North Vermillion High School Athletics

The North Vermillion Swim Team competed in the preliminaries of the Wabash River Conference Meet on Thursday, January 23rd. The Falcons advanced 9 individuals and 6 relays to the WRC Finals on Saturday, marking their strongest showing in the finals since January 21, 2013. Back then, Falcons lineups were headlined by swimmers like Katie Byrum, Kayla Holliday, Ethan Hughes, Jon Bemis, Tyler Scott, Riley Chew, Kirsten Little, and Kaleb Hill. Now, NV’s lineup features Seniors John Clay, Owen Hazelwood, and Payton Russell, Juniors Austin Ball, Brandon Miller, Sophomores Emery Strubinger, Riley Smith, Chloe Doan, Gabby Phelps, Abby Poole, and Dylan Lamb and Freshman Marki Chambliss, Brady Dryer and Taylor Norton. The three seniors on the Falcons Swim Team were in kindergarten the last time NV was so well-represented on the Saturday portion of the WRC Meet. This year’s prelims were filled with standout performances and personal bests, positioning the Falcons for a strong showing at the finals. Results from WRC Prelims: 200 Freestyle: - Brandon Miller: Swam a time of 2:32.90, earning the position of 1st alternate for the finals. - Dylan Lamb: Finished with a time of 3:09.40. 50 Freestyle: - Riley Smith: Set a personal record with a time of 31.25, finishing as the 1st alternate. - Marki Chambliss: Placed 10th with a time of 33.63. - Abigail Pool: Completed the race in 53.01. - Austin Ball: Qualified for the finals(seeded 4th) with a personal record of 26.65. - Brady Dryer: Clocked in at 30.04, placing 9th. 100 Freestyle: - Gabbi Phelps: Finished 9th with a time of 1:20.05. - Austin Ball: Qualified as the 5th seed for the finals with a time of 1:03.36. - John Clay: Narrowly missed qualification with a time of 1:06.30, earning the position of 1st alternate. - Payton Russell: Placed 10th with a personal best of 1:16.06. 100 Backstroke: - Riley Smith: Became the first NV girl swimmer to qualify for WRC Finals since Alex Ball in 2018, with a personal best of 1:25.30, earning the 3rd seed. - Chloe Doan: Qualified 6th with a personal record of 1:34.34. - Emery Strubinger: Placed 3rd in prelims with a time of 1:13.26, a personal record. Emery became the first swimmer at NVHS to advance to the WRC Finals since 2018 during last season. - Payton Russell: Despite falling to 7th after a competitor dropped 9 seconds, Payton swam a personal best of 1:22.47 and will serve as the 1st alternate. 100 Breaststroke: - Taylor Norton: Swam a 1:55.52, earning the position of 1st alternate. - Owen Hazelwood: One of NV's 3 seniors this season, secured his spot in the finals with a personal best of 1:35.81. 200 IM: - Brady Dryer: Automatically advanced to the finals. 100 Fly: - Marki Chambliss: Automatically advanced to the finals. - John Clay: Automatically advanced, with Brandon Miller serving as his alternate. In addition to individual success, all six North Vermillion relay teams will advance to the finals on Saturday. The Falcons’ strong showing in prelims has set the stage for an exciting and competitive WRC Finals on Saturday, located at North Vermillion. Diving Prelims will start at 9am, and swimming events will resume around 11am.