Indiana High School Athletic Association

9150 North Meridian Street, Box 40650, Indianapolis, Indiana 46240-0650

Phone: 317-846-6601    Fax: 317-575-4244    Website: www.ihsaa.org

Blake Ress, Commissioner

_____________________________________________________________________________

MEDIA INFORMATION                                                                      February 21, 2006

Contact: Jason Wille, Sports Information Director                                                                    

E-Mail: jwille@ihsaa.org

 

 

FASTEST HIGH SCHOOL SWIMMING MEET THIS WEEKEND

Two defending state champions return, another from 2004 and possibly a second individual that will attempt to qualify on Tuesday night make up the field for the 69th Annual IHSAA Boys Swimming & Diving State Finals this weekend at the Indiana University Natatorium in Indianapolis.

 

Preliminary swimming heats get underway Friday night at 6 p.m. EST / 5 p.m. CST. The top 16 in each event will return for competition on Saturday with the top eight individuals vying for state championship honors. Those finishing ninth through 16th on Friday will make up the competitors in the consolation heats. All diving will take place on Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. EST / 8 a.m. CST with the top 21 of 32 competitors advancing from the prelims to the semis after five dives each. After three dives each in the semis, the top 16 will advance to the final round for another three dives each. All championship and consolation finals, including diving, will commence at 1:05 p.m. EST / 12:05 p.m. CST on Saturday.

 

Seniors Chris Oleksiak of Center Grove and Nate Taylor of Warsaw both won state titles last year and are among the favorites in this year’s event. Oleksiak won the 500 freestyle a year ago and returns this weekend with the second-fastest time at 4:37.73. He’s less than a second behind top-seeded Andrew Hoffman of Homestead (4:37.12) who finished fourth in 2005. Oleksiak is also seeded sixth in the 200 freestyle.

 

Taylor enters this year’s 100 breaststroke with the sixth-fastest time (58.40) after taking the blue ribbon medal in 2005. Richmond’s Aaron Koger starts in the coveted fourth lane of the fourth heat, reserved for the fastest swimmer, after turning in a 56.59 in winning the New Palestine Sectional on Saturday. Taylor is also entered in the 200 individual medley where he’s the 12th seed.

 

North Central’s Michael Christy, who won the 200 IM as a freshman in 2004, returns as the top seed in the event. The junior was timed in 1:51.72 in winning the Carmel Sectional and helping the defending state champion Panthers to their second straight sectional championship over the weekend. Christy entered last year’s state meet as the second seed in the event and finished as the runner-up to graduated Arthur Miller of Northridge. Christy also has the fastest time in the 100 backstroke at 50.55, the only person in the meet to have the top time in two events.

 

Also attempting to qualify through Tuesday’s diving regional is Elwood’s Caleb Dunnichay. The senior won the one meter event as a sophomore in 2004 and must be among the top eight divers at the Hamilton Southeastern Regional this evening to advance to Saturday’s diving competition in Indianapolis. He finished third in last year’s state meet.

 

North Central tops the meet with 19 individual swims and three relays with Homestead right behind with 18 and three relays. Carmel and Hamilton Southeastern have 11 each and both are qualified in each relay event.

 

Munster, competing at the Crown Point Sectional, and Center Grove, competing at Indian Creek, each won their 21st sectional crown in a row on Saturday.

 

Results from each event will be posted to the IHSAA website as the meet progresses both days.

 

·   Heat Sheets | Psych Sheets

 

·   DEFENDING STATE CHAMPIONS IN THE FIELD

500 Freestyle – Chris Oleksiak, 12, Center Grove (Seeded 2nd).

100 Breaststroke – Nate Taylor, 12, Warsaw (Seeded 6th).

 

·   FORMER STATE CHAMPIONS IN THE FIELD

200 Individual Medley – Michael Christy, 11, North Central (Indpls.) (Won event in 2004 and top seed this year)

*One Meter Diving – Caleb Dunnichay, 12, Elwood (Won event in 2004).

Contingent on qualifying in Tuesday’s diving regionals.

