Duneland Swim Club’s Kyle Whitaker took home top honors at the recent Indiana State Swimming Championships.

The 10-year-old from Chesterton won all five of his events to earn the 10-and-under boys overall High Point Champion. He won the 100-meter butterfly in 1:12.40 and missed the state record by three-tenths of a second. He won the 50-Meter Fly (33.07), 200-Meter I.M. (2:45.39), 100-Meter Breaststroke (1:27.79) and the 50-Meter Free (30.92).

Bill Bass, 12, also did well. He placed second in the 200-Meter free (2:15.43) and fourth in both the 400-Meter Free (4:43.90) and the 50-Meter Free (29.17). Bill also placed fifth in the 100-Meter Free (1:02.64) and sixth in the 100-meter Breaststroke (1:23.78).

Talor Whitaker, 13, finished 13th in the 100-Meter Fly (1:11.12) and 14th in the 200-Meter Fly (2:40.92). She finished 17th in the 200-Meter I.M. (2:39.63).

Sarah Kehe, 14, placed ninth in the 1,500-Meter Free (19:22.01) and 18th in the 400 Meter Free. She also placed 14th in the 800-Meter Free (10:06.30).

The 10-and-under boys 200-Meter Medley and the 200-Meter Free Relays of Whitaker, Nate Shuster, Joey Gerard and Grant Shuster took sixth place in each relay with times of 2:47.52 and 2:28.06, respectively. The 13-14-year-old girls 200-Meter Free Relay team of Kehe, Whitaker, Nikki Pierce and Katie Cahillane finished 13th with a time of 2:00.78. The girls 200-Meter Relay team of Whitaker, Cahillane, Pierce and Stephanie Maggio finished 18th.

Other Duneland Swimmers who competed at the state meet were Ruth Bass (age 13), Adam Thieling (12), Ethan Hall (11) and Shauna Foor (11).

Four Duneland swimmers have qualified to advanced to the country’s Central Zone Championships. They include Kyle and Talor Whitaker along with Bill and Ruth Bass, who will be competing in the open water event. With only 15 swimmers at the state meet, Duneland still pulled off an overall 18th place finish out of 78 teams represented. Carmel Swim Club won the championships.

Posted 8/9/2002