[Stardust]

http://www.thenewsenterprise.com/content...state-0224

Hours before competing in the Feb. 11 Region 3 Swimming and Diving Championships in Versailles, Emma Coakley felt like she was near death.

The Elizabethtown High School senior and University of Louisville commit was sick with some type of virus, so ill she didn’t think she could even compete in the finals.

Somehow, she fought through it all and managed two second-place finishes in her two individual events to advance to the Pannell Swim Shop/KHSAA State Swimming and Diving Championships at the Ralph Wright Natatorium at the University of Louisville.

So if she can swim like that feeling that horrible, just think what she could do when fully healthy this weekend.

“It motivates me because if I could do as well at region while feeling awful, I’m really excited to see what I can do this weekend,” said Coakley, who is seeded second fifth in the girls’ 100-yard butterfly (57.43 seconds) and 10th in the 200 freestyle (1:57.15). “I want to win. (It will take) perfection. I’ve worked a lot on my turns. Those are never perfect. Hopefully, we’ll reach it this weekend.”

Elizabethtown, Fort Knox, John Hardin and Meade County each have individual swimmers or relays competing Pannell Swim Shop/KHSAA State Swimming and Diving Championships today and Saturday. Boys’ preliminaries start at 10 a.m. today, while girls’ preliminaries are at 3:30 p.m. Boys’ finals are at 10 a.m. Saturday, with girls’ finals slated for 4:15 p.m.

Besides those four area teams, former E’town Dolphins swimmer and current North Oldham eighth-grader Kate Tarvestad and Elizabethtown resident and Louisville Sacred Heart sophomore Angelica Yun will also participate in the meet. Tarvestad will swim in the 200 free and 500 free, while Yun competes in the 100 breaststroke.

Elizabethtown coach Mavi Sampaio hopes Coakley can follow through on her plan. The four-time State qualifier placed ninth in the 100 fly last year, along with finishing 15th in the 500 free, and swam on Elizabethtown’s sixth-place 200 free and 200 medley relays.

This year, she and Sampaio think she can do better. But it all comes down to if she can perfect her turns.

“She needs to have a perfect race. That’s all she needs to be caring about,” Mavi Sampaio said. “She needs to swim perfect – hard, smart.”

Coakley will swim in one relay this year, which she just found out about Thursday afternoon. Mavi Sampaio made late changes to two of the Lady Panthers’ three qualifying relays, the 200 medley and 200 free. He moved Coakley from the 400 free to the 200 medley relay and put in sophomore Hannah Godfrey for freshman Mary Charlotte Pepper in the 200 free.

The 200 free relay (1:41.85) is seeded sixth, the 200 medley relay is seeded seventh (1:52.00) and the 400 free relay (3:41.68) is seeded eighth. The 200 medley relay, though, is only 1.19 seconds from the top five.

Although the 200 medley relay, consisting of Godfrey, freshman Manuela Sampaio and eighth-graders Mariana Sampaio and Madeline Rich won the region title in record fashion, Mavi Sampaio thinks putting Coakley in makes it even faster.

“I believe this combination, they’re faster,” Mavi Sampaio said. “At region, I was looking for points. We got all three relays very balanced to win, which we almost did (in) all three. At State, I want to see how high we can go.”

Mariana Sampaio said the two-week break between the region and state meets has helped her improve her turns. She’s also swimming in two individual events, the 100 fly (seeded 13th, 59.54 seconds and 50 free (19th, 25.36).

“I really want to make the top eight in all my events,” she said. “My turns are better. … I know how to push off the wall.”

Rich is swimming in four events – the 200 free and 400 free relays along with the 50 free (seeded 32nd, 26.04 seconds) and the 100 backstroke (seeded 27th, 1:04.02), which is her favorite stroke.

“I think we have a really good chance placing in the top five in the 200 free (relay),” she said. “Our times are close and we’ve got some really good sprinters.”

John Hardin senior Dalton Hardesty has the best seed of all individual swimmers. He’s seeded fourth in the boys’ 100 fly (52.93 seconds) – and trails St. Xavier freshman William Buese by 1.66 seconds for first. He’s also seeded seventh in the 100 back (54.07 seconds).