2024 Girls IHSAA State Championship: Carmel Looking to Extend Record Win Streak to 38

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 Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) is hosting their Girls Swimming and Diving State Championship this weekend at the legendary IUPUI Natatorium in Indianapolis. All the relevant information is linked in the meet info section above, including the live stream link (which is a pay-per-view event), psych sheet, and prelims heat sheet.

Carmel High School has been historically dominant in the IHSAA, having won 37-straight girls state titles, which is a national record for largest consecutive high win streak. That being said, while it does definitely look like Carmel is going to extend their streak to 38 years, it also appears this Carmel team is going to score significantly less than the 498 points they put up last year. A big reason for that is Carmel hasn’t entered a 200 free relay for this meet, rather they’re only entered in the 200 medley and 400 free relays. The reason for that is Carmel’s 200 free relay was disqualified at their Sectional meet, which is the IHSAA state qualifying meet, last week. On top of that, Carmel also has one less individual swimming entry (23) than last year (24).

Now, that’s not to paint paint a negative picture of Carmel heading into this meet at all, they’re still overwhelmingly likely to win. Most of the commentary on this team not being quite as good as last year’s is simply due to last year’s Carmel team being arguably their best ever. It was a team that scored the most points ever (498), had the biggest margin of victory ever (265), won 10 events, set 5 state records and broke 2 National HS Records. Of course, that team also had a fantastic senior class, which was led by Berit Berglund, who is currently ranked 5th in the NCAA this season in the 100 back as a freshman at Texas. Berglund, Vivian Wilson (now Arizona State), Keira Kask (now Purdue), and Erin Cummins (now Indiana State) combined for a whopping 133 individual points. Those are swimmers who are hard to replace in just one year.

Carmel is obviously still stacked with star power, including the likes of Alex Shackell, Lynsey Bowen, and Molly Sweeney. That trio of swimmers each won both of their individual events last year and set an IHSAA state record. Shackell won the 50 free (21.93) and 100 fly (50.89) cracking the state records in both events. Bowen won the 200 free (1:45.49) and 500 free (4:42.81), setting a record in the 500. Sweeney won the 200 IM (1:56.82) and the 100 breast (59.78) and set the state record in prelims of the 200 IM (1:55.88). Of note, Sweeney was just a freshman last year when she did that. Both Shackell and Bowen are juniors this year.

Bowen and Sweeney are sticking with their events from last year and, as the defending champions in those events, should be viewed as the favorites. Sweeney is seeded 3rd in the 200 IM with a 2:01.14 but that time is pretty deceptive if you don’t have the context, as she went her career best of 1:54.58 at the Speedo Winter Junior Championships – East almost two months ago to the day. While, Bowen and Sweeney are sticking with their events, Shackell had a little bot of the a shakeup. She’s still in the 100 fly, however, she’s now switched from the 50 free to the 100 back following the graduation of Berglund. Shackell is the top seed in the 100 back, already having gone 52.65 this season, which is also her personal best.

Outside of Carmel, Wawasee junior Julie Mishler is looking like she’ll be one of the stars of the meet. Last year, Mishler came in 3rd in the 50 free (22.88) and 3rd in the 100 free (50.16). She has been on an impressive improvement track over the last two-ish years, now holding a personal best of 21.87 in the 50 free, which she swam at the Winter Junior Championships – East two months ago. That time makes her the #4 performer all-time in the US in the 15-16 girls age group. Mishler is the top seed in the 50 free coming into the meet with a 22.24. She’s also seeded 2nd in the 100 back (54.53) behind Shackell. Her personal best in the 100 back is a 53.66 from the Winter Junior Champs two months ago.

While Sweeney is surely the favorite in the 100 breast this weekend, Valparaiso sophomore Madeline Moreth is another swimmer to keep an eye on in that race. Moreth, at this point, is strictly a breaststroker but she’s a phenomenal one. She’s seeded 2nd at 1:02.22 but has a personal best of 1:01.58, which she swam at the Winter Junior Championships two months ago.

Penn senior Lily Christianson is another sprint ace in this meet. The NC State recruit is seeded 2nd in the 50 free with a 22.66. She’s been as fast as 22.02 in her career, a time which she swam for 2nd at last year’s state meet. Christianson won the 100 free at last year’s meet with a 48.59 and holds a personal best in that event of  48.57. She’s seeded 2nd in the 100 free with her HS season best of 49.92, while Center Grove senior Lara Phipps (Purdue recruit) is top seed with her career best of 49.69.

Audrey Crawford, a Hamilton Southeastern senior and Auburn recruit, is one more swimmer to keep an eye on this weekend. Crawford is the top seed in the 200 IM, coming in with a 1:59.97. She swam her personal best of 1:59.77 at last year’s IHSAA State Championship. Crawford is also the #3 seed in the 100 fly with a 53.87. She went 53.56 at last year’s meet.