Pictured from left: Donner Swim Club’s Camila Mejia Murguia and Shaivi Nighojkar (front) and Lexi Miller and Rebeca Mejia Murguia (back) won the 10-and-under girls 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays; Mridula Muthukumaran, Ellie Proffit and Aarush Mahato won medals; Jude Abdallah finished third in the Open Boys 100 breaststroke; and Cooper Bringman, Ritvik Prithiviraj, Anand Neela and Reyansh Nighojkar placed sixth in ther 10U Boys 200 freestyle relay at the Indiana Swimming Long Course CE Divisional Meet in Franklin.
Submitted photo
Several athletes from Columbus, most of them from Club Olympia and Donner Swim Club competed in last weekend’s 2022 Indiana Swimming Long Course CE Divisional Meet in Franklin. More than 500 swimmers representing 25 regional clubs in Indiana participated.
With only three sites holding Divisional meets in Indiana this year, the CE Divisional, with a record 714 athletes, was extremely competitive. Here is a look at how local swimmers fared:
Club Olympia
With many of its State qualifiers off or competing elsewhere, 34 Club Olympia swimmers competed. They established more than 80 personal-best event times while claiming five gold medal first-place finishes and 30 total individual event top-eight podium finishes. Club Olympia’s relay teams totaled eight podium relay finishes including one first-place finish.
Individual event winners included Tony Machavariani, Xavier Zhang, Joshua Pendleton and Ty Mayer. Top Individual performers were 10-year-olds Lily Pendleton and Zhang, and 14-year-old Lane Mellencamp, who all claimed podium finishes in each of their six individual events.
For the 10-and-under age group, Lily Pendleton finished third in the 200 individual medley, fourth in the 100 freestyle and 200 freestyle, sixth in the 50 breaststroke and 100 breaststroke and seventh in the 50 freestyle.
Club Olympia’s Xavier Zhang won the 10-and-under Boys 50 butterfly at the Indiana Swimming Long Course CE Divisional Meet in Franklin.
Submitted photo
Zhang won the 50 butterfly and took second in the 100 freestyle, third in the 200 IM, fourth in the 50 backstroke and 200 freestyle and fifth in the 50 freestyle. Arjun Agarkar was seventh in the 50 Free, 12th in the 200 IM and 14th in the 100 freestyle.
Aahan Gupta placed seventh in the 50 butterfly and 200 freestyle and 15th in the 50 backstroke. Vivan Shah was fifth in the 100 backstroke, eighth in the 50 backstroke and ninth in the 200 IM. Daxton Wolf claimed 10th in the 200 IM, 13th in the 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke and 14th in the 50 backstroke and 200 freestyle.
Club Olympia’s Tony Machavariani won the 12-and-under Boys 500 freestyle at the Indiana Swimming Long Course CE Divisional Meet in Franklin.
Submitted photo
Machavariani won the 12U Boys 500 freestyle and finished fourth in the 14U 1,650 freestyle, and Shreyan Kulkarni took fourth in the 12U 500 freestyle. Others competing in the 11-12 age group included Nandini Kondhare, who was 16th in the 100 backstroke, and Aashka Shah, who placed 12th in the 50 butterfly and 14th in the 100 butterfly.
Club Olympia’s Joshua Pendleton won the 14U boys 400 individual medley at the Indiana Swimming Long Course CE Divisional Meet in Franklin.
Submitted photo
Joshua Pendleton, also on a limited schedule, took the top spot in the 400 IM in the 14U Boys age group. Mellencamp finished second in the 100 backstroke and 200 IM, third in the 200 backstroke, fourth in the 100 butterfly, fifth in the 500 freestyle and seventh in the 100 backstroke. Sanaa Kulkarni placed 8th in the 400 IM and 14th in the 100 breaststroke.
Club Olympia’s Ty Mayer won the Open Boys 1,650 freestyle at the Indiana Swimming Long Course CE Divisional Meet in Franklin.
Submitted photo
In the Open Boys Division, Mayer won the 1,650 freestyle and took eighth in the 500 freestyle and 11th in the 400 IM. Cavan Stilson placed second in the 1,650 freestyle, sixth in the 200 backstroke and 13th in the 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle. Pratt Badve took fifth in the 200 backstroke and sixth in the 50 freestyle. Ethan Hall was 10th in the 200 backstroke. Luke Miller finished 11th in the 200 breaststroke, and Cole Ehara was 15th in the 200 freestyle.
