INDIANAPOLIS — Before Greenfield-Central’s Norah Johnson takes flight off the swimming block, she is faithful to her routine.
No matter what might be unfolding around her, Johnson holds true, down to the minute detail.
“I get in the zone before my races, so I just kind of keep to myself. Even my teammates know, they’re like, ‘Norah is in the zone. Don’t talk to her,’” Johnson laughed. “I really get into my own.”
Typically, Johnson only breaks focus once, briefly, before diving into a race.
Even on Friday afternoon during the IHSAA girls swimming state final preliminaries, which was held inside the IU Natatorium without spectators in two sessions due to COVID-19 restrictions, Johnson stuck to the process.
“I always wave to my mom (Jenny Johnson) for good luck before my event, so I waved to the camera instead,” Johnson said. “You just have to keep some things the same.”
As one of six Cougars representing Hancock County at state in Indianapolis, Johnson and her teammates cheered one another on during the preliminaries while their families and friends watched the live webstream back home.
And, every one of them witnessed a career-first for Johnson.
A two-time state competitor, Johnson scored a time of 1 minute, 4.90 seconds in the 100-yard breaststroke at IUPUI, good enough for 11th overall, to advance into the meet’s consolation finals today at 3:30 p.m.
Last year, Johnson competed in the same event, but unlike former Cougars senior Megan Coffin, who placed 12th overall (1:05.07) in the second-day consolation race, she didn’t make it out of opening night.
Now, it’s her turn after Johnson improved on her seed time of 1:05.07 to post a new personal best. As a freshman, Johnson swam the 100 breaststroke in 1:08.13.
“She looked really strong. She brought it home,” Greenfield-Central head coach Emily Logan said. “She had a good day. She dropped time in her 100 free and 100 breast. To drop time at state is usually not an easy thing to do here.”
Johnson’s time in the 100 breaststroke was seventh-best during her afternoon heat. Four more swimmers finished faster in the event during the second preliminary held at 5:30 p.m.
Today at IU Natatorium, the top-eight in each swimming event will vie for state championship honors with those finishing the preliminaries ninth through 16th competing in the consolations.
The final overall preliminary state results didn’t surface until later in the evening, which meant Johnson had to play the waiting game for several hours, but much like her routine, she was locked in on success.
“The nerves are definitely pretty high, but I’m feeling pretty confident. I was seeded 15th coming in, so dropping about half a second is a pretty good feeling,” Johnson said.
During the 100 freestyle, Johnson also improved on her seed time (53.88) for 11th in her heat, finishing in 53.58, which was another personal best.
Her and fellow sophomores Mary Ellen Stratman and Reagan Crouch teamed with junior Elizabeth Coleman to place 16th in their 200 medley relay heat at 1:53.58. They came in seeded at 1:52.75.
Stratman, Johnson, freshman Cecelia Duffy-Johnson and junior Ariel Niemeier, a two-time state qualifier, finished 12th during their 400 freestyle relay heat in 3:48.07.
Stratman, a two-time state competitor, cut her time in the 100 butterfly from 59.72 to 59.47 for 14th in heat. She won the sectional title in the event at New Palestine last weekend.
Johnson was first at sectional in the 100 free and 100 breaststroke and was part of Greenfield-Central’s winning 200 medley and 400 free relays.
“Last year, we had a bunch of seniors that came with us, and so they kind of led the way for all of us. This year, me and Mary Ellen Stratman are kind of the leaders,” Johnson said. “It’s just different, coming into it and being a leader for your team.”
Stratman, Johnson and their teammates adopted their leadership roles with ease, but not only for the Greenfield-Central swim program.
“It is nice to be able to compete here because a lot of teams at Greenfield-Central didn’t get to finish out their season, so I’m not really just swimming for my team. I’m representing Greenfield and swimming for the whole school,” Johnson said.
This winter sports postseason, the Greenfield-Central girls basketball team was forced to withdraw from the Class 4A Sectional 9 tournament and the Cougars wrestling team withdrew from the Southport Regional due to COVID-19 protocols.
“It’s kind of cliché, but you’re just happy to be going one more day. Literally, we’re happy to be going one more day and have an opportunity,” Logan said. “(Wrestling coach) Josh Holden and I are good friends, and it absolutely killed me that his boys got knocked out. It’s just heart-wrenching for your program. I have some the girls basketball players in my strength class, and it just killed me. I want them all to be able to have that opportunity.”
In their own way, the Cougars girls swim team competed for all of them. And, Johnson gets one more day.
“I’m really excited. Last year, I didn’t make it back, so being able to compete for the second day this year is really exciting for me,” Johnson said. “I watched one of my teammates get to do it last year, and so I looked forward to doing it, too, and being able to get to do it (today).”
