The News and Tribune

By KEVIN HARRIS
Kevin.Harris@newsandtribune.com

Four area boys’ swimmers and one relay team will try to end a long five-year dry spell this weekend at the IHSAA State Finals at the Indiana University Natatorium in Indianapolis.

No local individual or relay squad has reached the second day of the state meet since former Jeffersonville standouts Ben Hesen and Reed Martin and the Red Devils’ 200 medley relay team did it in 2004. In that meet, Hesen won two state championships — the 100-yard backstroke and the 100 butterfly.

Floyd Central sophomore Drew Cato and Jeff freshman Zach Blankenbeker are the top two candidates to break that drought.

Both swimmers will compete in the 200 freestyle preliminaries on Friday, with Blankenbeker seeded fifth and Cato 15th. Blankenbeker won last Saturday’s sectional championship in a time of 1:42.37, while Cato qualified for state by swimming the state-cut time (1:44.08) to place second.

Cato’s sectional victory in the 100 backstroke earned him the sixth seed in the state prelims. Blankenbeker is seeded 17th in the 500 freestyle, where he picked up his second sectional crown last weekend.

The top 16 in Friday’s preliminaries will advance to Saturday’s finals, which would guarantee a team at least one point in the final standings.

Following the sectional, Floyd head coach Joe Perkins anticipated that Cato would be seeded high at state in the 100 back. Cato’s sectional-winning time of 52.70 seconds broke his own pool and meet records after battling a high fever late last week. It also was 1.78 seconds faster than the state-cut time.

“For him to be able to go 52 and swim a state cut, he’s going to be seeded very well going into Friday night,” Perkins said. “We’ve been shooting for top eight all year in the 100 back, so hopefully he’ll be able to pull that off. Hopefully with four days of rest and if he gets healthy, he’ll be a bear on Friday night up there for us.”

Jeff head coach Keith Gast thinks Blankenbeker can advance to both the 200 and 500 freestyle finals on Saturday. Plus the Red Devil mentor believes the freshman can go faster in the 500 free than he did at sectional. Blankenbeker’s sectional time of 4:46.80 set the school, pool and meet records.

“It sounds scary, but I think he’s got more in him in the 500 free than what he showed (at sectional). I mean, he didn’t have anybody within 30 seconds of him,” Gast said after last Saturday’s sectional. “It’s been awhile since we’ve scored somebody at the state meet. I feel confident that Zach will go up there and score in those (two events).”

Cato also will try to help Floyd’s 200 freestyle relay team get into the finals. Cato and his teammates — Sam Schreier, Nick Wolfe and Brock Slavens — set both the pool and meet records in winning sectional last week in 1:30.04.

Perkins thinks the squad has a shot of advancing to the final, especially if Schreier, Wolfe and Slavens continue to lower their times. The Highlanders are seeded 26th.

“Those three guys can possibly get faster between now and then, and with Drew fully rested and wearing a fast suit, they could drop more time,” Perkins said.

Freshman Austin Smith is the only other Jeff swimmer to compete at state. Smith qualified for state by taking first in the 200 individual medley at sectional, prevailing in 2:08.46.

Gast says state will be a learning experience for Smith. The rookie’s sectional time is the slowest among the state competitors, and it will take a challenge for him to reach the finals as the 32nd seed.

“He’s not going to make it back to Saturday, but he’s going to get some experience up there,” the Jeff coach said.

New Albany will have one representative at state. Senior Zacharia Litzelswope is the 28th seed in the 100 butterfly. He won the event at sectional last week in 54.82 seconds.



HENDERSON FALLS SHORT OF STATE

Providence diver Holden Henderson will have to wait another year in attempting to reach his first state finals.

The junior placed ninth at Tuesday’s Bloomington North Regional, scoring 349.1 points. Henderson needed to finish in the top eight to earn his ticket to Indy. He was three points behind eighth-place Tyler Offutt of Evansville Reitz.

Floyd Central junior Brandon Davis finished 10th with a score of 301.55.



IHSAA STATE FINALS

• DATES: Friday and Saturday

• TIMES: Friday’s preliminaries — 6 p.m.; Saturday’s diving prelims and semifinals — 9 a.m.; Saturday’s finals — 1 p.m.

• PLACE: Indiana University Natatorium, Indianapolis

• SEEDS FOR LOCAL SWIMMERS: 200 freestyle — 5. Zach Blankenbeker, Jeffersonville; 15. Drew Cato, Floyd Central; 200 individual medley — 32. Austin Smith, Jeff; 100 butterfly — 28. Zacharia Litzelswope, New Albany; 500 free — 17. Blankenbeker; 200 free relay — 26. Floyd Central (Nick Wolfe, Brock Slavens, Sam Schreier, Cato); 100 backstroke — 6. Cato.