No. 26 Girls' Swimming & Diving captures eighth-straight Sectional championship

By Drew Sandifer

The No. 26 Brownsburg Girls' Swimming & Diving team won their eighth consecutive Sectional Championship on Feb. 6, winning [blank] individual titles in the process. Brownsburg won with 544 points, outlasting No. 11 Pike, who finished with 439 points. Brebeuf rounded out the top three teams with 342 points.

Early in the morning, Emma Wolf earned Brownsburg's first victory of the day, cruising to a Sectional Diving title with a school-record 472.35 points. Brooklee Brandt finished second with 315.70 points. Both will be advancing to the Diving Regionals on Feb. 9.

The 200 Medley Relay team of Maria Gutzweiler, Leah Kingery, Annika Schaekel and Margie Miller started the Swimming Sectional off with a bang, earning a win and a school record, finishing two seconds ahead of the Pike relay. Senior Rory Smith earned the first individual Sectional title of the day with a time of 1:59.00 in the 200 Free. Gutzweiler followed up her fellow senior's win with a victory and new school record in the 50 Free with a time of 24.09.

Miller continued her winning ways in the 100-yard event with a time of 53.65 seconds. Erin Haycox completed the Brownsburg sweep of Freestyle events, finishing first in the 500-yard heat with a time of 5:22.49. Miller, Schaekel, Smith and Gutzweiler continued the Bulldogs' string of first-place finishes with a win and school record in the 200 Free Relay, finishing just 0.14 seconds ahead of the second-place team. While a pair of Pike swimmers brought the event closer, Brownsburg's 400 Free Relay team of Miller, Schaekel, Smith and Haycox slammed the door with a winning time of 3:41.18.

All swimmers who earned sectional titles will advance to the State Finals at the Indiana University Natatorium on Feb. 12 and 13.