Bloomington South, North bring everyone back for boys' swim sectional finals

This year's boys swimming sectional was moved to a new pool but both Bloomington North and South were as dominant as they've ever been.

Each program loaded up for the finals by bringing back all 24 individual swims to go along with their six relays for Saturday's finals, making themselves right at home at East Central in Thursday's preliminaries.

The top eight in each event come back for the A Finals and South claimed 13 spots in those races and North 12. East Central brings 20 back with 12 in the A Finals. All three Panthers made the A Final in the butterfly and North did the same in the breaststroke. No Edgewood swimmers made the top 16.

Saturday's finals get started with diving at 9 a.m. with swimming at 1 p.m. The winners and those who meet the state standard advance to the state finals.

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South's effort was led by sophomore David Kovacs, who was the top qualifier in the backstroke at 52.01 and the 200 individual medley in 1:56.41, five seconds faster than his nearest foe. South also had the top times in the 200 medley relay (1:39.29) and 400 freestyle relay (3:23.17) and was third in the 200 free relay.

Sophomore Lukas Paegle was the area's top qualifier in the 50 free, third in 22.28 and he was second in the fly (52.95), where Botund Kun took sixth and Gabriel Arthur eighth, moving up from an 11th seed with a three-second drop. Kun was also No. 2 in the 500 free (4:55.36). Leo Nelson had a four-second PR in the 200 IM to go from ninth to seventh. Leo Friedman made a great run at the A Final in the 500 with a 13-second PR to 5:11.28 but came up .3 short of eighth.

North grabbed four No. 1 spots, led by a special performance from junior Jeremiah Broshears, who sat out last year after making it to state on a call-up from sectional in the breast. He returned mid-season and stormed off the blocks with a five-second season PR of 59.20 (not far off his best of 58.30) to take first over Dylan Thomas of Milan by .44. Hunter Tang was fourth and William Foley took sixth, up from a ninth seed, with a three-second PR.

The Cougars went 1-2 in the 100 free behind Ben Buehler (47.21) and Ben Dixon (47.90). Dixon was also the top finisher in the 200 free in 1:48.09, with three others under 1:50. Sophomore Jay Stewart was first in the fly with a 51.08.

Jack Steiner is fourth in the 50 free and Ty Mayer is fourth in the 500 free. In the back, North's William Whitaker was an 11th seed at 1:01.95 but flew to a 58.71 for seventh.

North's relays were second in the medley, fourth in the 200 free and fifth in the 400 free.

Joshua Kohne had Edgewood's highest finish, taking 18th in the 500 free.

EAST CENTRAL SECTIONAL PRELIMINARIES

Top eight make A Final, next eight to B Final

Teams: Bloomington North, Bloomington South, Edgewood, Batesville, Columbus East, Columbus North, East Central, Greensburg, Lawrenceburg, Milan, Oldenburg Academy, Rising Sun, South Dearborn, South Ripley.

50 freestyle: 1. Ayden Ketchem, EC, 21.50 2; Henry Strotman, EC, 22.18; 3. Lukas Paegle, BS, 22.28; 4. Jack Steiner, BN, 22.34. (9. Gabriel Arthur, BS, 22.97; 10. Walter Harvey, BN, 23.52; 12. Clive Earle, BS, 23.82; 13. Landon Mobley, BN, 23.84). 24. Joshua Kohne, Edg, 25.39; 30. Cohen Bell, Edg, 27.49.

100 freestyle: 1. Ben Buehler, BN, 47.21; 2. Ben Dixon, BN, 47.90; 3. William Johnson, Bate, 49.01; 4. Kaden Cummins, EC, 49.05; 6. Carter Warren, BS, 50.12. (13. Mobley, BN, 52.42; 14. Tyler Peterson, BS, 52.65; 16. Connor Schmeckebier, BS, 53.47). 27. Matthew Phillips, Edg, 1:10.60; 30. Bell, Edg, 1:03.40.

