Mike Wolanin | The Republic Columbus North’s Carlos Fabian Aguilar competes in the 200-yard freestyle during a swim meet against Columbus East at Columbus East High School in Columbus, Ind., Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021.
The Republic file photo
Columbus North knew it had a Boys Swimming State qualifier after its 200-yard freestyle relay team met the state standard in Saturday’s North Sectional finals.
By Tuesday, the Bull Frogs learned that they had qualified for state in three other events. Junior Daniel Utterback earned callbacks in the 200 freestyle and 100 freestyle, and North received a callback in the 400 freestyle relay.
“This is the goal every year — to make it as far as possible,” senior David Fry said. “I’m really excited to see how we do at state. The atmosphere and the feeling in the building makes me want to go faster. So I’m just really excited for that feeling again.”
The top eight swimmers in each event in tonight’s prelims at IUPUI’s Indiana University Natatorium make it to Saturday afternoon’s championship finals. Swimmers 9-through-16 in each event make the consolation finals.
“We felt pretty good after sectional that those guys would get called back,” North coach Brett Findley said. “It’s always more fun to go to state with a large group instead of just one or two, so I think the guys are pretty excited and gearing up for a big weekend. Our goal is to go out and swim fast and get it done on Friday so we can come back on Saturday.”
Utterback and Fry will be making their third appearances at state. Both swam on the state qualifying 200 freestyle relay team in 2020 and the 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle relay teams last year.
Utterback also made it to state in the 200 freestyle and 100 freestyle last season.
“Whenever you go in there for the first time, it’s really intense, and it’s really intimidating and something that you don’t expect and you can’t really prepare for if you haven’t had prior experience,” Utterback said. “So we’ll just be more prepared for that this time, and we know what we’re going into.”
Seniors Matthew Goble and Carlos Fabian Aguilar will make their second trips to state. Goble was on the 200 freestyle relay team, and Fabian Aguilar was on the 400 freestyle relay team last season.
“I’m very mentally prepared for it because I was there last year, but the environment will be a little different because there’s not as many restrictions at the natatorium,” Goble said. “The audience will be a lot bigger, and I’ll be even more hyped and excited to see it.”
“It definitely calms the nerves down a lot,” Fabian Aguilar added.
“The first time you are there, it’s a really intimidating environment to see the fastest people in the state out there. But I think it’s going to be not as intimidating since we already know what it feels like.”
This year, Goble is on both relay teams, and Fabian Aguilar is in the 400 freestyle relay.
“It was very exciting,” Goble said. “We got to relive the same feeling that I felt at this time last year. When that feeling came back again, it was awesome.”
The 200 freestyle relay is the Bull Frogs’ best chance to make it to Saturday. They are seeded 16th in that event.
Sophomore Isaac Proffitt, who will be making his first appearance at state, joins Utterback, Goble and Fry on that relay team that met the state standard in the sectional. Proffitt’s sister, Columbus East senior Ellie Proffitt, qualified for the Girls Swimming State Finals for the first time earlier this month.
“Whenever I saw that we got the time, I just looked to Isaac because I knew it was his goal to make the state team, and I told him ‘You did it.’ I was really proud of him,” Utterback said.
“It took a couple hours to register after sectional that we were going to state,” Isaac Proffitt said. “I was in such a good mood, and I was excited.”
North’s 400 freestyle relay team of Utterback, Goble, Fabian Aguilar and Fry is seeded 18th.
“It was a lot of excitement to know that we’re going to be able to participate again and try again to improve and do even better in that 400 free relay,” Fabian Aguilar said.
Utterback is seeded 18th in the 100 freestyle and 21st in the 200 freestyle.
“It was kind of what we were projecting after Saturday,” Utterback said. “(Getting callbacks in those events) was kind of a relief and excitement that I’ll have second opportunity to swim faster than I did at sectional.”
Utterback is happy to be competing at state in four events for the second consecutive year.
“We just want to have as much fun as we can,” Utterback said. “That’s what this weekend’s all about. Sectional, there’s a lot of team pressure to try and win the meet. At state is kind of a, ‘We have nothing to lose,’ kind of mentality. I think that we’ll swim faster because pressure can sometimes have negative impacts.”
