Top-ranked Carmel, which enters the meet with all three of its relays as the top seed, seeks to ends Columbus North’s three-year reign in the 64^th Indiana High School Athletic Association Boys Swimming and Diving State Finals Friday and Saturday (Feb. 23-24) at the Indiana University Natatorium in Indianapolis.

Carmel has won seven IHSAA titles, but the last championship came in 1998. The Greyhounds won six of nine individual titles and all three relays last week to capture the Carmel Sectional title by a 401-283 margin over second-ranked North Central of Indianapolis.

In the most recent coaches association poll, Carmel and North Central were followed by Chesterton, Fort Wayne Concordia and Plainfield. The remaining members of the top 10 in order were Hamilton Southeastern, Delta, Penn, Columbus North and Crawfordsville.

Individually, the state meet will feature four swimmers who combined to win five titles in 2000. Three of them posted the top qualifying time in last week’s sectional competition.

Leading the way is senior Matt McDonald of Hamilton Southeastern, who broke the state meet standard in the 100 butterfly last year with a clocking of 48.06. He returns as the top seed with a 49.37 effort last week in the butterfly. He’s also the No. 1 seed in the 100 backstroke at 51.52.

Also seeking a repeat is senior freestyler Michael Stoller of Bremen. His 20.46 effort in the 50 freestyle finals last year wiped out the oldest (14 years) mark in the state meet record book. Stoller comes in as the top seed after turning a 21.20 last week. Stoller also is the defending state champion in the 100 freestyle where he is the fifth seed.

Junior Brian Hartley of North Central (Indianapolis) seeks to repeat in the 500 freestyle after posting a winning time of 4:28.91 in 2000. His 4:32.45 was the top sectional time last week.

Junior Andrew Albright of Carmel is the defending state champion in the 100 breaststroke and is seeded fourth. Albright won in 58.23 in 2000. Carmel’s only top-seeded individual is freshman Grant Wieczorek in the 200 freestyle (1:40.35).

Senior Ryan Wochomurka of Columbus North is the top seed in the 200 individual medley (1:53.92) and the 100 freestyle (45.38). Wochomurka was the 2000 state champion in the 200 freestyle but is not entered in that event.

Admission: $6 for one session; $8 for all sessions.

Credentials: The 2000-01 IHSAA State Finals Media Pass issued previously will be accepted for admittance.

Late Credentials Requests: FAX requests on company letterhead to Jim Russell at 317-575-4244. Approved requests will be held at the Will Call table on the concourse level of the I.U. Natatorium.

*Indicates defending champion

Four wrestlers who won individual state championships last week and two others who finished as state runners-up will lead their teams into the Sixth Annual IHSAA Team Wrestling State Finals Saturday (Feb. 24) at Center Grove High School in Greenwood.

Top-ranked Evansville Mater Dei goes in with the favorite’s tag once again as the six-time defending state champion. The Wildcats have won every title since the team wrestling tournament series was created in 1996. They also were the state champions in 1995 under the previous format that crowned team champions on the basis of points accumulated in the individual tournament.

Sophomore Craig Weinzapfel (112), freshman Blake Maurer (130) and senior Allen Weinzapfel (160) of Evansville Mater Dei won their first individual state championships last week, while sophomore Craig Macke (103) was a state runner-up.

Fifth-ranked Franklin (29-3) will challenge Evansville Mater Dei (18-0) in one of four first-round pairings. Like Evansville Mater Dei, Franklin has been in the field for each of the six team wrestling state finals. Their battle will begin with a rematch of the 103-pound state championship bout as Franklin’s undefeated senior Aaron Clark takes on Macke. Clark scored a 4-3 decision last week for his first state title.

In another first-round showdown, No. 2-ranked Lawrence North (28-0) takes on No. 3-ranked Bellmont (27-1). Lawrence North’s lineup includes state runners-up in seniors Tom Schneider (135) and Tony Talley (215). The Bellmont-Lawrence North victor will meet the Franklin-Evansville Mater Dei survivor in the semifinals.

