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Rochester’s Seuferer, Steininger, Pioneer’s Brooke also make finals in multiple events
BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
WARSAW — The showdown for a sectional title in the 500 freestyle at the Warsaw boys swimming sectional between friendly rivals Jake Seuferer and Isaac Whetstone is officially set after Thursday’s preliminaries.
Meanwhile, Marcus Smith might be set up to have an even better finals than he did last year.
Whetstone is a Tippecanoe Valley sophomore. Seuferer is a Rochester junior. They have swam together at every level of slub swimming. Whetstone has swam on Rochester’s club team, the Royals. Seuferer said he plans on swimming with Whetstone for the Tippecanoe Valley Aquatic Club after this high school season ends.
The only other time they have swam on opposing teams is since they have been in high school. At the Three Rivers Conference meet at Maconaquah on Jan. 21, Whetstone trailed most of the race but came back in the final 50 meters to win in 5:01.35. Seuferer was second in 5:02.93.
At the sectional prelims, Whetstone was even faster in 4:58.06 and qualified first. Seuferer was the third fastest qualifier in 5:11.09. Culver Academy’s Jack Collins swam a 5:10.18, over 10 seconds faster than his seed time, and could also figure into the mix for the finals.
“He’s fun,” Seuferer said. “We push each other in practice. … He slingshotted me (at the TRC meet) – Ricky Bobby. We knew it was coming, and I just didn’t have anything for it.
“We know each other’s strategies. He holds his pace and then explodes at the end, and I try to hold the thing the whole time.”
The top eight swimmers in each individual event and the top eight teams in each relay qualified for the sectional finals at 1 p.m. Saturday. Those qualifying between ninth and 16th will swim in consolation races on Saturday. The diving competition will start at 9 a.m. Saturday, and the diving finals will take place with the swimming finals at 1 p.m.
Rochester
Seuferer also qualified third in the 200 freestyle in 1:53.82 but will have to make up over seconds against top qualifier Seth Blossom of Wabash, who swam a 1:46.60.
Seuferer said he wore his “normal” swimsuit Thursday and will wear a “tech suit” on Saturday as another way to cut time.
“His strategy was he wanted (to) make it back, and he wanted to swim in the middle (of the pool),” Rochester coach Stephanie Brown said of Seuferer. “So he qualified third in both of his events. The other guys had to come out today and swim all out to make it back. So that was our strategy, and we did it. I’m very proud, and we had 18 lifetime bests.”
The other Rochester swimmer to qualify for the finals was junior Wes Steininger, who qualified seventh in the 100 butterfly in a personal best 58.55 seconds. His previous best was over a minute.
The Zebras also advanced to the final in both the 200 freestyle relay and the 400 freestyle relay. Tanner Reese, Steininger and Seuferer were on both relays with Lane Shank joining them on the 200 freestyle relay and Spencer Backus joining them on the 400 freestyle relay.
“Our strategy was to do safe starts and swim fast,” Brown said of the relays. “And qualify. That’s what we did.”
Rochester swimmers advancing to consolation races Saturday included Reese in both the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly, Jake Freeman in both the 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle, Reece Johnson in both the 200 individual medley and 100 backstroke, Steininger in the 50 freestyle, Shank in the 50 freestyle, R.J. Keranko in both the 100 freestyle and 100 breaststroke and Backus in both the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke.
The 200 medley relay, which consisted of Backus, Keranko, Johnson and Shank, also advanced to the consolation round.
“Nobody wins any ribbons today,” Brown said. “Today’s business, and Saturday’s fun.”
Tippecanoe Valley
As for Valley, Whetstone also advanced to the final in the 50 freestyle by qualifying fifth in 22.42 seconds. He is the only swimmer in the entire sectional field who advanced to the finals for both the 50 freestyle and the 500 freestyle.
His sophomore Valley teammate Marcus Smith might have upstaged everybody, however, when he qualified first in both the 200 individual medley and the 100 backstroke. His time of 1:57.86 in the 200 individual medley was over eight seconds faster than the second fastest qualifier, and his backstroke time of 53.20 seconds was over a second faster than any other qualifier. In fact, only two other swimmers even broke a minute in the backstroke, an event in which Smith broke the Valley school record earlier this season.
