Phone: 317-846-6601
Fax: 317-575-4244 Website:
www.ihsaa.org
Blake Ress, Commissioner
____________________________________________________________________
February 28, 2004
CARMEL
BOYS WIN FOURTH STRAIGHT SWIMMING TITLE
The Carmel
Boys Swimming & Diving Team fell short of setting the scoring record for
the third consecutive year, but still managed to easily outdistance the competition
for its fourth straight state championship during the 67th Annual
IHSAA State Finals in Indianapolis.
The
Greyhounds, coached by first year leader Tom Burchill,
had three individual state champions and won all three relays for a total of
352 points. The team put an exclamation point on its day setting the meet
record in the final event, the 400 Freestyle Relay in a winning time of
3:03.43. It was the second championship for Burchill
in two weeks after leading the girls team to its 18th
straight title. Carmel scored 369 points in this meet a year ago.
Homestead
finished as this year’s runner-up, its highest finish ever, with 206 points, Northridge
finished third with 145, North Central of Indianapolis was fourth with 144 and
Penn rounded out the top five with 126.
Carmel’s
Grant Wieczorek led off the
Greyhounds’ 200 Medley Relay team which won the opening event for the third
consecutive year in a time of 1:33.40. It would be the first win of a
championship-filled day for he and his teammates.
Wieczorek
came right back in the next event and impressively defended his state title
from a year ago in the 200 Freestyle in a time of 1:38.93. Wieczorek
separated himself from the other swimmers almost immediately and touched the
wall over two seconds quicker than the next competitor. He also would go on to win
the 100 Freestyle and was part of that record-setting 400 Freestyle Relay team.
With his four medals on the day, he ends his prep career with 11 total for
second place on the all-time list just behind Jason Lancaster, another
Greyhound, who collected 12 from 1991-94. Junior teammate Sebastian Cousins
accounted for the team’s other victory winning the 500 Freestyle in 4:36.02.
Besides the
400 Freestyle Relay, two other state meet records fell as Yorktown senior Eric
Mattingly won the 50 Freestyle in a time of :20.40. His effort bested the
previous mark of :20.46 set four years ago by Bremen’s
Michael Stoller. The other was set by Benedict Hesen of Jeffersonville whose :49.12
in the 100 Backstroke lowered the mark of :49.42 set by Castle’s Bryce Hunt in
2000. It was Hesen’s third consecutive state
championship in the event and second of the day. He earlier won the blue ribbon
medal in the 100 Butterfly in :49.36.
Elwood
diver Caleb Dunnichay accumulated 495.75 points to
best the one meter springboard field and become the first athlete from his
school to win a first place medal at this meet.
South Bend
Riley’s Andrew Wray won the 100 Breaststroke in a time of
:57.48. Wray had the state’s second best time in the event at sectionals
but finished eighth in Friday’s preliminaries and ended up winning the state
championship from the unlikely eighth lane.
Freshman
Michael Christy of North Central of Indianapolis offered a glimpse of the
future winning the 200 Individual Medley in 1:50.69
giving the Panthers the event’s champ for the second time in three years. Alex
Dawson won the race in 2002 representing North Central.
Top 10 Teams
1. Carmel 352
2. Homestead 206
3. Northridge 145
4. North Central (Indianapolis) 144
5. Penn 126
6. Center Grove 125
7. Yorktown 109
8. Chesterton 95
9. Hamilton Southeastern 93
10. Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran 86
State Champions
200 Medley Relay – Carmel (Grant Wieczorek, Eric Johnson, Chip
Bartels, Jason Cousins) 1:33.40.
200 Freestyle – Grant Wieczorek, Carmel, 1:38.93.
200 Individual Medley – Michael Christy, North Central (Indpls.)
1:50.69.
50 Freestyle –
Eric Mattingly, Yorktown, :20.40, State Meet Record.
One Meter Diving – Caleb Dunnichay, Elwood, 495.75 points.
100 Butterfly – Benedict Hesen, Jeffersonville, :49.36.
100 Freestyle – Grant Wieczorek, Carmel, :45.22.
500 Freestyle – Sebastian Cousins, Carmel, 4:36.02.
200 Freestyle Relay – Carmel (Jason Cousins, Fiete Stegger, Sebastian Cousins, Chris Belcher) 1:24.92.
100 Backstroke – Benedict Hesen, Jeffersonville, :49.12, State Meet
Record.
100 Breaststroke – Andrew Wray, South Bend Riley, :57.48.
400 Freestyle Relay – Carmel (Chip Bartels, Grant Wieczorek,
Fiete Stegger, Chris
Belcher) 3:03.43, State Meet Record.
Plainfield’s Adam Effinger Named Herman F. Keller Mental Attitude Award
Winner
Adam Effinger of Plainfield High School was announced as the
winner of this year’s Herman F. Keller Mental Attitude Award in Boys Swimming
& Diving by the IHSAA’s Executive Committee.
The award,
named in honor of the former IHSAA Assistant Commissioner who served from
1961-73, is presented annually to an outstanding senior participant who
displays mental attitude, scholarship, leadership and athletic ability and was
nominated by his principal and coach.
Effinger
placed seventh in the 100 Butterfly and 16th in the 200 Individual Medley and anchored the Quakers’ seventh place 200 Freestyle
Relay team at this year’s state meet.
Academically,
Effinger ranks in the top 40 of his senior class with
a 3.7 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society. Among his school
activities are the Key Club and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He is
also involved in the Boy Scouts of America and is an Eagle Scout.
He is the
son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Effinger of Plainfield.
Farm Bureau
Insurance, the IHSAA’s proud corporate partner,
presented Plainfield High School with a $1,000 scholarship in the name of Adam Effinger that goes to the school’s general scholarship
fund.
New IHSAA Book, Play
On, Recaps 100 Years Of High School Sports in
The
exciting new book, Play On, celebrating 100 years of
high school sports in
Team Posters And Individual Action Photographs Available
Visit 20-20 Photographic, the IHSAA’s photographer and the
For
t-shirts and other merchandise commemorating this year’s tournament or for any
of our events, visit our friends at Morris, Inc.
State Finals Programs
Available
Couldn’t be
there for the state championship meet? To commemorate the event, you can still
purchase a copy of the official state finals program while supplies last!
Programs are $3.00 if you purchase in person at the IHSAA Office (