Carmel Reigns Supreme: Greyhounds Clinch 35th-Straight Indiana State Championship Title (PHOTO GALLERY)

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

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Carmel Reigns Supreme: Greyhounds Clinch 35th-Straight Indiana State Championship Title

The 2021 Indiana Girls High School State Swimming and Diving Championship took place on Saturday, Feb. 13 at the IUPUI Natatorium in Indianapolis, Ind.

Carmel used their impressive depth to earn their 35th-consecutive high school championship team title, winning all three relays and three individual state titles. The Greyhounds’ final score of 479 is the most in state meet history, besting their own record of 445 from 2015.

Their margin of victory – a whopping 279 points – is also the largest in state meet history, again bettering their own mark of 266 from five years ago. And in true dynasty-fashion, Carmel extends their all-time national record of most consecutive championships across all sports.

Click HERE for full results and team scores.

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Top 5 Team Scores:

1. Carmel – 479
2. Fishers – 200
3. Chesteron – 172
4. Zionsville – 151
5. Franklin Community – 141

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

Carmel began their winning ways as Berit Berglund (24.50), Margaret Love (28.45), Hayley Reed (24.91), and Colleen Duffy (22.52) won the opening 4×50 medley relay in 1:40.38. They finished over two seconds ahead of the field as Hamilton Southeastern (1:42.74) and Franklin Community (1:43.00) took second and third, respectively.

Carmel’s Gretchen Lueking, who has verbally committed to Notre Dame, defended her 200 free title in a swift 1:45.48, just off Claire Adams’ state record of 1:45.09. She narrowly held off Bloomington South’s Kristina Paegle, who took a close second in 1:45.96. Another future member of the Fighting Irish, Mary Cate Pritt of South Bend St. Joseph, placed third in 1:47.04.

Fishers’ Morgan Casey dove to first place for the second-straight year on the 1-meter diving board after posting a final score of 517.30 for the victory. Center Grove’s Mia Prusiecki followed in second with a score of 510.90 while Northridge’s Kaitlin Simons finished third with 499.75 points.

In what was already shaping up to be a fast meet, a pair of swimmers kept the momentum going by cracking the two-minute marker in the 200 IM. Zionsville junior and Michigan pledge Devon Kitchel won her second-consecutive title in a blistering 1:57.69. It was a 1-2 punch for Carmel as Madelyn Christman (1:59.27) and MacKenna Lieske (2:00.65) rounded out the top three.

In her first state meet, Penn freshman Lily Christianson lit the pool on fire by claiming gold in the 50 free in a quick 22.66. Carmel’s Meghan Christman secured the silver medal while Mizzou-bound Duffy also snuck under the 23-second mark in 22.97 for bronze.

Not too long after winning the 200 IM, Kitchel was back in the water for another state title defense in the 100 fly. Her final time of 52.93 was just off her prelims swim of 53.79. Carmel again rounded out the podium as Lueking took second in 53.56 and Reed flew to third in 55.04.

Paegle, who will remain in-state and swim for the Hoosiers, won her second-consecutive title in the 100 free with a final time of 48.78 that was about four-tenths shy of Amy Bilquist’s state record of 48.36. Houston commit Emma Wright of Hobart, who won this event as a sophomore, was the runner-up in 49.93 while Meghan Christman took third in 50.07.

After taking third in the 200 free earlier, Pruitt was back to clinch her third-straight 500 free state title in 4:45.73, coming up just short of the state record 4:45.15 set by Emma Nordin. Also under the 4:50-marker was Wyoming commit Maisyn Klimczak of Chesteron in 4:49.64 and soon-to-be Hoosier Elyse Heiser of Zionsville in 4:49.69.

Carmel unsurprisingly used their impressive depth to dominate the 4×50 free relay, as the quartet of Meghan Christman (23.24), Madelyn Christman (22.57), Duffy (22.83), and Lueking (22.57) posted a combined time of 1:31.21. Over three seconds behind the Greyhounds was Fort Wayne Carroll (1:34.52) in second and South Bend St. Joseph (1:34.75) in third.

Berglund, who led off the winning medley relay, powered home to defend her 100 back state title in 52.09 while holding off a charging Hoosier pledge in Mya DeWitt (52.91) of Fort Wayne Carroll. Madelyn Christman, who has signed with Notre Dame, wound up third in 53.22.

Lieske got her hands to the wall the fastest for yet another Carmel victory, clocking in at 1:02.13 to win the 100 breast. Christianson was right behind her in a close 1:02.17 for the runner-up position as Fishers’ Lydia Reade also followed closely in 1:02.29. It proved to be the meet’s closest race as only 0.82 seconds separated the top six finishers.

Carmel made it a relay sweep to cap off their team victory as Lueking (49.46), Berglund (49.99), Meghan Christman (49.91), and Madelyn Christman (49.48) won the 4×100 free relay in 3:18.84. Zionsville was a distant second in 3:24.60 as South Bend St. Joseph took third in 3:25.77.

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