200 freestyle: 1. Dixon, BN, 1:48.09; 2. Judah Nickoll, CE, 1:48.25; 3. Cummins, EC, 1:48.37; 4. Jude Abdullah, CN, 1:49.55; 6. Peterson, BS, 1:51.83; 7. Kian Kadlec, BS, 1:52.12. (9. Charles Weida, BN, 1:53.85; 10. Leo Friedman, BS, 1:54.63; 12. Ty Mayer, BN, 1:56.84).

500 freestyle: 1. Brady Beyer, CE, 4:48.40; 2. Botund Kun, BS, 4:55.36; 3. Keaton Stephenson, CE, 5:01.69; 4. Mayer, BN, 5:01.90; 5. Kadlec, BS, 5:06.27; 7. Ty Madeira, BN, 5:07.69. (9. Friedman, BS, 5:11.28; 11. Jacen Madeira, BN, 5:17.29). 18. Kohne, Edg, 5:39.46.

100 backstroke: 1. David Kovacs, BS, 52.01; 2. Nickoll, CE, 54.21; 3. Prathamesh Badve, CN, 55.06; 4. Ketchem, EC, 55.65; 7. William Whitaker, BN, 58.71. (9. Alex Madeira, BN, 1:00.11; 10. Warren, BS, 1:00.18; 11. Rice Laughlin, BS, 1:01.52; 12. Evan Fons, BN, 1:02.23).

100 breaststroke: 1. Jeremiah Boshears, bN, 59.20; 2. Dylan Thomas, Mil, 59.64; 3. Beyer, CE, 59.93; 4. Hunter Tang, BN, 1:01.98; 5. Leo Nelson, BS, 1:02.01; 6. William Foley, BN, 1:02.03. (13. Aiden Halloran, BS, 1:06.58; 16. Caleb Oliver, BS, 1:09.46). 20. Phillips, Edg, 1:13.04.

100 butterfly: 1. Jay Stewart, BN, 51.08; 2. Paegle, BS, 52.95; 3. Kyle Goodwin, EC, 53.62; 4. Mikhail Machavariani, CE, 54.51; 6. Kun, BS, 56.57; 8. Arthur, BS, 57.26. (14. Tyler Gentry, BN, 59.81; 16. A.Madeira, BN, 1:01.90).

200 individual medley: 1. Kovacs, BS, 1:56.41; 2. Thomas, Mil, 2:01.50; 3. Machavariani, CE, 2:02.11; 4. Jerry Hundley, CE, 2:05.61; 6. Luke Miller, BN, 2:07.08; 7. Nelson, BS, 2:07.12. (13. J.Madeira, BN, 2:11.44; 15. Laughlin, BS, 2:13.77; 16. Leo Wang, BN, 2:15.34).

200 medley relay: 1. Bloomington South (Kovacs, Nelson, Paegle, Arthur), 1:39.29; 2. Bloomington North (Whitaker, Boshears, Stewart, Steiner), 1:39.59; 3. Columbus East, 1:40.32; 4. Columbus North, 1:42.95.

200 freestyle relay: 1. East Central, 1:33.25; 2. Batesville, 1:34.64; 3. Bloomington South (Arthur, Peterson, Earle, Nelson), 1:34.94; 4. Bloomington North (Miller, Wyatt Post, Mobley, Weida), 1:35.03.

400 freestyle relay: 1. Bloomington South (Kovacs, Paegle, Peterson, Kun), 3:23.17; 2. East Central, 3:25.08; 3. Columbus East, 3:25.30; 4. Greensburg, 3:34.07; 5. Bloomington North (Wang, Fons, Samuel Reafsnyder, Mayer), 3:35.67.

Contact Jim Gordillo at jgordillo@heraldt.com or 812-331-4381 and follow on Twitter @JimGordillo.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Bloomington South, North bring all back for boys swim sectional finals