 

·   TOP SEEDS

200 Medley RelayMunster, 1:35.71.

200 Freestyle – Drew Sease, 12, North Central (Indpls.), 1:39.62.

200 Individual Medley – Michael Christy, 11, North Central (Indpls.), 1:51.72.

50 Freestyle – Andrew Bretscher, 12, Greencastle, 20.90.

100 Butterfly – Cody Sowder, 12, Lebanon, 51.30.

100 Freestyle – Peter Jameson, 12, North Central (Indpls.), 45.34.

500 Freestyle – Andrew Hoffman, 12, Homestead, 4:37.12.

200 Freestyle RelayHomestead, 1:27.52.

100 Backstroke – Michael Christy, 11, North Central (Indpls.), 50.55.

100 Breaststroke – Aaron Koger, 12, Richmond, 56.59.

400 Freestyle Relay – North Central (Indpls.), 3:11.50.

 

STATE FINALS

Prelims: Friday, Feb. 24; Starting time is 6 p.m. EST.

Finals: Saturday, Feb. 25; Diving prelims and semis begin at 9 a.m. EST; Consolations and finals for all events begin at 1 p.m. EST.

Admission: $8.00 per session or $12.00 both days.

Site: Indiana University Natatorium, IUPUI, 901 W. New York St., Indianapolis.

Driving Directions | Parking | Competition Pool | Indianapolis Accomodations & Dining

Webcast: Audio streaming of the meet can be heard through the IHSAA’s official internet provider, HoosierAuthority.com.

 

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Times are approximate

Friday

5:30 p.m. -- Opening Ceremonies

6:00 p.m. -- 200 Yd. Medley Relay

6:16 p.m. -- 200 Yd. Freestyle

6:32 p.m. -- 200 Yd. Individual Medley

6:50 p.m. -- 50 Yd. Freestyle

15 MINUTE BREAK

7:14 p.m. -- 100 Yd. Butterfly

7:26 p.m. -- 100 Yd. Freestyle

7:38 p.m. -- 500 Yd. Freestyle

8:08 p.m. -- 200 Yd. Freestyle Relay

8:23 p.m. -- 100 Yd. Backstroke

8:35 p.m. -- 100 Yd. Breaststroke

8:48 p.m. -- 400 Yd. Freestyle Relay

Saturday

9:00 a.m. -- Diving Preliminaries (5 dives) & Semi-Finals (3 dives)

12:45 p.m. -- Opening Ceremonies

1:05 p.m. -- Finals and Consolation Finals

 

Advancement: During Friday preliminaries, the top eight in each swimming event will advance to Saturday’s championship heat, while the ninth through 16th positions will compete in Saturday’s consolation heat. All diving will take place on Saturday with the top 21 of 32 competitors advancing from the prelims to the semis after five dives each. After three dives each in the semis, the top 16 will advance to the final round for another three dives each.

 

Credentials: The 2005-06 IHSAA State Finals Media Credential is accepted for admittance. Please fax requests, including the name of the media member to be credentialed, on company letterhead to Jason Wille at 317-575-4244.  No e-mail requests accepted. Approved requests may be claimed at the media will call table at the concourse level of the I.U. Natatorium. Please have media identification available.

 

Media Work Area: Four phone lines will be available in the media working area of the west bleachers for use by writers and photographers. Results from each event will be distributed and also posted to the IHSAA website as the meet progresses both days. Writers and photographers will also have access to the pool deck.

 

Media Hosts: IHSAA Sports Information Director Jason Wille, Communications Director Joe Gentry and assistant Amber Feldman will be on hand to assist in your coverage of the state meet.

 

Off Limits: For safety and liability reasons, members of the media are not permitted on the moveable bulkheads that separate the pools or on any of the diving platforms. Also, due to congestion in the immediate area of the starting blocks with timers and judges, we ask that writers and photographers steer clear of that area as well. Editors and sports directors -- please share this information with those who are covering the event and might not necessarily have access to this release. Thank you for your cooperation.

 

 

WRESTLING

 

NEW TEAM WRESTLING STATE CHAMPION ASSURED THIS SATURDAY

The 11th Annual IHSAA Team Wrestling State Tournament is down to eight teams as the state finals are scheduled for Center Grove High School in Greenwood this Saturday.

