Wawasee Feeling Good After Prelims
MIDDLEBURY — Thursday’s trip to Northridge will make Saturday’s much more enjoyable for the Wawasee swim team. The Warriors went into sectional prelims with high hopes of meeting their times and left very satisfied with 20 spots occupied in Saturday’s consoles and finals events.
“We had a lot of kids that set and made their goals today,” remarked Wawasee coach Julie Robinson. “The kids were focused on their times and we swam really well today.”
The Warriors qualified for the finals in six events with Brady Robinson, Jared Krugman and Logan Brugh each making it to two finals in their respective races.
Robinson swam a 2:00.89 in the 100 IM and a 55.66 in the 100 back. Those times qualified the sophomore second in both events. Krugman swam a 2:04.06 to qualify sixth in the 200 IM, the freshman also made the cut in the 100 breast with a 1:04.37, good enough for the eighth spot.
Brugh arguably has the toughest road cut out for him in both of his events. The senior qualified fifth in the 200 free with a 1:48.53 and punched a ticket to Saturday’s finals in the very competitive 500 free field with a time of 4:54.98.
Ethan Knepp was the other Warrior to qualify for a finals event on Saturday. Knepp impressed with a time of 50.59 in the 100 free to qualify sixth in the event.
“Ethan Knepp, oh my gosh,” Robinson said of her senior swimmer. “He swam great today. Both of his events were great but he was incredible in the 100 free.”
Knepp qualified for the consoles in the 50 free with a time of 23.58.
Robinson. Owen Donahoe, Jake Cowan and Chase Ritter made up Wawasee’s 200 medley relay team which qualified fourth with a time 1:50.73. The 200 free relay team of Ritter, Brett Willaman, Knepp and Brugh also qualified fourth with a time of 1:37.49. The 400 free relay team swam a 3:37.38 to qualify third. That team consisted of Brugh, Knepp, Krugman and Robinson.
Willaman made the consoles in the 200 free (1:59.30) and 100 free (53.80). Donahoe grabbed a consoles spot in the 500 free (5:28.68) and 100 breast (1:06.80). Jake Cowan qualified in the consoles of both the 100 fly (58.25) and 100 back (1:01.63).
Aaron Troutman missed the cut for the 500 free finals and will be the top seed in the consoles with a time of 5:14.91. Troutman will also be in the consoles of the 200 IM (2:21.06). Spencer Naugler got console spots for the 100 back (1:01.79) and 100 fly (59.13). Isaiah Metcalf made the consoles in the 200 free (1:55.92).
Northridge has the top seed in seven events, Concord has three and Elkhart Central has one.
Diving prelims begin at 9 a.m. Saturday morning at Northridge with diving and swimming finals starting a 1 p.m. NHS announced that there will be a choir competition taking place Saturday as well making for limited parking spaces. Shuttles will be running between the natatorium and middle school.