Lucas, Gilmore, Paegle add to medal hauls

The local trio of Haley Lucas, Happy Gilmore and Kristina Paegle, along with DeDe Eberle and Nick Bellush, were all named state champions in their various sports during the month of July.

Here's a round up of their accomplishments, long with a number of other area athletes in summer golf, track and field and swimming events that took place recently:

Senior State Long Course Championships

Bloomington South grad and incoming Indiana University freshman Kristina Paegle earned a first place and two seconds in the Senior State Long Course Swimming Championships at IU's Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center last week.

All races are in long course meters.

Paegle, swimming for the Indiana Swimming Club, took first place in the women's 100 freestyle in a new best time of 55.66, easily beating fellow ISC swimmer Ashley Turak (56.87). Paegle's time is under the 2024 Olympic Trials cut time of 55.79.

Paegle also posted a 25.84 to take second in the 50 free by just .04 to 15-year-old Julie Mishler of Wawasee, who was third in the 100. Paegle's seed time of 25.60 is still a Trials cut time as well. And in the 200 free, Paegle was again runner-up in 2:04.02, to Jo Jo Ramey, a senior from Fishers who won in 2:03.30. Paegle beat Ramey in the IHSAA state finals in the 200-yard free.

Bloomington North's Ashley Freel, Hope Westphal and Annie Murer also did well, representing Club Olympia out of Columbus.

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Freel's best finish came in the 200 butterfly with a 2:23.76 for fifth. The junior was also ninth in the 100 fly, winning the B Final in 1:03.92, which was the sixth best time in the finals. Other finishes were 18th in the 200 free (2:09.19), 22nd in the 50 free (27.60), 24th in the 100 backstroke (1:09.24) and 26th in the 100 free (59.91).

Westphal, also a junior, went the distance, taking 15th in the 1,500 free (18:31.06), 16th in the 800 free (9:45.18), 19th in the 400 free (4:39.64), 20th in the 400 individual medley (5:18.25) and 29th in the 200 free (2:13.26).

Murer swam in the 400 free (4:59.76), 200 free (2:22.46), 100 free (1:04.12) and 50 free (29.63). She also swam on a 200 free relay and 400 free relay with Westphal and Freel, who also swam in the 800 free relay (sixth), 200 medley relay and 400 medley relay.

Representing the Indiana Swim Club were Anna Asplund of South and Karen Tabbel of North. Asplund was 21st in the 200 back (2:29.39), 28th in the 200 free (2:12.75) and 29th in the 100 back (1:09.70). Tabbal competed in the 50 free (28.35) and 100 free (1:02.45).

On the men's side, Kristina's brother Lukas and David Kovacs, both sophomores at South, had the area's four top-10 finishes.

Paegle took sixth in the 200 fly (2:07.15) and seventh in the 100 fly (56.56) and was the youngest to make each A Final (and the only one under 18 in the 100 final). He was also 28th in the 50 free (25.04) and swam in the 100 back (1:03.40) and 100 free (56.26).

Kovacs won two B Finals, taking ninth in the 200 back (2:08.85) and 200 IM (2:09.95), and a C Final for 17th in the 100 fly (57.13). He was also 11th in the 100 back (59.41). Ben Buehler from North, via ISC, swam the 100 free (55.31), 200 free (2:05.87) and 200 IM (2:21.53).

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North sophomore Jay Stewart, who trains at Franklin, also had a busy meet. He was 21st in the 100 back (1:01.32), 22nd in the 200 back (2:20.22), 24th in the 100 fly (1:01.58), 28th in the 100 free (55.37), 29th in the 200 free (2:03.72) and 30th in the 50 free (25.24). In addition, he swam legs on all five relays.

And popping in from Delta State with the Lawrence County Aquatics was South grad Paul Gabhart, who swam the prelims in the 50 free (25.43), 100 free (54.54) and 100 fly (57.86) and had legs for four of the club's relays.

Junior Olympics Region 7 Meet

North junior Hadley Lucas had no problem sweeping her three throwing events in the Junior Olympics Region 7 Meet earlier this month at Wabash College in Crawfordsville.

Lucas, competing in the girls' 15-16 age group, won the discus by 17 feet in 149-7, shot put by a foot and a half with a 46-2 and took the hammer throw by a wide margin with a 143-9.

Also winning a title in the same age group was Cougar DeDe Eberle with a long jump of 17-4.

The nationals are in Sacramento, Calif. July 25-30.

Age group golf champs

South junior Happy Gilmore and South senior Nick Bellush were winners in the Age Group State Championships in French Lick.

Bellush won the boys' 17 title by one shot with a 146, bouncing back from a first-round 77 on the Pete Dye Course with a closing 69 on the Donald Ross layout that included a 33 on the back nine. North's Simon Deliyannis tied for 18th at 80-83—163.

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Gilmore had to work only half as hard to win the boys' 16 title. He fired a 69 on the Ross course to settle into first place by two shots, but the second round was rained out, leaving him the champ. Teammate Connor Byon ended up fourth at 73.

Bloomington's Colton Watson tied for 20th in the boys' 14 group with an 89 and North's Darian Lafferty finished 13th in the girls' 16 division. She shot a 100 and was at 84 when weather canceled the rest of the second round.

On Monday and Tuesday, Gilmore competed in the U.S. Amateur Qualifier in Chesterton and fired a 71-72—143 to tie for 12th. He and a junior from Glen Ellyn, Ill. were the youngest players in the top 15.

IU's Mitch Davis won by a shot in his hometown with a 71-67—138.

At the PGA Junior Championship at Rock Hollow in Peru last Thursday and Friday, Bellush tied for 21st (73-79—152), and Byon tied for 46th (79-81—160).

Deliyannis went on to won the first flight of the Men's Bloomington City Golf Tournament, downing Seth Stanik in the final on Sunday, 4 and 3.

More love for JQ

North senior basketball standout JaQualon Roberts continued to add to his stack of offers this month, hearing from Ball State, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech and West Virginia. That follows IUPUI, Northern Illinois, Iowa, Butler, UMass, Marquette, Stetson, Akron, Bradley, Indiana, Evansville and Ball State.

On Aug. 12-14, Roberts will appear in the KG Elite 24 Camp at Lawrence Central.

Sponsored by former LC and Virginia star Kyle Guy, it brings together 20 of the best players in the state plus four 'underdogs' for a three-day camp with Guy, NBA and G League coaches and scouts.

The camp will also include Linton's Joey Hart, Southport's Nickens Lemba and Jaron Tibbs and Xavier Booker from 4A state champ Cathedral, along with Logan Imes, Joey Brown, Zane Doughty, Cooper Farrall, Markus Burton, Sam Orme, David Meriwether, Dylan Moles, Garwey Dual, Myles Colvin, Jake Davis, Anthony Ball, Nick Richart, Sheridan Sharp, Ashton Williamson, Cade Brenner, Jermaine Coleman, Mason Jones and Brandon Trilli.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Lucas, Gilmore, Paegle add to medal hauls during summer contests