There’s a word Bloomington South girls swim coach Annie Eakin most connects with junior Emily Wang.
It’s a quality she has to have every time she takes off from the blocks in her first individual event, the 200 individual medley. She begins her four-lap journey knowing full well she’s probably going to be trailing a few swimmers halfway through.
Determination.
“The second half is her best part,” Eakin said. “We’ve been working on her butterfly and backstroke to compete better in the first half.
“She’s two body lengths back through the back, then when she gets through the breast (third leg), she’s a body length ahead. It’s great to have better second half. A lot of times, you don’t see that.”
It’s “definitely a mental block,” she said, knowing that after a really tough 100, it’s hard to see so many people in front of her. Keeping calm is the key and understanding she can make up much of that ground in her signature stroke, changing the complexion of the race is just 50 yards.
Wang is more comfortable with the situation now. All the same, she poured plenty of hours into improving her weaker strokes and taking better advantage of her height and length, and it’s led to a lifetime best this season of 2:14.39, which makes her the No. 1 seed in that event for this week’s IHSAA East Central Sectional.
She’s just ahead of last year’s sectional champ from Columbus North, who went 2:13.82 to top Wang by three seconds and also went on to take the title in the fly as well.
“My best opponents in that event have stronger front halves, which is anxious for me, because I back-half that event,” Wang said. “I knew that I needed to work on fly and back to level the game in the first half, so it would be easier for me to take it back.
“So, I’ve been doing drills and working on my speed in the fly and back, doing everything I can to make it a smoother race.”
That’s why Wang keeps improving.
“Her determination is what makes her successful,” Eakin said.
Getting comfortable at state
Wang handled the atmosphere at state with the 200 medley relay her freshman year well, Eakin noted. Going back as a sophomore, if just fed her fire for this year.
“I think it was a breakout year for her,” Eakin said. “She came into the season this year really determined, and that determination shows in the time she’s seeded at in the breast and 200 IM. The 200 IM is a lifetime best she accomplished during the season.”
She easily won the sectional breaststroke race last year, which earned her first individual berth to state. And for someone who didn’t think she’d be an IM’er coming into high school given how weak her back and fly where, she’s come a long way there, too.
“It was really exciting for me (as a freshman),” Wang said. “It’s not often that I go to a really hyped-up meet with a lot of energy. I thought it was a really great opportunity to swim with a bunch of people I look up to and set goals for future.”
She went back to state last year, swimming the breast along with medley and 400 free relay. Relays are important to her, and she loves the energy and the adrenalin boost she gets from them. Being an important four-event swimmer as a sophomore was a big step up and that’s carried over into this year.
“It felt really great,” Wang said. “It showed the work I’d put into the season and knowing I was so close my freshman year (she was second in the breast by .46), pushed me my sophomore year to know what I wanted to do and how to get there.”
And there’s still better times inside of her. The training and the taper should get Wang where she needs to be this week.
“I’m pretty happy with where I am,” Wang said. “I’ve put in a lot of effort this year, more than I have in my past years. And mentally, I’m feeling pretty good. Same physically. I’m ready to race.”
Her determination to improve has led her to start thinking about a college career in the sport if she gets the opportunity. For now, everything is focused on the pool at East Central.
“I think I have more to give in my events and swimming in general,” Wang said. “So, I want to push myself as far as I can go and give it all every time I race, especially at sectionals this week.
“I want to show I can leave everything in the pool and not regret anything.”
Other swimmers to watch
Here are some more girls swimmers and divers to keep an eye on as the IHSAA tournament begins.
Sara Buehler, North, Sr.
Comes in as a top-four seed in the 50 free and 100 free and anchor for the Cougars free relays.
Mia Bishop, South, Fr.
Freshman pops in as the No. 3 seed in the 50 free (25.85) and No. 1 in the fly (1:00.34). She’s been key for both free relays.
Harper Eakin, South, Sr.
Ohio U.-bound distance ace is No. 1 in the 500 free (5:18.13) and No. 2 in the 200 (2:00.78) and looking to make state in both events all four years.
Sakura Forney, South, So.
Top three seed this year in the 500 free and 200 IM and strong piece for the 400 free relay.
Ellie Vagedes, Edgewood, Sr.
