SPORTS

Sophomore Megan Mybeck swims freestyle at the Mudsock Dual meet at HSE on Jan. 9. Tigers won 105-81. Photo by Mya Ball.

Making a splash Key swimmers work toward common goal

Riley Gearhart gearhril000@hsestudents.org

While 5:30 a.m. practices do not appeal to the majority, these early hours allow swimmers to get in extra practice time. These extra hours of practice build endurance and muscular strength. .or some, the work has begun to pay off. Freshman JoJo Ramey holds the third fastest time for the 100 backstroke in Indiana for the season and senior Abby Jahns holds the third fastest time for the 500 freestyle in Indiana for the season as of Jan. 28, according to MaxPreps. Sophomore Kyle Ponsler has won several events such as the 100 backstroke throughout the season to help contribute to the boys 5-2 record. Head coach Joe Keller says that the success of all three swimmers have helped with the team scores and the encouragement for other swimmers. “It’s leadership that is direct, but it also indirectly impacts people across the board,” Keller said. “All three of them have had that type of impact.” Jahns said that the key to her success has been her mentality. After struggling with it last year, Jahns’ positive attitude has helped her have a better season. “The moment you become negative during a long swim, it’s hard to keep going at the rate that you’re going,” Jahns said. While these swimmers are among the best at school, they always look for room for improvement. 4ast ,ecember, :amey Yualified

to swim at the Olympic Trials for the 100 backstroke, but she does not plan on stopping there. “I feel like once you hit big success, you can’t just stop and not work hard anymore,” Ramey said. “You have to keep on going to get to the next thing.” According to the Indiana High School Swim Coaches Association, the girls team is ranked fourth and the boys team is ranked seventh as of Jan. 26. The boys and girls team are both predicted to score 11 points higher at state than last year. “I think that everyone else has helped with my success because everyone’s pushing each other hard in practice every day,” Ponsler said. “If we all can keep doing that, we’ll all see the results that we want to in the end.” According to both Ramey and Keller, the culture of the team has allowed both the boys and girls team to succeed more than they have in the past. Both teams are working towards a common goal of improving their overall score at state finals. “They want to come here, have fun and enjoy what they’re doing,” Keller said. “When you have the type of environment where people are positive, then things can really happen.” The girls team competes in the IHSAA State Finals at the IUPUI Natatorium on Feb. 14-15 beginning at 6 p.m., and the boys team competes next in the IHSAA Sectionals tournament at home on Feb. 20 at 5:30 p.m.