specific things that we may not usually get to as much,” said Weiler.

Hamilton, fellow senior Marlee Rice and sophomore Miriam Garringer won the 200 freestyle relay sectional title in 2021 with Addisenn Weaver, who is now at Valparaiso playing college softball. Weiler expects to build meet lineups around that returning trio to create success up and down the meet schedule.

Sophomore Jordan Tobler, who battled Weaver last season for that fourth relay spot, moves into that coveted position.

“She will step right in to that role and improve that relay even more,” said Weiler.

Tobler also will be Shelbyville’s top swimmer in the 100 butterfly.

Rice was the 200 freestyle sectional champion in 2020 but finished runner-up last season which has provided offseason motivation for the senior.

“I am excited to see what she can do,” said Weiler. “I think she has a little bit of a fire in her right now after not being able to repeat as sectional champion from her sophomore to junior year. She has a little bit of a bad taste in her mouth and wants to prove herself and wants to start the year off really strong.”

Weiler plans to “turn her loose” Tuesday in the 200 freestyle to set the baseline of just how ready she is to return to the top spot of the sectional podium.

 

 

Garringer has already set a fast standard in practice and Weiler believes she will make Hamilton and Rice faster because of her growing presence in the pool.

“I think she is getting that confidence and getting things figured out,” said Weiler. “I think it will be huge to see her in those 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle and 200 freestyle (races) and figure out what she is swimming this year.”

Alexis Dwiggins, a junior, is another versatile swimmer gaining confidence and should have a strong season swimming breaststroke.

“Last year, she really grew into the sport,” said Weiler. “This year you can really tell team-wise she is into being with the girls and stepping into her leadership role as a junior, she is more confident in the water and with the team.”

Sophomore Isabella Matney was limited her freshman year to practices only and Weiler thinks she is ready to have a breakthrough season.

Madison Monroe, another junior, continues the theme of versatile swimmers on the roster for the Golden Bears.

“We struggled last year to find what event she really wanted to swim,” explained Weiler. “We can throw her in anything we need to but we haven’t found the event for her. It speaks to her ability as a swimmer and overall confidence that she is typically willing to swim every event. As she gets more comfortable and confident in herself and what she likes, she will establish herself and an event she wants to go after.”

Kylie Stader is the only freshman to join the program this season.

“She is one when she figures out how to use her height and her length, it’s really going to take off,” said Weiler. “I’ve seen it the first two weeks of high school practice. She is getting more and more comfortable with it, being longer, getting stronger and growing into her body. By the end of the season, she will be a huge impact on this team in whatever events we stick her in.”

And then there is Hamilton, who signed her National Letter of Intent last week to play college softball at the University of Kentucky.

“I think she could switch right over to the swim team at Kentucky,” said Weiler when asked how good she could be if swimming was her top priority.

Hamilton is a two-time state qualifier and holds the 50 freestyle record at the middle school as well as three high school individual records and is part of three record-setting relay teams.

“What she has done has been extremely impressive,” said Weiler. “When it’s your second tier sport and you are still qualifying as an individual for (the state meet), it really speaks to her athletic ability overall. Not every athlete can hop in and dominate in the pool like she does. It speaks to her ability to dedicate, be in the zone and be focused on the things she is doing at the time.”

Hamilton swam the 50 free in 24.71 seconds to win the New Palestine Sectional and lowered her time to 24.56 in the preliminary heats at the state finals. Still, she wants more.

“I want to do better … there is always room to improve,” said Hamilton. “I want to make the state in the 50 freestyle again. I am hoping to make it in the 100 backstroke. And I hope to break my 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke record.”

Maiah Helfer-Vazquez returns to the diving board for her junior season. As a sophomore, she finished fourth in the sectional and 14th at the Brownsburg Regional.

“The goal is to repeat as a regional qualifier and keep improving her school record and, maybe, move up in the regional a little bit and get closer to that state qualifying (position) so she can really go after it her senior year.”

Shelbyville’s first home meet of the season is Thursday against Indian Creek.

The first full meet with boys and girls is Nov. 23 at Whiteland.

The Shelby Relays is scheduled for Dec. 11. The Hoosier Heritage Conference Meet at New Palestine is Dec. 18.

The New Palestine Sectional championship races are Feb. 5.

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