Wawasee’s Paige Miller is seeded in the top 10 in both the 200 and 500 freestyles at the IHSAA Girls Swimming State Finals this weekend in Indianapolis. (Photo by Mike Deak)

INDIANAPOLIS – The final stop of the girls swim season is coming this weekend. The IHSAA Girls Swimming State Finals are here and while it’s likely Carmel or bust on most minds, the bright lights of the big stage is enough of an appetizer for a handful of local hopefuls.

To ignore Carmel at the finals would be like ignoring slot machines in a Las Vegas resort. The Greyhounds have won 29 straight team titles, tying Punahou High School’s (Honolulu) boys swim and dive program for the longest team title streak in United States history. A win this year would put the Carmel program in uncharted territory, and the Greyhounds certainly have positioned themselves aggressively after sweeping the sectional once again. Carmel went 1-2-3 in all eight individual events and took all three relays, all of which are swimming prelims Friday night.

Northridge’s Katie Hughes is also a high seed in the 200 and 500 freestyles. (Photo by Mike Deak)

Locally, there are a trio of swimmers that have posted some of the state’s top times heading into action this weekend at IUPUI’s Natatorium.

Warsaw’s Brenna Morgan carried on the tradition of a double win at the sectional, taking the 50 and 100 freestyle titles for the third year in a row. But instead of having to claw her way to a Saturday swim, Morgan will enter the prelims as the overall three-seed in the 50 (23.55) as well as the three-seed in the 100 (50.80). Morgan likely will also be a part of the Warsaw medley and 200 free relay teams, both late-20 seeds.

Morgan, already the school record holder in both freestyles, finished 12th in the 50 and 17th in the 100 a season ago.

Warsaw’s Delaney Wihebrink will enter her first state finals with a pair of Friday night swims on tap following sectional championships in the individual medley (2:13.99) and backstroke (59.95). Wihebrink is seeded 30th and 27th, respectively, in both. Teammate Laurel Moeller is seeded 32nd in the 200 free at 2:05.08.

“There are no slow people at state,” began Warsaw head coach Tony DeBrota. “Even the people that make don’t make finals are still fast. You’re the fastest people at your sectional. The biggest thing is you have to go in there knowing that this is not playtime anymore. You have to show everything you’ve got. Sectionals is one thing, where you gotta give everything. State is an entirely different level. Now you’ve got to find that extra energy, that extra drive.”

Warsaw’s Delaney Wihebrink qualified for state in both the individual medley and backstroke. (Photo by Nick Goralczyk)

Wawasee’s Paige Miller is also bringing in a pair of top-ten seeds, swimming the fifth-fastest 500 free last Saturday (4:57.27) and is ninth in the 200 free (1:51.81). Miller set the school record in the 500 at the Concord Sectional in a showdown with Northridge’s Katie Hughes, who won the event with her time of 4:56.87, who comes into the weekend third. Hughes is also the seven-seed in the 200 free (1:51.31).

“Being there so many times before, I’m really just focused on my times at this point,” Miller said following the sectional. “You just want to go best time, and if I don’t, then I’m more disappointed. I just need to find a way to go faster. I feel pretty good with what I was able to do in both the two and the five, so I hope I can keep it going.”

Northridge could take aim at a top-ten team finish with plenty of swimmers working Friday. The Raiders have eight individuals, including another three-seed in Lauren Miller in the backstroke (55.95), plus all three relays sitting in top-ten seeds.

Concord has its medley and 400 free relays active as well as Maddisen Lantz swimming two events. Elkhart Central’s Sydney Dygert qualified in two events, Rochester has its 400 relay as well as a pair of individuals and Culver Academy qualified a flier.

Northridge’s trio of Rylee Dahlman, Mary Grossman and Sara Troyer, as well as Concord’s Lauren Boone, all qualified for state after Tuesday Mishawaka Diving Regional. Dahlman won the regional with a 462.45, just .25 ahead of Grossman and 2.4 clear of Troyer as the top three at Mishawaka. Boone finished fifth.

Preliminaries begin at 6 p.m. Friday at the Natatorium, with the top 16 girls in each event qualifying for the consolation and championship finals Saturday, which begin at 1 p.m. Diving prelims will begin Saturday morning and conclude during the championship finals later in the day.