Edgewood will be bringing in its strongest team in a while led by Vagedes, who will swim at IU Indianapolis. She remains in the fly as a fourth seed but has switched to the 50 free, where she’s the top seed (25.57) by .01 and looking to become Edgewood’s first state swimmer since 2009. Vagedes owns school record in the 100 and 200 frees, back, fly and all three relays.
What to know for East Central sectional
Competing teams include Bloomington North, Bloomington South, Edgewood, Batesville, Columbus East, Columbus North, East Central, Greensburg, Lawrenceburg, Milan, Oldenburg Academy, Rising Sun, South Dearborn, South Ripley and Trinity Lutheran.
South has won three straight sectional titles and is favored for a fourth, with all three entrants in each event seeded in the top eight and fielding the top seed in the 400 free relay and the No. 2 seed to the host Trojans in the other two relays. The Panthers will also likely have three of the top divers in the competition.
The top 16 in each event in Thursday’s swimming preliminaries (5:30 p.m.) will come back for Saturday’s finals (at 1 p.m.), with the winner of the A Final and those who meet the state cut advancing to the state finals in Indianapolis.
The top four divers in Saturday’s competition, which starts at 9 a.m., will move on to the Jasper Regional on Tuesday.
TICKETS: $8.95 per single session or $15.44 for a two-session pass at eventlink.com.
EAST CENTRAL SECTIONAL
Top seeds and area competitors (state cut in parenthesis)
50 freestyle (24.13): 1. Ellie Vagedes, Edg 25.57; 2. Riley Reany, EC 25.58; 3. Mia Bishop, BS 25.85; 4. Sara Buehler, BN 26.01; 5. Paikea Buss, BS 26.38. 100 freestyle (52.75): 1. Audrey Baumgardner, EC 53.78; 2. Leona Wang, BS 57.03; 3. Buehler, BN 57.39; 5. Maya Gill, Edg 58.25; 6. Warren Campbell, BS 59.03. 200 freestyle (1:53.49): 1. Baumgardner, EC 1:58.85; 2. Harper Eakin, BS 2:00.78; 5. Warren, BS 2:08.30; 6. Sydney Garretson, BN 2:09.20. 500 freestyle (5:07.03): 1. Eakin, BS 5:18.13; 2. Sakura Forney, BS 5:36.02; 4. Bre Watkins, BN 5:46.60; 7. Brooklyn Vogel, BS 5:53.80.
100 backstroke (57.33): 1. Raney, EC 1:02.08; 2. Sierra Hall, EC 1:02.90; 4. Leighton Huffman, BS 1:06.18; 5. Jillian Cowden, Edg 1:06.43; 6. Irene Mandell, BS 1:08.68. 100 breaststroke (1:05.95): 1. Emily Wang, BS 1:08.36; 2. Erin Burgess, Lburg 1:09.81; 3. Margaret McCormack, Edg 1:12.83; 5. Eliza Biltz, BS 1:13.87. 100 butterfly (56.70): 1. Bishop, BS 1:00.34; 2. Mridula Muthukumaran, CN 1:00.59; 4. Vagedes, Edg 1:01.20; 6. Emeleia McLauchlin, BS 1:04.73; 7. Vogel, BS 1:05.12. 200 individual medley (2:07.36): 1. E.Wang, BS 2:14.39; 2. Muthukumaran, CN 2:15.52; 3. Forney, BS 2:21.96; 5. Cali Allen, BN 2:24.50; 7. Biltz, BS 2:27.86.
200 medley relay (1:48.59): 1. East Central, 1:52.17; 2. Bloomington South, 1:54.12; 3. Edgewood, 1:57.04; 4. Columbus North, 1:59.08; 7. Bloomington North, 2:07.25. 200 freestyle relay (1:39.17): 1. East Central, 1:42.44; 2. Bloomington South, 1:45.81; 3. Columbus North, 1:48.75; 4. Bloomington North, 1:49.25; 8. Edgewood, 1:59.82. 400 freestyle relay (3:37.10): 1. Bloomington South, 3:49.47; 2. Edgewood, 3:54.19; 3. Bloomington North, 3:56.25; 4. East Central, 3:56.64.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: ‘Determination’ to be successful fuels South girls swimmer Emily Wang
Reporting by Jim Gordillo, The Herald-Times / The Herald-Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
