A Preview of the Always Fast Indiana High School Girls Season; Carmel Stalking Another Title
October 28 officially marked the first day for the Indiana High School Girls Swim and Dive season. In Indiana, the sport of swimming is sacred, especially at the high school level. Every February, thousands of fans file into the IU Natatorium to watch one of the fastest high school swim meets in the country. The 2024-25 season promises to provide more highlights. Here are the teams that should be on your radar this season.
Carmel
The Carmel girls have become the standard of excellence in high school swimming not just in Indiana, but in the United States as a whole. Coming off their state and NFHS record 38th consecutive state title, the 2025 Greyhounds are led by Olympian Alex Shackell and USA Swimming National Junior teamers Lynsey Bowen and Molly Sweeney.
2024 Season Recap: At the Noblesville Sectional, the Greyhounds won their 40th consecutive, and 41st overall, sectional title. They won 11 of the 12 events. The one exception was the 200 freestyle relay, in which they were disqualified for a swimmer re-entering the competition pool before the race concluded. At the state competition, Carmel scored 433 points and won eight out of the 12 events on its way to the state championship. Carmel won both the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays with Shackell (100 fly, 100 back), Bowen (200 & 500 free), and Sweeney (200 IM, 100 breast) all winning two individual events. This was head coach Chris Plumb’s 18th state title, and 30th overall. Furthermore, despite not scoring points in the 200 freestyle relay, the Carmel Girls were still destined to be the 2024 Swimming World mythical national champions.
2025 Season Preview: What has continued to make the Greyhounds successful at the state competition is their depth. In the Indiana state series, teams can have up to three individuals compete in each individual event for a total of 24 swims. In 2024, Carmel sent 23 of those swims to the state championship. Additionally, as previously mentioned, this Greyhound team will now be led by Olympic medalist Shackell, who already has 11 state titles under her belt. Having an Olympic medalist swim for your team at the state competition is something no other team has had before, and Carmel will make the most out of it. Winning the state title has almost become the right of this program. With only three graduating athletes from the 2024 team and very talented swimmers moving into those vacated roles, Carmel is a lock to win a 39th consecutive state title.
Carroll (Fort Wayne)
The Carroll High School Chargers have never brought a trophy home from the state competition. But with the team they have returning, it will be the favorite to finish as runnerup and bring a first state swimming trophy back to Ft. Wayne. The Chargers have a wealth of returning swimmers highlighted by a group of talented sophomores who could lead the team to its best state performance in school history.
2024 Season Recap: At the Fort Wayne South Side Sectional, the Chargers won their third consecutive championship and seventh title overall. Carroll won eight out of the 12 events and sent 18 individual swims to the state championship. At the state meet, the Chargers had the potential to be in the competition for runnerup but were hindered by a false start in the 200 medley relay which cost them 28 points. However, the Chargers were able to rebound and finish in fifth place. For Carroll, its highest individual finish came in the form of two sixth-place finishes from Jordyn Glassley (200 IM) and Kate Fetters (50 Free).
2025 Season Preview: What makes Carroll so intriguing is that while they graduated two point scoring seniors, their depth is located in their underclassmen. Sophomores Kate Fetters, Jordyn Glassley and Maris Williams will be the backbone of the team in the push to be state runnerup. As a group, the three scored 67 points in their individual events as freshman, and were key contributors to the top four finishes their freestyle relays achieved. Furthermore, swimmers such as Annabelle Francke and Peyton O’Connor give the Chargers depth at the state meet that other teams envy. On paper, this team could provide the biggest challenge that Carmel has faced since 2003.
Fishers
Since 2019, the Fishers Tigers have not finished lower than third as a team at the state finals. This stretch includes a streak of four consecutive state runnerup finishes from 2020-2023. The team coming back in 2024-25 looks to build on that legacy.
2024 Season Recap: At the Hamilton Southeastern Sectional, the Tigers won their sixth consecutive sectional championship and their 10th overall. Fishers won eight out of the 12 events and sent 15 individual swims to the state meet. At the state competition, the Tigers were once again in the conversation to finish as state runnerup but found themselves just short of bringing home a trophy, finishing in third place. The Tigers’ highest individual finish came from freshman Emily Wolf with a second place finish in the 100 butterfly with their best relay performance coming in the form of a second place finish in the 400 freestyle relay.
2025 Season Preview: Led by sophomore Wolf and senior Emma Schumacher, the Tigers look to be back in the conversation to bring home a trophy from the State meet. What helps Fishers in their push for another top three finish is the number of returning upperclassmen they have. With the IHSAA state finals considered one of the most pressure packed meets a swimmer will compete in, the more swimmers with state experience a team has, the better it will handle the big stage.
