2018-19 State Finals Recap

February 9, 2019

Yorktown's Emily Weiss completes career sweep of 100 Breaststroke
Yorktown senior Emily Weiss completed a career sweep of the 100 breaststroke to highlight the 45th Annual IHSAA Girls Swimming & Diving State Finals at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis.

Weiss left little doubt finishing the event in 58.91, more than three seconds faster than her competition. It was just shy of her national record of 58.40 set during last year's championship heat, but was still the fourth-fastest performance in national high school history.

Carmel's girls team won the team competition for the 33rd consecutive year extending the longest string of high school state championships in the country in any sport or gender.

Carmel swept all three relays and won three individual crowns amassing 413 points. It was their 13th title under Chris Plumb, the state's coaching leader.

Senior Kelly Pash won four more blue ribbon medals to bring her career total to 12. She won both the 200 individual medley (1:58.54) and the 100 butterfly (52.89) and swam legs on the 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay.

Greyhound senior Kendra Bowen capped her high school career with her first championship winning the 200 freestyle in 1:47.67.

Franklin Community totaled 167.5 points as the runner-up, the school's best showing ever. Carroll (Fort Wayne) and Fishers tied for third place with 165 each and Northridge was fifth with 163.

Elsa Fretz of Northridge won the 50 freestyle in 22.88 and Homestead's Jackie Brenn bookended her career with another one meter diving title with 547.55 points. Brenn won the event as a freshman in 2016 and finished as the runner-up the last two years.

Three girls were crowned state champions for the first time in their respective schools' history.

Emma Wright of Hobart won the 100 freestyle in 49.95, Mary Catherine Pruitt of South Bend St. Joseph took the 500 freestyle in 4:49.52, and Mallory Jackson of Carroll (Fort Wayne) earned the 100 backstroke in 54.32.

Rachel Schiffli named Mental Attitude Award recipient
Senior Rachel Schiffli of Franklin Central High School was recognized following the state championship meet by the IHSAA Executive Committee as this year’s winner of the Mental Attitude Award.

Rachel finished seventh in the 50yd Freestyle and ninth in the 100yd Butterfly in this year’s state tournament. Schiffli is a three-time sectional champion while setting the sectional meet record in the 100yd Butterfly in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Rachel also played Volleyball (2015, 2016) and ran Cross Country (2017) for Franklin Central.

Outside of athletics, Rachel is a member of the National Honor Society (2018-2019) as well as holding a position on Student Council (2016-2017, 2017-2018) within Franklin Central. She also volunteers for numerous organizations outside of school, including the Servant’s Heart (2015-2019), Wheeler Mission (2015-2019), the Marion County Fair (2016-2018), the Nativity Catholic Church, the Franklin Township Community Park, and as an Indianapolis Zoo Teen (2016-2017).

Rachel was a member of the Academic All-American Team in 2018 and becomes the 10th student-athlete from her school to win an IHSAA mental attitude award and first since 2000 (Aaron Fisher, boys cross country).

She is the daughter of Gregory and Kristen Schiffli of Indianapolis, and Rachel will attend the University of Akron to study Business in the fall.

Each year the IHSAA Executive Committee selects a senior who was nominated by her principal and coach and was determined to have best demonstrated mental attitude, scholarship, leadership and athletic ability. The Committee presented $1,000 to Franklin Central High School's general scholarship fund in the name of Rachel Schiffli.

The 45th Annual IHSAA Girls Swimming & Diving State Finals
Indiana University Natatorium, IUPUI, Indianapolis
February 8-9, 2019

State Champions
200 Medley Relay: Carmel (Madelyn Christman 10, Kelly Pash 12, Meredith Berglund 11, Colleen Duffy 10) 1:41.39
200 Freestyle: Kendra Bowen (12) Carmel 1:47.67
200 Individual Medley: Kelly Pash (12) Carmel 1:58.54
50 Freestyle: Elsa Fretz (10) Northridge 22.88
One Meter Diving: Jackie Brenn (12) Homestead 547.55
100 Butterfly: Kelly Pash (12) Carmel 52.89
100 Freestyle: Emma Wright (10) Hobart 49.95
500 Freestyle: Mary Catherine Pruitt (10) South Bend St. Joseph 4:49.42
200 Freestyle Relay: Carmel (Colleen Duffy 10, Avery Williams 11, Gretchen Lueking 9, Kendra Bowen 12) 1:33.17
100 Backstroke: Mallory Jackson (11) Carroll (Fort Wayne) 54.32
100 Breaststroke: Emily Weiss (12) Yorktown 58.91
400 Freestyle Relay: Carmel (Kelly Pash 12, Gretchen Lueking 9, Madelyn Christman 10, Ashlyn Underhill 12) 3:20.82

State Records During Saturday's Championship Finals
None

State Records During Friday's Preliminaries
None