Diego Cotero Tapia
MALE
Diego Cotero Tapia // Columbus North junior swimmer
Cotero Tapia won the 200-yard freestyle and 100 butterfly in a 116-71 season-opening loss to Franklin and captured the 100 butterfly and finished second in the 200 freestyle in Saturday’s 118-58 loss at North Central.
His performance last week: “The second meet, the other team won, but I saw our team cheering more for their teammates, and that gave me a little extra motivation. I tried to give my best.”
Do you do anything special to prepare? “I start to eat less fat because I have to get lean.”
Favorite drink: “Electrolytes or Gatorade”
Favorite food: “Lasagna”
Favorite class: “Math”
Favorite sports team: “Arizona, Florida or Purdue.”
Favorite athlete: “(British swimmer) Adam Peady”
Role model: “(Retired marine) David Goggins or (retired swimmer) Michael Phelps. I like the disciplined mentality that they have.”
Best advice: “Never give up. You’re going to fail, but you have to learn from those mistakes, get up again and swim faster, do it better every time.”
Athletics goal: “I’d like to swim D-I, and if I can, make swimming my (career).”
If you could travel anywhere: “I came from Mexico, and it’s a really good place. I like it very much, but for somewhere I haven’t been, probably to France.”
FEMALE
Mollie Ernstes // Jennings County sophomore basketball player
Mollie Ernstes
Ernstes scored 17 points in a 69-58 win against Jeffersonville and led the Panthers with 25 points in Saturday’s 62-58 win against Class 4A then-No. 9 South Bend Washington in the Sneakers For Santa Shootout at Brownsburg.
Her performance last week: “I thought I shot pretty well against South Bend Washington, and I thought we just played really well as a team together. When I got shut down in the second half, I thought I helped create on the offensive end.”
Do you do anything special to prepare? “I study the scouting report a lot and watch a lot of film.”
Favorite drink: “Sweet tea”
Favorite food: “BBQ ribs”
Favorite class: “My English class”
Favorite sports team: “I like the New Orleans Saints.”
Favorite athlete: “(IU basketball player) Mackenzie Holmes”
Role model: “I look up to my mom (Lee-Lee Ernstes).”
Best advice: “Just keep my head up when things aren’t going my way and look forward to the next opportunity.’’
Athletics goal: “To play basketball in college when I’m older.”
If you could travel anywhere: “Probably The Bahamas, because I like the beach a lot.”