For Fishers to finish as runnerup, it will be crucial to out-place teams such as Carroll. This will require the Tigers to find themselves on the top of the podium in multiple individual events.
Concord
The Minutemen of Concord High School have become a team that has continued to improve year after year. The Minutemen have seemed to continually fly under the radar but have been able to put together top ten finishes at the state meet in each of the past three years. Their team in 2024-25 looks to have their best state finish since their fourth place in 2022.
2024 Season Recap: At the Northridge Sectional, the Minutemen won their fourth consecutive championship, and eighth overall. While Concord only qualified six individual swims for the state meet, its dominant performance in those individual swims along with relays helped push the squad to an eighth place finish. The highest individual finishes came from sophomore Catie Brenneman with two fifth places in the 200 and 100 freestyles. The highest relay finish came in the 400 freestyle relay with an eighth place.
2025 Season Preview: Led by the aforementioned Brenneman, along with sophomore Brynlee Yoder, the team has frontline talent that should push for another top-five finish. What will be crucial for a Minutemen top five finish is placing their relays in the championship final. Last season, all three of their relays scored, two consolation and one championship, but the points they need to finish in the top five will be found in the relay championship finals. If that can be accomplished, Concord could very well be the team to once again fly under the radar and find themselves in the top five for the second time in four seasons.
Zionsville
Since the 2008-09 season, the Zionsville Eagles have finished in the top-10 all but one time, which includes nine top five finishes. Its 2024-25 team won’t be led by individual state championship contenders, but they have the talent to capture another top five finish.
2024 Season Recap: At the Zionsville Sectional, the Eagles won their 19th consecutive sectional title, and 28th title overall. At the state competition, the Eagles qualified 10 individual swims and all three relays, which propelled them to a fourth place finish. It was their fourth top five finish in a row. The highest individual showing for the Eagles came from sophomore Ava Metzger in the 500 freestyle with her fourth place. Their highest relay finish was in the 200 freestyle relay with the Eagles placing fifth.
2025 Season Preview: Metzger, along with senior Annabelle Swiney, look to lead Zionsville this season. For Zionsville, its strength comes in the relays. The Eagles’ medley relay from last season all were 2024 graduates. The 2025 version will be a new and unproven quartet but certainly don’t count out the Eagles as potential state finalists in this event. Their freestyle relays will have the potential to score big points. On the individual side, both Metzger and Swiney have the chance to finish in the top three in their events. However, the struggle for Zionsville will be that their best chances to compete for individual state titles come in some of the deepest and potentially the most contested events of the meet. Working in Zionsville’s favor is that they have been in this place before, very similar to Fishers. Experience at the state meet can be crucial to a team’s overall performance, and for Zionsville, their previous experience could make the difference in their push for another top five finish.
Other Teams to Watch
Penn: The Penn Kingsmen are coming off a historic season, which saw them finish as state runnerup for the third time in program history. The big question mark for Penn this year is how it will fill the shoes of star senior Lily Christianson, who stood on top of the podium in three events at the 2024 state championship. While there is no immediate replacement, the Kingsmen are still heavy favorites to win their sectional for the sixth consecutive season. Led by senior Anika Guenther and junior Alayna Riggins, the Kingsmen could find themselves back in the top-five for the third consecutive season.
Wawasee: Led by seniors Julie Mishler and Addison Beasley, the Wawasee Warriors are coming off of their two best seasons in school history which included two top-10 team finishes. Mishler is the current favorite to win the 50 freestyle and depending on where Carmel decides to place Alex Shackell could prove to be a threat in the 100 backstroke as well. Beasley was a championship finalist in the 200 individual medley and was a key contributor to the Warriors relays. While it will be tough for Wawasee to make a push toward the top five, if its relays can step up, another top-10 finish could be in the cards for the Warriors.
Franklin Community: After a ninth place finish in 2024, Franklin Community will look to make another push at the top-10 in 2025. Senior Liliana Ratzlaff’s performances will be the key piece to the team placement for the Grizzly Cubs. If Ratzlaff elects to swim the same events that she competed in last year she will be one of the favorites to win the 100 freestyle along with the potential for a high finish in the 200 free. If the Grizzly Cubs are to finish in the top-10 for the second consecutive year, their relays will need to improve upon last year’s placements.
Valparaiso: Coming off a 12th place finish in 2024, this season Valparaiso has the potential to finish in the top-10 for the first time in 25 years. The Vikings will look to junior Madeline Moreth to score big points in their push for the top-10. On top of Moreth, Valparaiso will need A final performance in all three of their relays. A positive for Valparaiso is that they will face tough sectional competition from Chesterton, which could prepare them for the bright lights of the state competition.
DISCLAIMER: Diving also has the potential to add key points to the state team battle, but due to the subjective nature of the event, diving has not been included in this list.