 

With two-time defending state champion Lawrence North out of the mix, a new state championship team is assured. All but one team, Merrillville, has advanced to this level of the tournament.

 

The event, which features three rounds of dual competition begins with quarterfinal action at 10 a.m. EST / 9 a.m. CST. Semifinals and championship rounds will follow shortly thereafter.

 

Included in the field are 40 wrestlers who participated in last week’s Individual State Finals at Conseco Fieldhouse. Among them are eight young men who captured state championships in their respective weight classes, two others who settled for runner-up honors and another who won a state title in 2005.

 

Fourth-ranked Mishawaka tops the field with three state champions: Josh Harper at 103, Ian Hinton at 171 and Pat Day at 215. The Cavemen are making their seventh consecutive appearance at the team finals and will be looking for their school’s first state title since 1991.

 

Bloomington South, ranked 15th in the final state coaches poll, boasts a pair of state winners – Kurt Kinser at 152 and Paul Young at 160. Young won his second straight title at that weight on Saturday and enters with an unblemished 49-0 record this season.

 

Third-ranked Merrillville also offers a championship duo in 119 champ Javier Salas and heavyweight Dexter Larimore with an undefeated mark of 41-0.

 

Evansville Mater Dei heads to Greenwood ranked a top the coaches poll with a 21-0 mark in duals this year. The tradition-rich Wildcats, winners of 10 team titles, haven’t missed out on a team finals appearance in the 11 years of the event, but came away empty on Saturday in terms of individual champions for the first time since 2000. Mater Dei is one of three undefeated teams in the lower half of the bracket along with Mishawaka (28-0) and second-ranked Perry Meridian (29-0) which is led by Nick Walpole at 140, the 2005 state winner.

 

Information on each of the eight squads can be found in the PDF file, Meet the Teams.

 

Results from each match will be posted to the IHSAA website as the meet progresses on Saturday.

 

·   2006 STATE CHAMPIONS IN THE FIELD (8)

Bellmont: 135 – Matt Irwin, 12, 45-0 (also 2004 runner-up at 125).

Bloomington South: 152 – Kurt Kinser, 12, 47-0 (2005 runner-up at 145); 160 – Paul Young, 12, 49-0 (also 2005 champ at 160).

Merrillville: 119 – Javier Salas, 12, 40-1; 275 – Dexter Larimore, 12, 41-0 (also 2004, 2005 runner-up at 275).

Mishawaka: 103 – Josh Harper, 9, 47-0; 171 – Ian Hinton, 11, 42-0 (also 2005 runner-up at 171); 215 – Pat Day, 12, 46-2.

 

·   2006 STATE RUNNERS-UP IN THE FIELD (2)

Columbia City: 160 – Bryan Deutsch, 12, 42-2 (also 2005 runner-up at 152).

Perry Meridian: 152 – Kevin Clem, 12, 50-6.

 

·   FORMER STATE CHAMPIONS IN THE FIELD (1)

Perry Meridian: 140 – Nick Walpole, 12, (2005 champ at 140).

 

 

11th ANNUAL IHSAA TEAM WRESTLING STATE FINALS

Date: Saturday, Feb. 25.

Time: Quarterfinals begin at 10 a.m. EST / 9 a.m. CST with semifinal round and championship round to follow.

Admission: $8.00.

Advancement: This is a single elimination tournament in which the winning team shall advance to the next round.

Site: Center Grove High School, 2717 S. Morgantown Road, Greenwood | School website

 

Quarterfinals

Match 1: Merrillville (21-1) vs. Bellmont (23-1).

Match 2: Bloomington South (24-7) vs. Columbia City (20-2).

Match 3: Perry Meridian (29-0) vs. Evansville Mater Dei (21-0).

Match 4: Indianapolis Cathedral (21-6) vs. Mishawaka (28-0).

 

Semifinals

Match 5: Winner of Match 1 vs. Winner of Match 2.

Match 6: Winner of Match 3 vs. Winner of Match 4.

 

Championship

Match 7: Winner of Match 5 vs. Winner of Match 6.

