Mt. Vernon’s Annelise Hiner takes off for the 100-yard freestyle event.
The Daily Reporter File Photo
FORTVILLE — While the overall numbers for the Mt. Vernon girls swimming and diving team are down from last season, the departure of just two senior swimmers and two senior divers has head coach Brad Grieshop optimistic heading into the season.
The Marauders return a strong senior class and an array of swimmers key in last year’s fourth-place finishes at the Hoosier Heritage Conference meet and the New Palestine Sectional.
“We’ve got a lot of returning experience,” Grieshop said. “A lot of our sectional and conference points are back, especially with the senior class that we have.”
In the pool, the Marauders senior trio of Annelise Hiner, Maddie Meyer, and Emme Grubbs will help to offset the graduation of both Ava Crouch and Leah Foland.
As a junior, Hiner was Mt. Vernon’s top swimmer at the sectional meet. She earned individual third-place finishes in the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyles and was a member of the 200 medley relay team that placed third.
Grubbs was a part of the 200 medley relay team and will be key for the Marauders in the 100 butterfly and individual medley this season, and Meyer is the point-scorer for the Marauders in distance events.
Along with them, junior Calista Smith, the third member of the 200 medley relay, is back with the team and will look to score points in the 200 intermediate medley, 500 free, and 100 breaststroke, along with the relay.
Sophomore Catherine Hiner returns to round out the Marauders third-place medley relay team.
Alex Biggs, Cara Gray, Sophie Martin, Macie Murphy, and Mia Todd are other returning swimmers who will have a bigger role this season, along with newcomers Alyvia Arkenau, Kate Lawrence, and Candice Stites.
“With some of our underclassmen moving up and some freshmen coming in, there are some potential changes to our lineup. All of them are going to play a role, I’m just not sure where yet,” Grieshop said. “They add good depth to the team and allow us to potentially move kids around in the lineup or add depth in certain events.”
Along with losing two senior swimmers, the Marauders are tasked with replacing two senior divers — state qualifier Riley Nielsen and Alayna Walker.
While those two are gone, Mt. Vernon returns sophomore Brooklyn Williams and junior Taylor Sauri with experience from last season.
“They are really training well, adding some new dives, and have been really working on their technique,” Grieshop said. “I think between the two of them we’re going to see some improvement.”
With top returners in multiple events and the loss of just a few seniors, Grieshop hopes the team can continue to build off of their sectional and conference finishes and can improve on their placements and times this season.
“I’d just like to see us improve upon where we were last year, and just keep moving forward,” Grieshop said. “We had one of our best showings in conference and sectional and were right there in terms of team finish. We just want to continue to improve upon that this season.”
The Marauders open the season on Nov. 21 at Richmond.
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2023-24 Mt. Vernon Girls Swimming and Diving Schedule
Date;Opponent;Time
Nov. 21;at Richmond;6 p.m.
Nov. 25;at Connersville;10 a.m.
Nov. 28; at Warren Central;5:30 p.m.
Nov. 30;vs. Delta;5:30 p.m.
Dec. 2;at Pike;10 a.m.
Dec. 5;vs. New Palestine;5:30 p.m.
Dec. 9;at Shelbyville Relays;1 p.m.
Dec. 11;at Greenfield-Central;5:30 p.m.
Jan. 6;Hoosier Heritage Conference (New Palestine);9 a.m.
Jan. 9;vs. Brebeuf/Heritage Christian;6 p.m.
Jan. 16;at Whiteland;6 p.m.
Jan. 18;vs. Pendleton Heights;5:30 p.m.
Jan. 20;at Yorktown/Shelbyville;10 a.m.
Jan. 23;at Lawrence North/Ben Davis;6 p.m.
