Seven members of the Emporia High girls swimming and diving team will travel to Topeka today to begin the State meet, and the way coach Bob Yevak sees it, the girls are as ready as they’ll ever be.
“They’re ready, they’re loose,” Yevak said. “I think our girls will drop a bunch of times. Whether that’s enough to get a second swim, I just won’t know until it happens.”
Hilary Larson leads the Lady Spartan delegation to the Hummer Sports Park Natatorium in Topeka, having qualified in four events altogether — individually in the 200- and 500-yard freestyle and as part of the the 200-freestyle and 400-freestyle relay squads.
Yevak said Larson’s best chance to make it to Saturday’s part of the meet most likely would be in the 500 freestyle.
All three EHS relay squads qualified for the State meet — the 200-freestyle relay, the 400-freestyle relay and the medley relay.
Larson, Caitlin McGuire, Whitney Starr and Jennie Loucks will team up for the 200 relay; Larson, McGuire, Starr and Kathryn Scherich will make up the 400 relay team; and McGuire, Starr, Morgan Goad and Scherich will comprise the medley relay squad.
McGuire also has qualified in the 100 individual freestyle and Goad made it in the 100-yard backstroke.
Cali Schelling will make the trip as an alternate in all three relays.
The top times from today’s swims will make up the finals and the consolation swims on Saturday.
“We’re not seeded very well in any of the relays ... and we’ll need to drop a few seconds to get second swims,” Yevak said. “We have nowhere to go but up.
“There’s a lot of ifs going into this, but our girls won’t be nervous about it. They’ll all be ready to go.”