Alex Shackell Posts 50.57 State Record In 100 Fly During IHSAA Prelims (Full Recap)

2024 IHSAA GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

• Prelims: Friday, February 9, 2024
• Finals: Saturday, February 10, 2024
• IUPUI Natatorium, Indianapolis, IN
• SCY (25 yards)
• Meet Page
• Live Stream (pay-per-view)
• Psych Sheet
• Prelims Heat Sheet

The preliminary session of the 2024 IHSAA Girls Swimming and Diving State Championships took place this evening. Hosted at the IU Natatorium at IUPUI, the Carmel girls will be seeking their 38th consecutive State Championship during tomorrow’s finals. Chris Plumb, the coach at Carmel, is seeking his 18th straight title. Saturday’s finals will start at 1pm Eastern Time.

Carmel junior and World Championship silver medalist Alex Shackell featured in two individual events today. Her first was the 100 fly, where she hit the wall in 50.57, shattering her state record (50.89) from last year. She took the race out strong, splitting 23.59 on the first 50 before closing in 26.98. See a split comparison below, comparing her swim from today, her previous state record, and her personal best time.

Splits Comparison:

Shackell later qualified 1st for the 100 back final, posting a best time of 52.00 to clear the field by a full second. The state record sits at 51.50, which former Carmel swimmer Berit Berglund put on the books back in 2022, so watch for that mark tomorrow.

In addition to her individual events, Shackell helped Carmel qualify 1st for tomorrow’s 200 medley relay final (1:41.25). She split 22.72 on the fly leg, with teammates Grace Dougherty (26.51), Molly Sweeney (27.55), and Lillian Clark (24.47) featuring on the back, breast, and free legs.

Lynsey Bowen, another Carmel junior, claimed two top seeds during today’s prelim session. She first claimed the top spot in the 200 free (1:46.40), before clocking in 4:44.85 in the 500 free later in the day. She is the defending champion in both events, and holds the state record in the 500 free (4:42.81) from last year. Bowen is notably a World Junior Champion, having helped Team USA to gold in the 4×200 free relay back at Junior Worlds in September. Following her performances at Junior Worlds, she announced her intent to swim at the University of Florida in 2025.

Carmel sophomore Molly Sweeney also claimed the top seed in two events, and she is the defending champ in both events as well. She first stopped the clock in 1:57.05 to clear the 200 IM field by over three seconds, before posting a top seeded effort of 1:00.42 in the 100 breast.

Sweeney set the state record (1:55.88) in the 200 IM last year, so that is a mark to keep an eye on tomorrow.

One of the biggest swims of the day took place in the 50 freestyle, where Wawasee junior Julie Mishler hit the wall in 21.97. Her time was just off the state record, which Alex Shackell set last year en route to winning the event (21.93). Mishler clocked a 3rd place finish last year, posting a time of 22.88.

She owns a best time of 21.87 in the event, which she recorded at the Winter Juniors (East) meet in December. She also recently committed to swim at the University of Louisville, where she is slated to make an immediate impact in 2025.

While Shackell isn’t swimming that race this year, Penn High School’s Lilian Christianson is lurking after a 22.29 for 2nd in prelims. Christianson, an NC State commit, has a best of 22.02.

Penn claimed the top seed for tomorrow’s 200 free relay, posting a time of 1:33.48. They entered the meet as the 3rd seed, but the foursome of Kaia Podlin (23.36), Alayna Riggins (24.16), Molly Barnes (23.75), and Lilian Christianson (22.21) cut 1.54 seconds off their entry time. Center Grove qualified 2nd, while Fishers ranks 3rd heading into tomorrow.

The final event on the program was the 400 free relay, where Carmel cruised to the top seed. Shackell was notably not present during today’s prelim swim, but will most likely feature tomorrow. Carmel was well represented in today’s prelim swim regardless, as the squad of Lynsey Bowen (50.92), Sophia Floyd (51.48), Alexandra Ward (51.21), and Kayla Barr (51.32) combined for a time of 3:24.93. They lead the field by over two seconds heading into tomorrow’s final.