Allie Lacy does not particularly enjoy being put on the spot in front of people.
Class presentations? No thanks. Interview with the local newspaper? She’d rather not.
But for some reason, the Franklin sophomore is not as bothered by being the center of attention when it comes to swimming. Any nervous energy she might feel gets channeled differently once she gets up on that starting block.
"Her pride is great, and that causes her to be able to do some great things, because she’s somebody that would rather perish than to not succeed," Grizzly Cubs coach Zach DeWitt said. "Sometimes, speaking in front of others in a Spanish project or an activity like that, it causes her great anxiety. But for some reason, here, she’s able to be a little bit more free — but she never throws away her pride, that’s for sure. Being successful is really important to her, and you can see that when there’s a deadline looming or the big moment’s there."
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Lacy proved that true in the biggest moments of her freshman season. She won sectional championships in the 200-yard individual medley and the 100-yard backstroke, then turned around and scored in three events at the state meet, earning medals in the 200 medley relay (third) and 400 freestyle relay (seventh). Individually, she was 10th in the IM and just missed out on scoring in the backstroke by less than a quarter of a second.
As impressive as her debut on that stage was, Lacy won’t be satisfied with the same results next February.
"I’m definitely trying to set the expectations higher," she said. "I want to place higher at state this year. It’s going to look a lot different, and I know that, and I’m trying to be prepared for whatever unknowns there are this season."
Swimmers have had to navigate plenty of unknowns since the pandemic hit in March — going about two months without being able to get in the water at all and then dealing with very strict protocols once practices resumed. Lacy said she was "really out of shape" when she returned to the pool in late spring and is just now starting to feel like herself.
The training cycle isn’t the only thing that’s been disrupted. The few club meets that took place this summer and fall either had no fans at all or very restricted crowds. Franklin has detailed plans in place for its home meets this winter, but they certainly won’t look like they have in the past, either in terms of crowds or how they’re run.Â
"Finally going back to school and having practice after school made me feel normal again," Lacy said, "but there’s so many things that are new, like the mask — having to wear a mask behind the block at a swim meet."
DeWitt said that COVID-19 threw Lacy off more than most at first, because while all swimmers are creatures of habit and routine, she thrives off of the pressure of deadlines more than most — and with nothing going on, there were no deadlines to prepare for.
As practices resumed and the picture came into clearer focus, however, Lacy has made up the difference.
"She’s one of the most coachable athletes that I’ve had the pleasure of coaching," DeWitt said, "so if the game is laid out in front of her like that and one explains how to beat the game, so to speak, she’s incredibly good at that."
Provided the high school season proceeds as planned and there are no major interruptions, Lacy feels confident that she can clear the high bar she’s setting for herself. She’s hoping to get back to state in the IM and the backstroke and crack the top eight in both events.
On a team where seniors Kabria Chapman and Gracey Payne — both Division I college recruits who have already notched top-three state finishes — are still the headline acts, Lacy won’t necessarily be under the microscope yet. But she’ll be a vital cog in the machine if Franklin is to repeat or improve on last season’s third-place state finish.
"She might score more points than all of them," DeWitt said. "Out of her two events, if you look at her (56.7 backstroke in the sectional) from last year, it was only .3 out of making the top eight — she just didn’t swim it at the right time. A lot of times it’s not what you can go, it’s when you can go that time.
"If she can go that time, and I think that’s certainly within the realm of possibility, she can be a top-eight girl in both events."
Which should put Lacy in a better mood for the post-meet interviews she won’t really want to do.
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Center Grove Trojans
Coach: Jim Todd
Last season: Second at county and sectional meets, third in Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference
Top returnees: Jessica Holland, Jillian Mitchell and Devin Trammell, seniors; Grace DeLuna, sophomore
Outlook: Todd expects a large freshman class to make an impact — at least once the bulk of it gets out of quarantine in a few days. In the meantime, he’ll count on a senior class led by Arkansas-Little Rock recruit Trammell to hold the fort alongside DeLuna, who qualified for state as a freshman. The Trojans may not have the top-end firepower to challenge Franklin for county and sectional titles just yet, but their depth should keep them ahead of everyone else again.
Franklin Grizzly Cubs
Coach: Zach DeWitt
Last season: Won county, Mid-State Conference and sectional championships; finished third at state meet
Top returnees: Kabria Chapman, Grace Fisher, Lillian Lacy and Gracey Payne, seniors; Alea Hensley and Paige Lawrence, juniors; Allie Lacy, sophomore
Key newcomers: Jenna Newton, junior; Jenna Miller, sophomore; Chloe Thaine, freshman
Outlook: The Grizzly Cubs lost some sprint depth with the graduation of Bella Ratzlaff and Lucy Ho, but they’ve still got a trio of surefire state-meet scorers in Chapman, Payne and Lacy. DeWitt hopes that Thaine can be an immediate contributor and Hensley and Lawrence can take a leap forward to make an imprint on the state level as well. The individual stars should be enough to net Franklin another top-10 state finish; if the supporting cast can help fill out the relay spots, nothing (except Carmel, of course) is out of reach.
Greenwood Woodmen
Coach: Ray Onisko and Brooke Thompson
Last season: Fourth in county, Mid-State Conference and sectional meets; tied for 32nd at state
Top returnees: Alayna Kenworthy and Grace Nuhfer, seniors; Charlie Graves and Madison Peckinpaugh, juniors; Maddie Johnson and Naomi Weaver, sophomores
Key newcomers: Corey Bentz and Hailey Peckinpaugh, freshmen
Outlook: The Woodmen return the bulk of the nucleus from last year’s team, which got some state points from Nuhfer in the butterfly. The Akron recruit plans to challenge for a podium spot in the butterfly, and the hope is that fellow state qualifier Kenworthy and a couple of relay teams can help add to the point total there. Greenwood doesn’t have the depth to match the likes of Center Grove, but its top-end talent should be able to make some postseason waves.
Key newcomers:Â
Outlook: T
Greenwood Christian Cougars
Coach: Paul Ziegler
Last season: 10th at sectional
Top returnee: Sarah Ziegler, junior
Outlook: The Cougars have just one swimmer, but she should be a pretty good one. Ziegler posted top-six sectional finishes last year in the 200 free and 100 butterfly, and she’s hoping to improve upon those placings this time around, when she’ll be in the fly and the 500 free.
Indian Creek Braves
Coach: Brad Smith
Last season: Fifth at county, ninth at sectional
Top returnee: Chelsea Tanner, sophomore
Key newcomers: Mia Greene and Ella Taylor, freshmen
Outlook: Smith says has a wealth of talented eighth-graders ready to rejuvenate his program a year from now, but the Braves will be lean this winter. Tanner may end up getting some help, but likely not enough for Indian Creek to put any relay teams together. The best bet for success in the near term is on the diving board with freshmen Greene and Taylor. Smith says that Taylor in particular could compete for a state berth right away.
Whiteland Warriors
Coach: Alec DeWitt
Last season: Third at county, Mid-State Conference and sectional meets
Top returnees: Addison Daily, Kennedy Garrett and Avery Herring, seniors; Haley Achs, Amelia Edens, Sydney Hall, Karina Lopez and Gwen Prellis, sophomores
Outlook: DeWitt believes he has the best girls team in school history, one that he expects to clear the entire record board. The Warriors sent a relay to state for the first time last year; the hope this winter is to qualify multiple relays and some individuals. Daily, Herring and Edens should account for the bulk of the scoring as Whiteland tries to push Center Grove for runner-up honors at the county and sectional meets.
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