 

 

Credentials: The 2005-06 IHSAA State Finals Media Credential is accepted for admittance. Please fax requests, including the name of the media member to be credentialed, on company letterhead to Jason Wille at 317-575-4244.  No e-mail requests accepted. Approved requests will be held at the media will call table at Door 6 on the south side of the school. Please have media identification available. 

 

Media Work Area: Work space in each corner of the balcony level of the gymnasium will be available for use by credentialed media. There will be a single room off the northwest corner of the gym floor where media may send their stories and/or photographs using the available telephone lines.

 

Results: Results from each level of the meet -- quarterfinals, semifinals and finals -- will be posted to the IHSAA website at www.ihsaa.org.

 

Media Hosts: IHSAA Sports Information Director Jason Wille and Sports Information Assistant Mike Wilson will be on hand to assist in your coverage of the state meet.

 

Due to space limitations: Due to space limitations on the gymnasium floor, the tournament administration has asked that the media please work from the bleacher or balcony area and to avoid the floor until after the completion of the first round of matches. During the semifinals and championship round, writers and photographers are welcome to work closer to the action on the floor. Thank you for your cooperation.

 

 

MISCELLANEOUS

 

ROB WEAVER OF PORTLAND NAMED IHSAA MEDIA AWARD WINNER

Rob Weaver, of WPGW AM FM in Portland, has been selected as the 2005-06 recipient of the IHSAA Distinguished Media Service Award for District II.

 

Weaver will be honored Friday, Feb. 24, in a special ceremony during the Jay County-Union County boys basketball game in Portland. Pat Mapes, Chairman of the IHSAA Executive Committee, and Joe Gentry, Communications Director, will be on hand to make the presentation.

 

With a sports broadcasting career that spans 34 years, including the last 30 as radio voice of Jay County High School sports on WPGW, Weaver is a fixture on the east central Indiana high school sports scene. He has experience broadcasting football, volleyball, boys and girls basketball, wrestling, baseball and softball for the Patriots and also called action for Union City football and boys basketball for WIUC radio in Winchester.

 

For the first 29 years at Jay County, Weaver worked side-by-side with his color announcer, Les Eads, who retired after last year’s boys basketball season.  Weaver stated that the retirement of Eads made it tempting for him to retire as well, but he is still waiting for the Patriots to win the boys basketball state championship.

 

Weaver’s wife, Mindy, is a teacher at Jay County High School and has coached the Jay County Cheerleaders for more than 25 years.  They are the parents of daughter, Libby, who now resides in Nashville, Tennessee, and son, Kyle, who is a junior and on the swim team at Wabash College. Together, Rob and Mindy own majority interest in WPGW AM FM and WZBD FM in Berne. A native of Marion, Weaver has a Bachelor’s degree from Ball State University and a Master’s degree from Indiana University in education. He taught school for eight years in Elkhart, Marion and Fountain City before making the transition to full-time radio. For the past two years, Weaver has served as Executive Director of the John Jay Center for Learning in downtown Portland while continuing his sportscasting career as well.

 

He credits the late Bill Fowler, former WBAT sportscaster in Marion, and former Marion High School basketball coach, Jack Colescott, for peaking his interest in broadcasting sporting events.

 

This is the 22nd year the IHSAA has recognized an outstanding member of the Indiana news media from each of the three IHSAA legislative districts for their excellence in the coverage of high school sports. District II covers 28 counties across central Indiana. Weaver is the third honoree of this school year joining Lance Wilkerson of News 25 (WEHT-TV ABC) in Evansville in District III, and Tony Ross of WTCA in Plymouth in District I.

 

On behalf of its 400 member schools, the Indiana High School Athletic Association is pleased to salute Rob Weaver and recognize his dedicated service to high school athletics in the state of Indiana.

