As Indiana High School Boys Season Gets Started, Carmel Chasing Another Title (Full Preview)
November 26 marks the first official day of competition for the Indiana high school boys swim and dive season. In the state of Indiana, the high school swimming state championship meet is an historic event that displays the best talent not only in Indiana but also in the country. The 2025 edition looks to continue this legacy. Here are the teams that should be on your radar this season.
Carmel
The standard of excellence in Indiana high school swimming has been set by the Greyhounds of Carmel High School.
2024 Season Recap: At the Carmel Sectional, the Greyhounds won their 17th consecutive title and 37th overall sectional title. They won all 11 swimming events and swept the top three spots in every individual event. At the state competition, the Greyhounds scored 409 points and won five out of the 11 swimming events on their way to their 10th consecutive state title. Carmel won all three relays (200 medley, 200 freestyle, and 400 freestyle), along with two individual event wins coming from senior Greg Enoch in the 200 individual medley and the 500 freestyle. For head coach Chris Plumb, this was his 13th boys state title and 31st overall.
2025 Season Preview: As displayed in 2024, the Greyhounds bring depth to the state competition that no other team can match. In Indiana’s one-class state championship system, teams can have up to three individuals swim in a single event for a total of up to 24 swims. In 2024, Carmel qualified all 24 swims for the state championship meet, outdistancing the next closest team by nine swims. This depth will once again prove to be crucial for another Greyhound run at the state championship.
This Carmel team will be led by senior Andrew Shackell along with junior Lewis Zhang. At last year’s state championship, both swimmers finished no worse than third in their individual events. This year, they will look to make the push for their first-ever individual state championships. A final piece that works in favor of the Greyhounds is that they graduated only three point-scoring swimmers, and they have the talent ready to replace them.
Fishers
On the hunt for their sixth consecutive top-five finish at the state championship meet, the Fishers Tigers will be in the conversation to bring home a trophy from Indianapolis.
2024 Season Recap: At the Fishers Sectional, the Tigers won their fourth consecutive title and sixth overall sectional title. The Tigers won six out of the 11 swimming events and sent nine individuals to swim to the state championship. At the state Finals, the Tigers scored 158 points and finished third. The Tigers had the opportunity to bring home a trophy from the meet and came close to doing so, but were hindered by a false start in the 200 medley relay in the prelims. The highest individual finish for the Tigers arrived via a runnerup finish in the 500 freestyle from Jonathan Hines, with their best relay performance coming in the 200 freestyle with a fifth-place finish.
2025 Season Preview: Led by a dominant senior class, the Tigers will be in the conversation to take home their second trophy from the state meet. The senior class of Jonathan Hines, Luis Sanchez, and Anthony Adams will be at the heart of the point-scoring effort for the Tigers. The distance events, specifically, are where the Tigers will look to make their surge in the standings. Last year, those three swimmers mentioned above combined for 41 points in the 500 freestyle. Additionally, the Tigers will look to sophomore Alex Koo for points in the sprint freestyle events. For Fishers to remain in the race for state runnerup, it will need a series of high relay finishes. Last year, without points for a medley relay, Fishers found itself in a hole early. If the Tigers can produce high championship final placings for their relays, they could come home with the runnerup trophy that eluded them last season.
Penn
Coming off arguably their best season in school history, the Penn Kingsmen will again be in the conversation to bring home another trophy from the state championship.
2024 Season Recap: At the Penn Sectional, the Kingsmen scored 531 points on the way to their 22nd sectional championship in program history. The Kingsmen won five of the 11 swimming events and sent 15 individual swims to the state championship. At the state finals, Penn scored 165 points and brought home the state runnerup trophy for the second time in school history. The highest individual finish for Penn came from junior Cole Stevenson with a fourth-place finish in the 100 breaststroke. In the relays, the Kingsmens’ highest finish came from two third-place finishes in the 200 medley relay and the 400 freestyle relay.
2025 Season Preview: Even though Penn graduated three point-scoring seniors, the depth returning and young talent coming in makes the program one of the best-returning teams in the state. This Penn team will be led by the aforementioned Stevenson, along with senior Nate Temeles. Stevenson will hunt for an individual state championship in the 100 breaststroke, with Temeles bringing crucial points in the freestyle events. Juniors Matthew Weeks and Leo Ni will look to provide a solid depth for the Kingsmen in both relays and individual events.
This depth has the potential to make a difference in the final team scores. For Penn to bring home another trophy, its relays must perform to the level of last year, finishing no worse than fourth. Just as important, Penn will need to place at least one swimmer in the championship in most of the individual events.
Bloomington South
Coming off of their best finish since 2017, the Bloomington South Panthers look to finish in the top five for the second consecutive year.
2024 Season Recap: At the Columbus North Sectional, the Panthers won the 2023-24 Sectional 19 title, their 16th title in program history. Bloomington North won nine out of the 11 swimming events and sent six individual swims to the state championship. At the state finals, the Panthers scored 123 points on the way to a fifth-place finish, the highest for the program since they finished fourth in 2017. The highest individual finish for the Panthers came in the form of two second-place finishes from Lukas Paegle in the 100 butterfly and David Kovacs in the 100 backstroke. The highest relay finish for Bloomington South came in the 400 freestyle relay with a second-place effort.
2025 Season Preview: This Bloomington South team will be led by Paegle and Kovacs, both swimmers who will hunt for their first individual state titles. Paegle will be one of the favorites in the 100 butterfly with the graduation of Matthew Klinge. Kovacs will be in the conversation for state titles in the 200 individual medley and the 100 backstroke. Additionally, senior Botond Kun will look to put his name back into the conversation of being a championship finalist in the 500 freestyle. For the Panthers to make another push at the top five, they will need to find themselves within the top two of each of the individual events in which they have a chance at an individual state championship. What plays in the favor of the Panthers is that they only lost one swimmer to graduation, and all of their individual event scores return.
Valparaiso
On the cusp of a top-five finish last season, the Vikings of Valparaiso High School will look to finish in the top five for the first time since 1985.
2024 Season Recap: At the Valparaiso Sectional, the Vikings won their first sectional title since 1998 and their 24th overall. The Vikings won eight out of the 11 swimming events and sent seven individual swims to the state championship. Valparaiso scored 98 points at the state finals and finished eighth, their first top-ten at the state meet since they finished ninth in 2016. The highest individual finish for the Vikings came in the 100 breaststroke with a third-place finish from Jonah Lee. The highest relay finish from Valparaiso was in the 200-yard medley relay, where it finished fourth.
2025 Season Preview: In 2025, the Vikings will be led by a senior class that has only improved throughout their high school careers. Along with Lee, senior George Patterson will also provide key points for the Vikings in their push to the top five. Patterson, who had been a 200 and 500 freestyler his freshman and sophomore years, transitioned to the 200 and 100 freestyles last year. At the state finals, he finished in the top six in both events. Lee will be hunting for his first individual state title in the 100 breaststroke. For the Vikings to finish in the top five for the first time in 40 years, they will need championship final performances from all three relays.
A Final Note
This season, the top-five is one of the most open in recent memory. Several teams not included in this year’s list, such as Center Grove and Carroll (Fort Wayne), could make their own push for the top-five as well. This is the perfect example of why high school swimming is so exciting in Indiana. While there are the favorites, there are just as many teams that have the potential to surprise the Indiana swimming community.
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.