For the Open Girls, Hope Westphal finished fourth in the 200 breaststroke and 200 backstroke and fifth in the 100 butterfly. Annie Murer placed fourth in the 50 freestyle and 15th in the 100 butterfly.
Club Olympia’s Vivan Shah and Daxton Wolf (front) and Xavier Zhang and Arjun Agarkar (back) won the 10-and-under Boys 200 medley relay at the Indiana Swimming Long Course CE Divisional Meet in Franklin.
Submitted photo
The 10U Boys relay team of Shah, Wolf, Zhang and Agarkar won the 200 medley relay; while Shourya Malviya, Chad Pendleton, Aahan Gupta and Adir Joshi placed fifth. Agarkar, Gupta, Wolf and Zhang took second in the 200 freestyle relay; while Joshi, Shah, Pendleton and Malviya were fifth.
The 10U Girls relay team of Emily Meek, Myra Jaryal, Cali Gray and Lily Pendleton finished 10th in the 200 medley relay and 11th in the 200 freestyle relay.
The 13-14 Girls relay team of Saya Hauser, Sanaa Kulkarni, Cassidy Furnish and Connelly Furnish placed fifth in the 200 medley relay and ninth in the 200 freestyle relay.
The 15-18 Boys Relays were third and ninth in the 200 freestyle relay with Badve, Stilson, Ehara and Miller on the A team and Hall, Mayer, Rylan Perkins and Jesse Isaacs on the B team. Stilson, Miller, Mayer and Ehara combined to take fifth in the 200 medley relay; and Hall, Perkins, Jesse Isaacs and Eli Isaacs were eighth.
Meanwhile, Club Olympia’s 16-year-old Ashley Freel met the tough qualifying standards that allowed her to spend the weekend competing in the USA Swimming Futures Championships in Cary, North Carolina, where she achieved one personal record while competing in five events.
This weekend Club Olympia will wrap up its summer Long Course season with Connelly Furnish, Tony Machavariani and Joshua Pendleton competing at the Central Zones Championships in Elkhart as part of Team Indiana against state teams from Arkansas, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Oklahoma.
Donner Swim Club
Donner Swim Club took a 28-swimmer squad, its largest squad to attend the Divisional meet since 2016.
Pictured from left: Donner Swim Club’s Camila Mejia Murguia and Shaivi Nighojkar (front) and Lexi Miller and Rebeca Mejia Murguia (back) won the 10-and-under girls 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays; Mridula Muthukumaran, Ellie Proffit and Aarush Mahato won medals; Jude Abdallah finished third in the Open Boys 100 breaststroke; and Cooper Bringman, Ritvik Prithiviraj, Anand Neela and Reyansh Nighojkar placed sixth in ther 10U Boys 200 freestyle relay at the Indiana Swimming Long Course CE Divisional Meet in Franklin.
Submitted photo
For the 10U girls, Rebeca Mejia Murguia won the 100 butterfly, and finished second in the 50 freestyle and 100 breaststroke, third in the 200 freestyle, fourth in the 100 backstroke and fifth in the 50 backstroke for six individual podium finishes. Camila Mejia Murguia won the 50 backstroke and 100 breaststroke and took second in the 50 backstroke and 100 backstroke for four individual podium finishes. Lexi Miller was sixth in the 100 butterfly, seventh in the 100 backstroke and 50 butterfly, eighth in the 100 freestyle and 18th in the 50 freestyle four individual podium finishes.
Shaivi Nighojkar finished 13th in the 100 backstroke, 15th in the 50 breaststroke, 18th in the 50 backstroke and 50 butterfly, 25th in the 100 freestyle and 26th in the 50 freestyle. Gracie Steinkoenig took 13th in the 200 freestyle, 15th in the 50 freestyle, 16th in the 100 freestyle, 17th in the 50 butterfly, 18th in the 100 backstroke and 21st in the 50 backstroke.
Ella Bringman placed 16th in the 100 butterfly, 44th in the 50 freestyle, 47th in the 100 freestyle and 64th in the 50 backstroke. Millie Fry took 32nd in the 100 backstroke and 34th in the 50 backstroke. Luiza Salomaa was 46th in the 50 backstroke.
For the 10U boys, Reyansh Nighojkar finished fourth in the 50 breaststroke, seventh in the 50 backstroke, 11 th in the 50 freestyle, ninth in the 100 breaststroke and 22nd in the 100 freestyle for three individual podium finish. Cooper Bringman took 23rd in the 50 freestyle and 29th in the 100 freestyle.
