Valley wins inaugural girls, boys INSC meets

Smith breaks 100 fly record dating back to 1988, also breaks 50 free mark

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Tippecanoe Valley won the inaugural girls and boys Indiana Northern State Conference swimming meets at the Valley pool Saturday.

Valley scored 112 points in the girls meet to top the four-team field. Runner-up Bremen had 87 points.

Valley individual champions included Bailey Gaerte, who went 1-2 with teammate Alexis Elliott in diving; and Bailey Anderson, who went 1-2 in the 100 freestyle with teammate Claire Haney in the 100 freestyle.

The 200 freestyle relay team consisting of Anderson, Mya Drudge, Maris Overbey and Haney also prevailed.

Valley also scored 86 points to win the boys title. Runner-up Bremen had 83 points.

Senior Marcus Smith broke school records in both the 100 butterfly, in which his time of 50.56 seconds won the conference title and broke Scott Beery’s record dating back to 1988, and the 50 freestyle, in which he swam a 21.33 on the opening leg of the 200 freestyle relay to break 2024 grad Carson Parker’s mark.

Smith also won the open 50 freestyle in 21.87 seconds.

Smith’s 100 butterfly time means that every Valley swimming record has been broken since 2023. The only records that remain before that time are Trenton Newsome’s marks for six and 11 dives.

Other Valley conference champions include Isaac Whetstone, who took the 100 and 200 freestyles; Gavin Leininger, who won diving unopposed; and Tucker Whetstone, who swam a 5:21.58 in the 500 freestyle to beat the field by 27 seconds.

Smith, Aaden Bowers, Tucker Whetstone and Isaac Whetstone teamed up to win both the 200 freestyle relay in 1:30.68 and the 400 freestyle relay in 3:21.97.

In addition to Valley and Bremen, Knox and Jimtown also have teams; John Glenn and LaVille do not.

INSC girls results: TIPPECANOE VALLEY 112, Bremen 87, Knox 76, Jimtown 19

Scoring on 7-5-4-3-2-1 basis for individual events and 14-10-8-6 basis for relays

Winners plus all Valley results

200 medley relay

1. Bremen (Sahloff, Welborn, VanVuren, Byrd) – 2:09.82, 2. Valley (Sophia Becker, Mya Drudge, Malia Kreft, Claire Haney) – 2:19.37, 4. Valley (Cassie Rich, Nadine Kessels, Maris Overbey, Briley Lowe) – 2:43.02

200 freestyle

1. Redden (KNOX) – 2:12.81, 3. Mya Drudge (TV) – 2:24.92, 5. McKenna Lowe (TV) – 2:36.42

200 individual medley

1. Byrd (BRE) – 2:40.32, 2. Cassie Rich (TV) – 2:54.06, 4. Maris Overbey (TV) – 3:23.26

50 freestyle

1. VanVuren (BRE) – 27.24 seconds, 3. Bailey Anderson (TV) – 28.39, 4. Claire Haney (TV) – 28.45

Diving

1. Bailey Gaerte (TV) – 153.20 points, 2. Alexis Elliott (TV) – 140.35

100 butterfly

1. VanVuren (BRE) – 1:06.24, 3. Cassie Rich (TV) – 1:24.41, 5. Malia Kreft (TV) – 1:37.43

100 freestyle

1. Bailey Anderson (TV) – 1:03.22, 2. Claire Haney (TV) – 1:05.72

500 freestyle

1. Redden (KNOX) – 6:07.79, 4. McKenna Lowe (TV) – 7:05.59

200 freestyle relay

1. Valley (Bailey Anderson, Mya Drudge, Maris Overbey, Claire Haney) – 1:57.26, 2. Valley (Sophia Becker, Nadine Kessels, Briley Lowe, Cassie Rich) – 2:15.42

100 backstroke

1. Sahloff (BRE) – 1:08.05, 4. Malia Kreft (TV) – 1:25.28, DQ. Sophia Becker (TV)

100 breaststroke

1. Brackman (KNOX) – 1:23.88, 4. Mya Drudge (TV) – 1:30.85, 5. Nadine Kessels (TV) – 1:38.64

400 freestyle relay

1. Bremen (VanVuren, Welborn, Sahloff, Byrd) – 4:19.16, 2. Valley (Bailey Anderson, McKenna Lowe, Maris Overbey, Malia Kreft) – 4:36.70

INSC boys results: TIPPECANOE VALLEY 86, Bremen 83, Knox 70, Jimtown 45

Scoring on 7-5-4-3-2-1 basis for individual events and 14-10-8-6 basis for relays

Winners plus all Valley results

200 medley relay

1. Knox (Beever, Miller, Skelly, Wallsmith) – 1:57.87

200 freestyle

1. Isaac Whetstone (TV) – 1:45.36, 2. Aaden Bowers (TV) – 2:02.59

200 individual medley

1. Hoogenboom (JIM) – 2:08.58, 2. Tucker Whetstone (TV) – 2:10.73

50 freestyle

1. Marcus Smith (TV) – 21.87 seconds, 6. Gavin Leininger (TV) – 33.93

Diving

1. Gavin Leininger (TV) – 179.65 points

100 butterfly

1. Marcus Smith (TV) – 50.56 seconds

100 freestyle

1. Isaac Whetstone (TV) – 46.43 seconds

500 freestyle

1. Tucker Whetstone (TV) – 5:21.58

200 freestyle relay

1. Valley (Marcus Smith, Isaac Whetstone, Aaden Bowers, Tucker Whetstone) – 1:30.68

100 backstroke

1. Hoogenboom (JIM) – 56.05 seconds, 2. Aaden Bowers (TV) – 1:02.52

100 breaststroke

1. Grove (BRE) – 1:07.49

400 freestyle relay

1. Valley (Marcus Smith, Aaden Bowers, Tucker Whetstone, Isaac Whetstone) – 3:21.97