Fall sports, Bremen High School highlights this year’s top stories
PLYMOUTH — Culver Academy and Bremen high school were the center of attention in local sports for 2021.
Most of our top stories came in this year’s fall season’s as the area teams were still recovering from 2020, the “Season of Covid”, in the early part of the year. There were still a number of outstanding performances that highlighted the 2021 season.
Here in no particular order are our top stories of the past year.
Bremen boys tennis takes second straight regional
The two biggest stories of the fall were in the world of tennis as Bremen’s boys tennis team took a regional title and made their appearance in semi-state action at Culver Academy.
Taking a win over the Academy on their home court they took their second consecutive regional championship with a 4-1 win over Peru.
The team ended their year in the semi-state against Munster with a record of 18-2.
Along with the sectional and regional titles they were NIC South Champions (NIC 2nd Place Overall), West Noble Invitational Champions, and Bremen Invitational Champions.
Bremen’s Kaia Podlin a double finisher at the state swim meet
A Bremen freshman burst on the scene last winter claiming the school record in the 100 breast stroke in her first meet for the Lions and giving a hint that she might have a lot more big stories before she graduates.
Swimmer Kaia Podlin singlehandedly gave Bremen a 23rd place finish at the IHSAA Swimming State Championships.
Qualifying for two events in the meet, the 100 butterfly and 100 breaststroke, Kaia finished as the state’s 11th best swimmer in both events. Kaia, did it in style breaking her own school record in the breaststroke.
In all she is listed four times on the Bremen swimming record board after just one season - a pool record in the 200 Individual Medley at 2:10.64, a school-record time in the 200 Individual Medley at 2:10.64, a school record in the 100 butterfly at 56.39, and her 1:04.29 in the breaststroke.
CMA wrestler Eli Pack takes third at 195
Culver Academy wrestler Eli Pack ended a stellar senior year for the Eagles with another trip to the state wrestling finals.
Pack finished the regular season with a perfect 18-0 record, making him the second-winningest wrestler in Academy history. He swept through the post-season earning sectional, regional, and semi-state championships, finishing with a third-place overall finish at the IHSAA State Finals in the 195 lbs class. Along the way, he had wins over the number four, five, and seventh-ranked 195 lbs wrestlers in the state.
Academy’s Oberto makes tennis state tournament
Another Academy athlete, Constantino Oberto, fought his way through the state’s individual state tournament to reach the state finals round after his team took a loss to Bremen in team play.
As the Eagle’s number one singles player and team co-captain, Constantino amassed a 20-4 regular-season record, concluding the season ranked 25th in the state and having been voted by the Indiana Tennis Coaches Association to be among the state’s best 16 players.
In the month of October, he went on a 7-1 run during the IHSAA individual state tournament, ultimately falling during semifinal play of the State Finals.
He is only the third CMA tennis player in program history to advance to that stage in the post-season.
Plymouth’s Hutchings makes history
Last but not least a Plymouth golfer, Anastasia Hutchings, left her mark on the program with a stellar senior season. She became the first female golfer in more than a decade to compete at the state finals.
Hutchings, the lone senior on this year’s Lady Pilgrims’ team, qualified by shooting the fourth-best round of all the players not on a qualifying team at the East Noble Regional. To do so, Hutchings had to finish her 18-hole round with one of her best nine-hole scores ever.