Smith is the reigning sectional champion in the 200 individual medley. He also won the 100 butterfly at last year’s sectional but switched to the backstroke this year.
Smith and Whetstone also formed half of the Valley 200 medley and 200 freestyle relay teams which will be seeded No. 1 going into the finals. Carson Parker and Karl Parker joined Smith and Whetstone in swimming a 1:39.11 in the 200 medley relay, an event in which Valley is the defending sectional champions, and a 1:30.04 in the 200 freestyle relay, an event in which Valley is over 2.5 seconds faster than the next fastest qualifier.
Valley also reached the 400 freestyle relay final with a foursome that consisted of Eric Burke, Bobby Burke, Weston Brown and Jacob Scacco.
Carson Parker also qualified second in both the 100 butterfly in 54.37 seconds and the 100 breaststroke in 59.42 seconds. The state qualifying standard in the 100 breaststroke is 58.12 seconds, a time that Carson Parker might be chasing Saturday.
Karl Parker also qualified eighth in the 100 freestyle in 52.49 seconds to reach the finals. He and Eric Burke each reached the consolation race in the 50 freestyle.
Pioneer
Two Pioneer swimmers advanced to individual sectional finals in three combined events.
They include sophomore Austin Brooke, who qualified seventh in the 200 individual medley in 2:17.42 and sixth in the 100 breaststroke in 1:07.01, and sophomore Ian Kitchell, who swam a 1:00.98 in the 100 backstroke and qualified sixth.
Pioneer also qualified eighth in the 200 medley relay and 1:51.88 and seventh in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:39.17. Both teams consist of Kitchell, Brooke, Leighton Dodt and Owen Miller.
In addition, Anderson Woodhouse reached the consolation race in both the 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle, and Kitchell reached the consolation race in the 100 butterfly.
The 400 freestyle relay team of Woodhouse, Tayt Smith, Jared Black and Fletcher Smith reached the consolation round.
Owen Miller and Dodt were both alternates in the 100 freestyle, and freshman Hunter Bartling will be an alternate in the 100 breaststroke.
Culver
No Culver swimmers advanced to swim again on Saturday, but senior Aaron Beach did make it as an alternate in the 100 breaststroke.
Warsaw boys sectional preliminary results
Top advance to sectional finals; 9th-16th fastest qualifiers advance to consolation race; 17th-18th fastest are alternates
Fastest qualifiers plus all Rochester, Valley, Pioneer and Culver swimmers
200 medley relay
1. Valley (Marcus Smith, Carson Parker, Isaac Whetstone, Karl Parker) – 1:39.11 (finals), 8. Pioneer (Ian Kitchell, Leighton Dodt, Austin Brooke, Owen Miller) (finals), 9. Rochester (Spencer Backus, R.J. Keranko, Reece Johnson, Lane Shank) – 1:53.88 (consolation)
200 freestyle
1. Blossom (Wabash) – 1:46.60, 3. Jake Seuferer (RHS) – 1:53.82 (finals), 9. Tanner Reese (RHS) – 2:01.12 (consolation), 10. Jake Freeman (RHS) – 2:01.74 (consolation), 15. Anderson Woodhouse (Pioneer) – 2:09.11 (consolation), 21. Bobby Burke (TV) – 2:23.00 (did not advance), 22. Jared Black (PIO) – 2:32.06 (did not advance), 25. Leland Ramski (CUL) – 2:50.32 (did not advance), 26. Landen Johnson (PIO) – 2:53.81 (did not advance)