The other bracket has No. 4-ranked Portage (31-1) against first-time state finalist Southmont (17-4). The Mounties were not ranked in the final regular-season poll conducted by the coaches association. The other first-round match pairs Yorktown (22-2), that shared the No. 5 ranking with Franklin, against No. 16-ranked Mishawaka (22-4).

Complete dual-meet team season scores for each of the eight state finalists, along with individual records, are available on the IHSAA website at:

Quarterfinals – 10 am.

Semifinals – Noon (approximate)

Championship – 2:30 p.m. (approximate)

Center Grove High School, Greenwood

Admission: $7

Credentials: The 2000-01 IHSAA State Finals Media Pass issued previously will be accepted for admittance.

Late Credentials Requests: FAX requests on company letterhead to Jim Russell at 317-575-4244. Approved requests will be held in media will call at the Will Call table at Center Grove High School.

10 a.m.

Portage (31-1) vs. Southmont (17-4).

Yorktown (22-2) vs. Mishawaka (22-4).

Franklin (29-3) vs. Evansville Mater Dei (18-0).

Bellmont (27-1) vs. Lawrence North (28-0).

30 minutes following the conclusion of the quarterfinals at approximately 12 p.m.

Winner of Match 1 vs. Winner of Match 2.

Winner of Match 3 vs. Winner of Match 4.

30 minutes following the conclusion of the semifinals at approximately 2:30 p.m.

A complete list of the state’s top scorers is available at:

Shanna Zolman, Wawasee vs. NorthWood, Feb. 17.

Sara Riedeman, Greensburg vs. Madison, Feb. 16.

Angie Rogers, Castle vs. Evansville North, Feb. 16.

Kate Endress, Evansville Memorial vs. Evansville Mater Dei, Feb. 17.

Erica Martin, Kouts vs. Michigan City Marquette, Feb. 17.

Jacqueline Batteast, South Bend Washington vs. Portage, Feb. 16.

Amber Calhoun, Evansville Bosse vs. Mount Vernon, Feb. 13.

Katie Gearlds, Beech Grove vs. Indianapolis Cathedral, Feb. 13.

Hilary O’Connell, Warsaw vs. Elkhart Central, Feb. 13.

Chastity Zellers, Glenn vs. Bremen, Feb. 17.

Jenny DeMuth, Highland vs. Gary Roosevelt, Feb. 13.

Andrea Engleking, Eastern Hancock vs. Triton Central, Feb. 17.

Leslie Tyburski, Hammond Gavit vs. Hammond Clark, Feb. 13.

Jacqueline Batteast, South Bend Washington vs. LaPorte, Feb. 17.

Jenny DeMuth, Highland vs. Gary West Side, Feb. 17.

Karen Gibson, Gary Mann vs. Gary Wirt, Feb. 13.

Autumn Walker, Southwestern (Hanvoer) vs. Pekin (Eastern), Feb. 13.

Erin Moran, Roncalli vs. Mt. Vernon (Fortville), Feb. 16.

Julie Shirley, Lafayette Jefferson vs. Avon, Feb. 13.

With two weeks remaining in the regular season, the state scoring race has become a two-man battle between Bellmont junior Seth Colclasure and South Bend LaSalle senior Brandon McKnight.

Colclasure has led the race for several weeks and currently sports a 29.25 average in 16 games after going for a season-high 43 points last week against Harding. McKnight has come on strong down the stretch and has bumped his average to 29.23 in 17 games.

Bellmont (13-3) has four games remaining, starting with a home game tonight with Fort Wayne Dwenger. South Bend LaSalle (10-8) has two games remaining.

Senior Minuyard Wheeler of Gary Wirt scored a state season-high 52 points Feb. 13 as the Troopers defeated visiting Chicago Hyde Park 114-109 in three overtimes.

Wheeler’s effort is believed to be a school record. The previous state high this season was a 50-point blast by Evan Seacat of Paoli against Springs Valley on Dec. 27.

