Area state qualifiers
DIVISION I BOYS
Edgewood: Cole Fryman, one-meter diving
Fairfield: Ross Westrick, 200 freestyle and 100 freestyle
Hamilton: Khayman Jones, one-meter diving
Lakota East: Robert VanKirk, 500 freestyle; 200 medley relay; Matthew McDonald, 100 backstroke
Lakota West: Bryan McNamara, 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle
Talawanda: Evan Bader, 100 breaststroke; Edgar Caraballo, 100 butterfly; Scott Richmond, 100 breaststroke; 200 medley relay; 200 freestyle relay; 400 freestyle relay
DIVISION I GIRLS
Lakota East: Paige Baiden, 200 freestyle; Jessika Hall, 200 individual medley and 100 butterfly
Lakota West: Casey Frazier, 200 individual medley; 200 freestyle relay
By Bob Ratterman
Contributing Writer
OXFORD —Three individuals and three relays from the Talawanda High School boys swimming team qualified for this week’s Division I state championships at Branin Natatorium in Canton.
Talawanda’s strongest hope for a state title is senior Evan Bader, who is making his fourth appearance at the state meet in the 100 breaststroke and will be swimming for Miami University next year.
Bader has improved his standing in the event each year at state. He did not place his freshman year, but got fifth place his sophomore year and a year ago made the medal stand with a third-place finish. He wants to move up to the top step this year.
“Last year at state I was third and stood on the podium in front of the crowd,” Bader said in an interview last fall. “It’s a feeling like no other.”
He earned his berth at state with a time of 56.97 seconds at Saturday’s district meet, good for third place.
The Southwest District may be the strongest in the state, so the finish shows promise for this weekend.
Joining Bader in Canton in the 100 breaststroke is teammate sophomore Scott Richmond, who finished eighth last weekend with a time of 59.27 seconds.
Talawanda’s Edgar Caraballo, a junior, also will make the trip to Canton after finishing eighth in the 100 butterfly at districts with a time of 52.73 seconds.
Those three swimmers also will be among the Talawanda participants in three relay teams competing at the state championships.
The 200 medley relay team, which took fifth last Saturday in a time of 1:37.05, qualified to state with Richmond, Bader, Caraballo and senior Ben Whiteman.
Talawanda’s 200 freestyle relay team of Bader, Whiteman, Caraballo and sophomore Josh Crowder took seventh in the district meet and will be at state trying to improve on last weekend’s time of 1:27.88.
Also making the trip will be the 400 freestyle relay team which turned in a time of 3:17.02 at the district meet.
Sophomore Jesus Caraballo will join his brother, Edgar, along with Crowder and Richmond for that event in Canton.