Friday night’s preliminary rounds for the girls swim sectionals at Concord and Warsaw are in the books, with the championship rounds and tickets to the IHSAA State Finals up for grabs on Saturday.

At Concord

As most expected, it will be Northridge and Concord fighting it out for most of the bragging right as the two peppered the championship finals. Ridge takes the clubhouse lead with 22 finalists and its three relays, two of those relays posting the top time as well as leaders from Elsa Fretz in the 50 (23.47) and 100 (50.94) freestyles, Hailey Clark in the 500 (5:16.34), Haley Dygert in the IM (2:11.55) and Kenzie Weber in the backstroke (59.46). Concord has Grace Brenneman leading the 200 free (1:55.15), but 21 of its swimmers are in the finals and its three relays. Ridge and Concord should also score well in diving, with four of the top five at the Northern Lakes Conference meet coming from the two clubs.

Jimtown’s Sarah Pratt posted the top breaststroke time at 1:05.04 and Elkhart Central’s Sydney Dygert leads the butterfly at 57.98 while the Blazers posted the top medley relay.

Locally, Wawasee qualified all three of its relays to the championship round, its top showing in the 200 free relay, and surprisingly has just one swimmer alive for a championship in Rileigh Atwood, who is seeded third after her prelim swim in the breaststroke at 1:07.37. NorthWood has just its 400 free relay swimming for a possible championship but will have a diving contender in Laura Schrock start her journey Saturday morning in the prelims.

At Warsaw

The Tigers should be in the mix for a third straight sectional team title, but will bring in only three top times into the championship rounds after Friday’s prelims.

Delaney Wihebrink is the one to beat in the breaststroke, posting a 1:05.99 that’s almost eight seconds clear of the next fastest time. She will be chasing Culver Academy’s Autumn Baumgartner in the 100 free, as the Eagle posted a 51.87 while Wihebrink is second by more than three seconds. Gracie Willig has the top 500 free time (5:40.07) and Taylor Gunter the top IM time (2:23.18) to lead the Warsaw output.

Warsaw does have quite a bit of representation among the championship flight, with Willig also alive in the 200, Gunter in the butterfly, Carolina Pazos Fernandez in the IM and 500, Olivia Herman in the 50 and 100 frees, Macelyn Marcuccilli in the 50 and backstroke, Melissa Deming and Mady Ray in the breaststroke, Rachel Doyle and Leah Reinholt in the backstroke and Mariana Malagon in the IM. Warsaw’s three relays are also in the finals, the 200 relay currently second and both the medley and 400 sitting fourth.

Culver Academy has the top relay in all three events and Baumgartner also leads the 50 (23.81).

Columbia City’s Lauren Liston is pacing the backstroke (1:03.03) and Manchester’s Halle Briner has the top times in the 200 free (1:55.36) and butterfly (59.62).