Mridula Muthukumaran placed fifth and Aarush Mahato eighth in 400 IM timed finals. Jude Abdallah was 10th, Jonathan Callaway 11th , and Isaac Proffitt 24th and Cora Tregoning placed 30th in the 500 freestyle.
In the 12U Girls division, Sanchita Ponnathpur, in the prelims, finished 22nd in the 100 breaststroke, 25th in the 50 breaststroke, 26th in the 500 freestyle, 30th in the 200 IM, 44th in the 200 freestyle and 68th in the 50 freestyle.
For the 13U Girls, Muthukumaran reached the finals in all her events and placed first in the 200 backstroke, second in the 100 backstroke, fourth in the 100 butterfly, fifth in the 100 freestyle, sixth in the 100 butterfly, seventh in the 200 freestyle for six podium finishes.
In the 14U Girls division, Cora Tregoning finished 20th in the 100 breaststroke, 23rd in the 200 breaststroke, 40th in 50 freestyle, 41 st in the 200 freestyle and 50th in the 200 IM in the prelims.
In the Open Girls divison, Ellie Proffitt won the 100 breaststroke and placed fourth in the 200 IM and 100 freestyle, sixth in the 200 breaststroke, eighth in the 100 butterfly finals and 19th in 200 freestyle prelims.
For the 11U Boys, Jonathan Callaway finished 21st in the 200 freestyle, 22nd in the 50 breaststroke, 26th in the 100 freestyle and 31 st in the 50 freestyle prelims.
In the 14U Boys division, Mahato reached the finals in all his events, placing seventh in 100 freestyle, ninth in the 200 backstroke, 14th in the 200 freestyle and 200IM and 15th in the 100 backstroke. Harshith Devaguptapu took placed 13th in 200 breaststroke finals and 24th in the 100 backstroke, 31st in the 200 IM, 40th in the 100 freestyle, 45th in the 50 freestyle in the prelims.
In the Open Boys division, Jude Abdallah finished third in the 100 breaststroke, ninth in the 100 freestyle, 10th in 200 breaststroke, 12th in the 200 IM and 23rd in the 50 freestyle. Brock Smith took 10th in the 200 butterfly, 16th in the 200 breaststroke, 36th in the 100 butterfly, 36th in the 200 IM and 48th in the 200 freestyle. Isaac Proffitt was 10th in the 100 backstroke, 18th in the 50 freestyle, 29th in the 100 butterfly, 37th in the 100 freestyle and 46th in the 200 freestyle.
Donner won a pair of 10U Girls relays. Its A team of Rebeca Mejia Murguia, Lexi Miller, Shaivi Nighojkar and Camila Mejia Murguia captured both the 200 freestyle and 200 medley relays. The B team of Salomao, Fry, Steinkoenig and Ella Bringman placed 10th in the 200 freestyle relay and 11th in the 200 medley relay.
The 11-12 Girls team of Ponnathapur, Rajvi Sapkal, Anika Arun and Idhika Shetty finished 11th in both the 200 freestyle relay and 200 medley relay. The 13-14 Girls team of Tregoning, Mattie Handlon, Gerogia Abdallah and Muthukumaran took 12th in the 200 medley relay and 14th in the 200 freestyle relay.
The 10U Boys team of Cooper Bringman, Ritvik Prithiviraj, Anand Neela and Reynash Nighojkar placed sixth in the 200 freestyle relay
New Donner head coach Mike Cunningham will be holding placement evaluations this month. Information on dates and to sign up for these evaluations/tryouts can be found on the Donner website, donnerswimclub.com.
Utterback competes
Columbus North senior Daniel Utterback swam for Franklin Regional Swim Team at the 2022 National Club Swimming Association (NCSA) Junior National Championships at the Indiana University Natatorium in Indianapolis. The event featured 73 teams represented and more than 800 athletes.
Columbus North senior Daniel Utterback competed in the 2022 National Club Swimming Association (NCSA) Junior National Championships at the Indiana University Natatorium in Indianapolis.
Submitted photo
Utterback finished 38th in the 50 freestyle and 58th in the 100 freestyle. He also swam on FRST teams that finished 34th in the 200 freestyle relay, 38th in the 800 freestyle relay and 400 freestyle relay, 39th in the the 400 medley relay and 48th in the the 200 medley relay.
