Having strong swimmers at the top of the lineup is great, but sometimes it’s the people picking up those stealth points behind the winners that make a difference.
Whiteland’s boys managed to pick off enough second- and third-place finishes to edge Indian Creek 137-133 in a three-way meet with Greenwood.
The Braves topped the host Warriors in the girls meet, 135-115.
Indian Creek’s boys took first in seven of the 12 events, but the Warriors were victorious in the other five and stole the meet in large part by claiming third in each of the final four events — including a pair of relays.
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“I knew it was going to be neck-and-neck, and I knew it was going to come down to that last relay,” Whiteland coach Marci Whitford said. “It’s just one of those super fun meets that you’re just excited and you hope for the best.”
Brenden Gough paced Whiteland with individual wins in the 200- and 500-yard freestyles, and he also helped the Warriors win the 200 freestyle relay. Collin Barton (diving) and Wyatt Sell (100 breaststroke) also had first-place finishes.
On the girls side, it was the Braves that used the edge in depth to take control late. Consecutive 1-2 finishes in the 100 backstroke and 100 breaststroke helped clinch the win.
Lexi Wilhoit was a winner for Indian Creek in the 50 freestyle and the 100 backstroke, and she was also a part of two winning relays (200 medley, 200 freestyle). Payton Allison (500 freestyle) and Lori McCormick (100 breaststroke) also scored individual victories.
“Everything lines up well for us right now,” Indian Creek coach Brad Smith said of his girls. “Everything fits and all the fingers go in the right spots in the glove for us to have a good solid lineup.”
Indian Creek’s boys had a pair of individual winners. Tucker Brock placed first individually in the 200 individual medley and 100 butterfly, and Chase Smith earned a victory in the 50 freestyle, edging Whiteland’s Sam Walls by a hundredth of a second, then took first in the 100 freestyle.
That pair also teamed with Nolan Reed and Mac Ratzlaff to win the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays. Reed added a victory in the 100 backstroke.
Whiteland’s girls got individual wins from Grace Fisher, who set a school record in the 200 IM, as well as Avery Herring (200 freestyle) and Addison Daily (100 freestyle).
Faith Jackson (diving) and Grace Nuhfer (100 butterfly) scored first-place finishes for the Greenwood girls, who finished with 77 points. The Woodmen had 55 points in the boys meet.
