The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Swimming and diving state capsule
When: Feb. 21 to 24 Where: Branin Natatorium at Canton McKinley, 1715 Harrison Ave. NW, Canton
Schedule: Feb. 21 — girls Division II diving (9 a.m.) and boys Division II diving (2 p.m.); Feb. 22 — girls Division I diving (9 a.m.) and Division II swimming preliminaries (5 p.m.); Feb. 23 — Division I swimming prelims (9 a.m.) and Division II swimming finals (5 p.m.); Feb. 24 — boys Division I diving (9 a.m.) and Division I swimming finals (4 p.m.)
TV: Spectrum Sports will broadcast the swimming finals on tape delay Feb. 27 at 9 a.m. (Division II) and 1 p.m. (Division I) Full psych sheets: Division I boys, D-I girls, D-II boys and D-II girls can be found on ohsaa.org. What to look for
Boys Division I: Euclid senior Andrius Kijauskas in positioned nicely in 200 free, seeded 13th and with a good chance at Day 2 with something as good or a bit better than the 1:42.10 that got him fourth at the D-I Cleveland State District. A sub-26 third 50 would go a long way . ... Riverside’s Kyle Silver is the only other area boys D-I qualifier, in 100 fly. He had a 51.30 to win the D-I SPIRE Sectional, and the reality is he’ll likely need something deep in the 50s to advance. But with the SPIRE base, it’s doable.
Girls Division I: In 200 medley relay, Chardon and Mayfield commendably worked their way into the state mix. With so much of Ohio taking in sub1:47s into Canton, though, it’s probably going to take a 1:46 to advance. For both quartets, split drops in breaststroke are going to be key to the cause . ... Chardon’s Katherine Jerry had a couple of close calls in sprint free to make the field, but a lane and a chance is what you need. In 50 free, the junior has to get into the high-23s at least. For 100 free, about a half-second cut into the low52s could be enough . ... For the Hilltoppers’ Sarah Bennett in 100 back, with a top seven already under 56, she likely needs to get deeper into the 57s for a shot at a ‘B’ final berth. Regardless, though, this will be great experience for a pair of underclassmen in Jerry (junior) and Bennett (sophomore) . ... Mayfield’s Gianna Ferrante is back seeking a second straight Day 2 swim in 200 IM. She needs improvement in breaststroke and free as opposed to her district IM, but the potential is certainly there for the sub2:07s she needs . ... A 3:34.76 to take fifth at district was an impressive performance by the Mayfield 400 free relay. If the Wildcats can cut just a little bit more off that, they should be fine to make Day 2. ... In diving, the lone area state qualifier is Kenston’s Mary O’Neill, seeded 15th. With a top five coming in from district over 500 in scoring, the sophomore requires a score higher in the 400s.
Division II boys: Hawken’s Zeb Hart should contend for state titles in 50 free and 100 fly. It may take a mid-20 to win, though, with Bishop Fenwick’s Adam Chaney coming in at 20.57 from district. The Hawks’ senior is one of the area’s most gifted performers ever in fly, and for his last state swim in the event, it’s likely to be a duel with Bellbrook’s Cody Bybee. Can Hart get under 22 on his opening 50 to make an outstanding performer in Bybee think about it a little? We’ll find out . ... University’s Ethan Banks turned in a masterpiece in 500 free at CSU, going 4:33.20. As Banks mentioned at sectional, 500 free isn’t likely to go toward 4:25 like it did with Legacy Christian’s Eric Knowles in the field in recent years. So Banks has an opportunity here — the US junior appears to be spot on in his belief this could be a wide-open final. A 4:30 could do it . ... Owen Hanna, in his first state meet for US after transferring from NDCL, could find himself in the top-four argument again in his signature event, 100 back. With the low-50s coming in, including Alliance’s Will Rose, whom Hanna raced at CSU, a sub-26 coming home would be essential . ... Hawken coach Todd Clark may tinker with his relays this week after loading both his 200 free quartets for a state-record quest at district. But obviously, it’s the Hawks, so you know the quality will be high-caliber no matter what. Battles with Bellbrook in 200 medley and 400 free could be a lot of fun, and it’ll be interesting to see if the Hawks can go under 1:25 again in 200 free . ... Elsewhere beyond Hawken and US area-wise, Beachwood’s 200 free relay could get into the ‘A’ final mix if it can break 1:29 . ... In diving, Bison junior Spencer Bystrom had a signature performance as he won district with a career-best score of 511.60. A lot of years, that would mean state title contender. But Indian Hill’s Noah Vigran, the reigning state champion, comes in from district with an absurd 620.25. That said, Bystrom has a good shot at higher than the fifth he achieved in 2017. Girls Division II: Don’t worry — “The Streak” will be in no doubt this weekend. And with the quality across the board, Hawken could post one of its better scores during this remarkable run of consecutive state crowns, which will reach 20 years this season . ... You could look in any number of directions for fun swims to watch, but the highlight should be 200 IM with one more round between Hawken teammates Portia Brown and Abby Hay. With both coming in under 2:01, this could be an ‘A’ final for the ages. Brown has backstroke advantage, Hay has butterfly advantage — and it could very well come down to free closer again. It would not be a shock to see the end result under 2:00 and challenging three-time News-Herald girls swimmer of the year Crile Hart’s D-II state record 1:59.58 set in 2017. Buckle up . ... In sprint free, the Hawks’ Bainon Hart and Mairin O’Brien have been dialed in, but unseating Mariemont’s Cora Dupre could be a massive challenge. Dupre’s sub-23 and sub-50 skill set is tough to match, but those promising young area sprinters will give it a shot . ... Hay will be a favorite in 100 fly. The junior and Pennsylvania transplant is a clinic in technique and has sub-55 potential . ... Brown will be a key cog in what could be an entertaining 100 back ‘A’ final with a top four all coming in from district under 56 . ... And one more Hawken note: Relays should be in fine shape as well, pushing the standard as they normally do in Canton . ... Gilmour’s Cate O’Haimhirgin could very well be the state title favorite in 100 breast. The Lancers’ sophomore was masterful at CSU, going under 30 on her opening 50 en route to a 1:03.42. Her main competition is likely to be reigning state champion Logan Lawhorn of Liberty Union . ... Gilmour should also contend for a top four again in 200 medley relay . ... In diving, West Geauga’s Kami Goodrick is back to defend her state title to cap a sterling career. It’s a good, veteran field with Columbus Academy’s Esther Lawrence and Jordan Skillen and Orange’s Janie Boyle among the non-area contenders. Goodrick said at district she’s been dealing with a rib injury. Her final three dives at district were very encouraging as she took second to Boyle, but her semifinal round has to be better. Goodrick will have to push 500 in this field, which is in her deep skill set.