200 individual medley
1. Marcus Smith (TV) – 1:57.86, 7. Austin Brooke (PIO) – 2:17.42 (finals), 13. Reece Johnson (RHS) – 2:27.43 (consolation), 19. Aaron Beach (CUL) – 2:48.41 (did not advance)
50 freestyle
1. Maibach (Culver Academy) – 21.79 seconds, 5. Isaac Whetstone (TV) – 22.42 (finals), 10. Karl Parker (TV) – 23.13 (consolation), 12. Wes Steininger (RHS) – 23.74 (consolation), 15. Lane Shank (RHS) – 24.33 (consolation), 16. Eric Burke (TV) – 24.51 (consolation), 19. Leighton Dodt (PIO) – 25.48 (did not advance), 21. Owen Miller (PIO) – 25.72 (did not advance), 23. Fletcher Smith (PIO) – 27.28 (did not advance), 26. Noah Riffle (RHS) – 27.60 (did not advance), 32. Logan Williams (CUL) – 33.66 (did not advance)
100 butterfly
1. Fincher (Logansport) – 52.53 seconds, 2. Carson Parker (TV) – 54.37 (finals), 7. Wes Steininger (RHS) – 58.55 (finals), 9. Tanner Reese (RHS) – 59.72 (consolation), 10. Ian Kitchell (PIO) – 1:01.40 (consolation)
100 freestyle
1. Blossom (Wabash) – 48.52 seconds, 8. Karl Parker (TV) – 52.49 (finals), 12. R.J. Keranko (RHS) – 54.12 (consolation), 13. Spencer Backus (RHS) – 54.24 (consolation), 17. Owen Miller (PIO) – 58.15 (alternate), 18. Leighton Dodt (PIO) – 58.51 (alternate), 20. Bobby Burke (TV) – 59.76 (did not advance), 24. Jacob Scacco (TV) – 1:05.02 (did not advance), 27. Seth Flenar (RHS) – 1:08.84 (did not advance), 29. Izayik Hopkins (PIO) – 1:14.35 (did not advance), 30. Logan Williams (CUL) – 1:18.03 (did not advance)
500 freestyle
1. Isaac Whetstone (TV) – 4:58.06, 3. Jake Seuferer (RHS) – 5:11.09 (finals), 9. Jake Freeman (RHS) – 5:39.79 (consolation), 14. Anderson Woodhouse (PIO) – 5:56.23 (consolation), 20. Noah Riffle (RHS) – 6:43.54 (did not advance), 22. Tayt Smith (PIO) – 6:59.70 (did not advance)
200 freestyle relay
1. Valley (Marcus Smith, Carson Parker, Karl Parker, Isaac Whetstone) – 1:30.04, 6. Rochester (Tanner Reese, Lane Shank, Wes Steininger, Jake Seuferer) – 1:36.99 (finals), 7. Pioneer (Ian Kitchell, Leighton Dodt, Owen Miller, Austin Brooke) – 1:39.17 (finals)
100 backstroke
1. Marcus Smith (TV) – 53.20 seconds, 6. Ian Kitchell (PIO) – 1:00.98 (finals), 9. Spencer Backus (RHS) – 1:04.85 (consolation), 13. Reece Johnson (RHS) – 1:09.12 (consolation), 19. Tayt Smith (PIO) – 1:20.49 (did not advance), 20. Weston Brown (TV) – 1:24.42 (did not advance), 25. Dillon Fishback (RHS) – 1:33.19 (did not advance)
100 breaststroke
1. Wihebrink (Warsaw) – 57.93 seconds, 2. Carson Parker (TV) – 59.42 (finals), 6. Austin Brooke (PIO) – 1:07.01 (finals), 10. R.J. Keranko (RHS) – 1:09.75 (consolation), 17. Hunter Bartling (PIO) – 1:18.76 (alternate), 18. Aaron Beach (CUL) – 1:19.86 (alternate), 19. Lane Shank (RHS) – 1:20.43 (did not advance), 22. Jacob Scacco (TV) – 1:29.75 (did not advance), 25. Leland Ramski (CUL) – 1:34.20 (did not advance), 26. Seth Flenar (RHS) – 1:39.05 (did not advance)
400 freestyle relay
1. Wabash – 3:25.99, 3. Rochester (Tanner Reese, Spencer Backus, Wes Steininger, Jake Seuferer) – 3:35.19 (finals), 8. Valley (Eric Burke, Bobby Burke, Weston Brown, Jacob Scacco) – 4:22.31 (finals), 9. Pioneer (Anderson Woodhouse, Tayt Smith, Jared Black, Fletcher Smith) – 4:29.39 (consolation)
Jake Seuferer Wes Steininger Marcus Smith