A complete list of the state’s top scorers is available at:

The state finals site for the 2001 IHSAA Boys and Girls Cross Country Tournament series and a format change were approved by the IHSAA Executive Committee at its Feb. 16 meeting.

As it has since 1997, the IHSAA Boys and Girls Cross Country State Finals will be run on the Indiana University course in Bloomington. The date for the 2001 state finals will be Oct. 27. The state finals date is a week earlier than in 2000 and previous years.

The change allows the meet to continue to be conducted on the Indiana University course. With a state finals date of Nov. 3, there were would have been a conflict with an Indiana University football game.

The Executive Committee supported the recommendation of the IHSAA staff to change the cross country tournament date and to restructure the series into a four-level, three-week format.

The 2001 sectionals will be conducted on Tuesday, Oct. 9 instead of Saturday, Oct. 13. The regional date will be Oct. 13, followed by the four semi-states on Oct. 20. The number of teams advancing from each level will remain the same. Twenty teams in each gender compete in the state meet.

"After weighing the options of finding an alternative course on Nov. 3 or moving the state finals date, the staff recommendation to the Executive Committee was to stay at Bloomington," said IHSAA Commissioner Blake Ress. "The sentiment of the input received from the coaches association was to keep the state finals in Bloomington even if the tournament format had to be changed.

"With the growth in our state finals crowd during the last several years, very few courses can handle this event. The I.U. course gives us the best venue for both the competition and the spectators. And we have excellent support from the university staff members who help conduct the meet."

Paid attendance at the 2000 state finals was 5,817. That compares to 3,700 for the 1993 state finals, the last to be conducted at South Grove Golf Course in Indianapolis after a 49-year run. The meet was at Southeastway Park in Indianapolis in 1994 and 1995, and at Conner Prairie in Fishers in 1996.

Shyra Ely of Ben Davis and Shanna Zolman of Wawasee are among the 10 national finalists for the 2001 Naismith Female Prep Player of the Year Award. The award will be presented April 7 at the annual Naismith Awards banquet in Atlanta.

Huntington North will honor five coaches with induction into its Viking Hall of Fame Friday (Feb. 23) in halftime ceremonies of the boys basketball game with East Chicago Central. The coaches will be the first group of non-athletes to be inducted. The honorees are Bob Straight (boys basketball), Jerry Young (football), Marvin Tudor (boys basketball), Jim Hittler (wrestling) and Don Sherman (baseball).

Jenny Mayes, a senior at Speedway, finished as the school leader in season rebounds (228 as a junior), career rebounds (618), season field goal percentage (56 percent) and career field goal percentage (53 percent). She also is the valedictorian of her class.

Laura McClintic, a freshman at Cannelton, broke the school record for points (415), rebounds (239) and free throw percentage (68-88, .772) in a season. Teammate Brandi Glenn, a senior guard, broke her own season mark for assists with 114.

Hattie Schnacke, a junior at Castle, broke the school record for rebounds in a game when she grabbed 21 as the Knights defeated Evansville North on Feb. 16 in the Castle Sectional semifinals.

Sara Riedeman, a senior at Greensburg, broke the school’s single-game scoring record Feb. 16 when she scored 44 points with eight three-pointers as the Pirates defeated Madison 87-60 in the Greensburg Sectional semifinals. The previous record was 42 by Misty Caswell in 1994. Riedeman has signed a basketball letter of intent with Western Kentucky.

Angie Rogers, a senior at Castle, broke the school and sectional single-game records with 39 points as the Knights defeated Evansville North 70-51 in the Castle Sectional semifinals on Feb. 16. Rogers has signed a basketball letter of intent with Florida Atlantic.

Feb. 20-21 –Regional results will be posted each night under Girls Basketball/2001 Regional Results.

Feb. 24 -- Results will be posted after each round of the Team State Finals.

Current -- Heat sheets for the state meet are posted under Boys Swimming/2001 State Finals Heat Sheets.

Feb. 23-24 – Results of the 2001 Boys Swimming and Diving State Finals will be posted continuously under Boys Swimming/2001 State Finals Results.