 

Previous award winners from east central Indiana include:

 

Bob Barnet, Muncie Star, 1985-86

Bob Powers, Connersville News-Examiner, 1986-87

Phil Stigleman, WKBV, Richmond, 1988-89

Ken Hill, Sports Hotline, Marion, 1989-90

Morry Mannies, WLBC, Muncie, 1989-90

Ron Lemasters, Muncie Star, 1991-92

Jeff Weller, WLBC, Muncie, 1993-94

Jan Clark, Richmond Palladium-Item, 1995-96

Ed Hamilton, Elwood Call-Leader, 1996-97

Rod Brooks, WXXP, Anderson, 1997-98

Jim Brunner, WBAT, Marion, 1998-99

Paul Beitler, Bluffton News-Banner, 2000-01

John Hodge, New Castle Courier-Times, 2000-01

Tom Byrum, Winchester News-Gazette, 2004-05

 

 

GIRLS BASKETBALL

 

STATE FINALS BERTHS ON THE LINE SATURDAY

The Sweet 16 will be whittled down to the eight state finalist teams this Saturday as the 31st Annual IHSAA Girls Basketball State Tournament rolls on to the semi-state games. Each of the four sites will host a doubleheader with the first game set for 1 p.m. EST / 12 p.m. CST.

 

Eleven of the 16 teams will be looking for their first trip to the state finals but Fort Wayne Bishop Luers (3A) and Kokomo (4A) will each be going for a record sixth appearance.

 

With three-time defending Class A champion Tri-Central and 2A winner Shenandoah both falling in the regional, South Bend St. Joseph’s (22-2) in 3A is the only 2005 state finalist still alive. The No. 2 Indians will take on ninth-ranked Bishop Luers (22-4) in the second game at Elkhart Central’s Northside Gym.

 

Scores from each game will be posted to the IHSAA website as they become available on Saturday.

 

Semi-States

Date: Saturday, Feb. 25.

Admission: $7.00.

Home Team: The second team listed in each game will be the home team.

 

North

1.   Elkhart Central (Northside Gym) 1 pm

Game 1 – Class 2A -- Westview (23-3) vs. Harding (16-7).

Game 2 -- 3A -- South Bend St. Joseph’s (22-2) vs. Fort Wayne Bishop Luers (22-4).

 

2.   Plymouth 1 pm

Game 1 -- A -- Argos (22-4) vs. Lafayette Central Catholic (16-10).

Game 2 -- 4A -- South Bend Washington (24-1) vs. Kokomo (23-2).

 

South

3.   Southport 1 pm

Game 1 -- A -- South Central (Elizabeth) (22-5) vs. Attica (23-2).

Game 2 -- 2A -- Heritage Christian (23-3) vs. North Knox (23-4).

 

4.   Jeffersonville 1 pm

Game 1 -- 3A -- Rushville (23-3) vs. Evansville Memorial (22-4).

Game 2 -- 4A -- Hamilton Southeastern (22-3) vs. Castle (23-3).

 

 

State Finals

Date: Saturday, March 4.

Site: Conseco Fieldhouse, 125 S. Pennsylvania Street, Indianapolis.

Conseco Fieldhouse | Seating Chart | Driving Directions | Parking | Fieldhouse History & Facts | Indy Hotels & Dining

Admission: Session $10.00; Season $18.00. Reserved tickets can be purchased at the participating schools the week of the state finals. Contact participating schools for ticket distribution hours. Tickets also will be available game day at the Conseco Fieldhouse ticket office.

Home Team: The winner of the north semi-state game will be the designated home team.

 

Session I

10:36 a.m. EST – Class A Championship

Approx. 12:30 p.m. EST – Class 2A Championship

Session II

6:06 p.m. EST – Class 3A Championship

Approx. 8 p.m. EST – Class 4A Championship

 

 

TOURNAMENT NOTES

 

Looking for First Semi-State Title (11 of 16): 4A: Castle, Hamilton Southeastern, South Bend Washington; 3A: Evansville Memorial; 2A: Harding, North Knox, Westview; A: Argos, Attica, Lafayette Central Catholic, South Central (Elizabeth).

 

Looking to Break Semi-State Championship Drought (Five Or More Years): 4A: None; 3A: Rushville (1993); 2A: None; A: None.

 

Top 10 All-Time Semi-State Championship Leaders: 5: Fort Wayne Bishop Luers, Kokomo, Valparaiso; 4: Bedford North Lawrence, Crown