PENDLETON — McKenna Jule will represent Pendleton Heights at next week’s state swim meet after she placed fourth in the 100-yard freestyle at the Fishers sectional on Saturday, Feb. 4.
She matched the school record, 52.68, she set in last year’s sectional race. Jule is the first Arabian swimmer to advance to the state meet in six years. She also placed sixth in the finals of the 50 freestyle.
As a team, the Arabians finished third behind powerhouses Fishers and Hamilton Southeastern. The finish is their best since 2009.
Coach Jeff Maydak had mixed feelings about Saturday’s events.
“From the standpoint of our finish, I’m really happy,” Maydak said. “We set some lofty goals this year, but didn’t quite get what we wanted.”
One of those goals was to advance more swimmers to state, but he said he knew it wouldn’t be easy.
“We are in the toughest sectional in the state,” Maydak said. “We had the fastest sectional of the 20.”
In fact, by times alone, more than a few Arabians were faster than swimmers in other sectionals who did qualify for state.
The 400 freestyle relay team of Jule, Sarah Dudley, Abbey DeFouw and Madison Brand just missed the cutoff. The state meet allows 32 teams and they were No. 34.
Brand broke her own school record in the 200 individual medley. She finished in seventh place with a time of 2:09.58. Brand also swam the finals of the 500 freestyle, where she finished fifth.
Emma Robison also made the finals in the 100 butterfly, finishing in eighth. She took ninth in the 200 IM.
Sophie Fonacier placed seventh in the diving finals. She upped her conference score by 30 points with 335.85. Maddie Cougill, who sat out part of the season due to injury, finished ninth, and Elayna Sisson was 12th.
“It was really good to see her dive and show her talent.” Maydak said of Cougill. “Diving points were ultimately critical in beating Yorktown.”
The depth of the Arabian swimmers was an important part of the great showing for the team. Several advanced to the finals.
DeFouw placed ninth in the 200 freestyle, swimming her personal best. She also earned 11th in the 50 freestyle. Dudley finished 10th in the 200 freestyle and 11th in the 100.
Morgan Milner placed 13th in the 200 freestyle with a personal best, and Karly Riffey placed 10th in both the 50 and 100 freestyle.
Jyeisha Mallory was 10th in the 100 breaststroke and 11th in the 100 butterfly. Cassidy Benbow earned a 12th in the 100 butterfly and 13th in the 100 breaststroke.
Maggie Miller earned a ninth in the 500 freestyle and 16th in the 100 backstroke. Hannah Owen swam a personal best, finishing 11th in the 500 freestyle.
Mackenzie Kemper placed 14th in the 100 breaststroke, and Ryan Knight took 15th.
Kristen Amrine finished 15th in the 100 backstroke.
The medley relay team of Benbow, Mallory, Robison and Riffey was fifth, and the 200 freestyle relay team of Jule, Dudley, DeFouw and Brand finished fifth.
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LAPEL — Lapel High School’s Keara Shelton made the one-meter diving finals at the Fishers sectional Saturday, Feb. 4
Shelton finished in sixth-place with a 393.80, earning 13 points as the lone Lapel competitor.
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