BY BOB MOULESONG

INDIANAPOLIS | Maddie Miskulin of Valparaiso earned a medal for sixth place in the diving finals with a cumulative score of 398.50. Miskulin, a junior, had qualified for the finals with a score of 269.55 in the morning semi-finals.

She had entered the final round seeded 12th, but her 128.95 points jumped her halfway up the standings.

"I was incredibly nervous during the semis," said Miskulin, who has only dove for the Vikings for two years. "My coach (Bill Chappo) talked to me in-between and calmed me down a lot. I came out in the finals and had some really great dives."

Miskulin's strong clutch finish allowed the Vikings to finish in 33rd place as a team.

Sarah Todd (Valpo), Amina Benman (Munster), and Megan Specyal (Lake Central) all made it through the prelims and into the semi-finals Saturday morning.

Specyal finished 19th (334.75), Todd finished 27th (315.45), and Benman was 28th (322.0). The top 16 girls advanced to the finals in the afternoon.

Domination day: The Region knows a little about domination in swimming.

Munster won 11 consecutive sectionals before host Crown Point edged the Seahorses out last week, and Chesterton has won eight consecutive sectionals in LaPorte and is still counting.

But neither one of those winning streaks can begin to compare to powerhouse Carmel. The Greyhounds won their 22nd consecutive state team title Saturday afternoon, tying a national high school record for consecutive state trophies in girls swimming. The record was set by Punahou High School from Honolulu, Hawaii (1974-1995).

Record breaking news: Records inside the Natatorium were falling faster than the outside temperatures Saturday afternoon.

In the 200 medley relay, champion Hamilton Southeastern set a state record with a time of 1:43.39. The Royals also set a state mark in the 400 free relay with a time of 3:26.61.

In the 200 IM, senior and state champion Michelle McKeehan of Center Grove set a national high school record of 1:56.87. McKeehan then turned around and broke her own record in the 100 breaststroke (1:00.12).

Senior Jenny Connolly of Harrison High School set a state mark when she won the 100 butterfly with a time of 53.91. Connolly already set a state meet record in the 100 backstroke when she came in first Friday night with a time of 53.53.

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