In 2023, Carmel swimming was national girls team of year. In 2024, they are arguably better.
CARMEL — High school football coaches don’t start summer workouts talking about the Super Bowl. High school basketball coaches don’t prepare teams for the NBA playoffs.
At Carmel High School, the swim coach doesn’t open practice urging the girls to extend their national record of 37 successive state titles. He talks about U.S. Olympic Trials and Paris Olympics.
How could he not?
Four Carmel swimmers — Alex Shackell, Kayla Han, Lynsey Bowen, Molly Sweeney — represented Team USA on global stages last summer. Shackell, at age 16, won a silver medal at the World Championships. Han and Bowen won golds at junior worlds, and Sweeney nearly did.
Carmel has been so strong so often that several of its teams could be considered the greatest in U.S. high school history — including this one. It’s the swim version of picking basketball’s best from M.J., LeBron, Kareem, Wilt or Russell.
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“I think we had a great environment last year, but something about this year,” Shackell said. “I don’t think this team has ever been so close and so determined as a whole. We all really want to improve, and we’re showing that every day in practice.”
In 2023, Carmel swimming was USA Today’s national girls team of the year. In 2024, Carmel is arguably better.
In 2025, it should be better again. By then, swimmers will be training in a new $43 million natatorium now under construction.
Shackell and Bowen are juniors, Han and Sweeney sophomores. Add other rising stars, and next year, well ... it looks more like a junior national team than a public high school.
If times from December’s East winter junior nationals were inserted into the 2023 women’s NCAA Championships — and diving points were excluded — Carmel would finish 11th.
You could not identify another football, basketball, baseball, softball or volleyball team — or any high school team in any sport — knocking at the door of a college top 10.
Coach Chris Plumb acknowledged the Greyhounds are preparing more for June’s Olympic Trials than for the state meet, which is Friday and Saturday at the Natatorium at IUPUI. Shackell has the best chance to become the first Olympian out of the girls program.
“Ultimately, the goal is to swim really fast at Olympic Trials. And everyone is on that path,” Plumb said.
“If we think about doing that and aiming there, the rest of that stuff takes care of itself, right?”
Carmel's depth is unmatched
Inevitable criticism of Carmel is that not all swimmers are homegrown. Shackell and Han relocated here from St. Louis and La Mirada, Calif., respectively. However, it’s not as if school leaders can erect razor wire to keep them out.
“Carmel has a great community, like with the school and swim team,” Han said. “That’s basically why I chose to come to Indiana.
“It’s really fun so far. I’m just glad to be a part of it.”
Unexpectedly, Han will not be with the team at state because she will be representing another team — Team USA. Because of late withdrawals by other swimmers, Han was invited to compete in the World Championships at Doha, Qatar.
After weighing options, the 15-year-old “wanted to compete on the world stage,” Plumb said.
Carmel is so deep its team score will be little affected. Even without Han, Carmel swimmers had the three fastest times in the 500-yard freestyle at last week’s sectionals. One coach from a rival school speculated Carmel’s junior varsity — with No. 4-5-6 swimmers in each event — might finish second at state behind Carmel’s varsity.
Not that Carmel swimmers don’t prioritize state. They do. Shackell said it is among her favorite meets.
“We have our whole student section in the crowd,” she said. “That can’t happen at every meet. And, of course, it’s at the Nat, which is one of my favorite pools. And the team bonding things we do before. And everyone on the team gets so excited about it, coming out with our roster, sectionals. It’s just really fun to do it together.”
As big as the big four are in performance, they are relatively small in stature. Bowen is 5-10, and the others shorter. Plumb said they are technically efficient and have simply outworked taller peers, especially the 5-5 Han.
“I’ve just never seen that level of consistency from an athlete before,” the coach said.
Consistency is such a theme that posted by the pool are two pictures: one of a giant fire next to little fires, and one of four medium fires. The message: consistency over one-offs.
“Every day, one of them steps up and does something. ‘Oh that was pretty good,’ “ Plumb said. “Kayla coming in, ‘Oh, we thought we were good; this girl is another level on the distance side.’ “
'Carmel does it different.'
Nurture has influenced the Greyhounds. Don’t discount nature:
∎ Shackell is the daughter of Nick Shackell, who represented Great Britain in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and was captain of Auburn’s first NCAA championship team in 1997. Her mother, Ali, also swam for Auburn. Aaron Shackell, older brother of Alex, set a national high school record in the 200-yard freestyle last year and is training in Carmel for Olympic Trials.
∎ Sweeney is the daughter of Joy (Aschenbrener) and Casey Sweeney, both soccer players who belong to Butler University’s hall of fame. Her older brother, Quinn, swam for Carmel Swim Club and Guerin Catholic.
∎ Bowen is the sister of Kendra Bowen, the 2019 state champion in the 200 freestyle and now a Purdue swimmer. Their mother, Renee, swam at Ball State. Their father, Scott, played basketball for Carmel and coached the Carmel girls basketball team to a Class 4A state title in 2008. A sister, Taylor, plays basketball for Lipscomb.
Training and genetics are not everything, however. Team culture is more than a slogan.
In summer 2022, Bowen developed meningitis and was hospitalized. Teammates came to the hospital, bringing gifts to lift her spirits.
It made recovery easier, she said. Bowen said the swimmers make each other better.
“I’ve never seen a team that supports one another like Carmel does,” Han said. “I’ve moved teams quite a bit. Carmel does it different.”
Beyond the girls, there are the boys. With both teams sharing a pool, there is additional rivalry. Swimming can do so in a way other high school sports can’t, Plumb said. It is synergistic relationship.
“It’s not just the girls group,” Shackell said. “We’re all friends. We’ve seen each other at their worst and at their best, and in between, every day. When someone else succeeds, it’s like you did it yourself.”
2024 team is special. 2025 could be even better...
The three highest-scoring teams at state meets were Carmel in the past three years: 479 points in 2021, 461 in 2022, 498 in 2023.
All exceeded the 445 points by 2015 Carmel, which nevertheless retains a strong case as the best girls swim team ever. Those Carmel swimmers won nine of 11 events. Who won the other two? Lilly King.
Also, 2015 Carmel thrived at 50- and 100-yard distances, which comprise eight of the 11 high school events. Five girls — Amy Bilquist, Claire Adams, Veronica Burchill, Emma Nordin, Sammie Burchill — were national champions at the time or later. Carmel swam to an unsurpassed 15 state records, adding prelims and finals.
Comparisons depend on what is measured, Plumb said.
The 2024 version is better than 2015 at 200 yards/200 meters, for instance. The 2023 version was deeper than 2024.
Last year’s Greyhounds set state records in six events, and they could duplicate that this weekend. They set national records in the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays, but the 200 free relay was disqualified Saturday at Noblesville and is out of the state meet.
Balance of 2024 Carmel is underscored by Shackell, who switched to the 100 backstroke for state. She clocked 52.65 seconds at sectional and could break the national public school record of 51.43. Public school record in the 100 butterfly is 49.94, and Shackell clocked 49.49 at winter juniors.
Shackell, Sweeney and Bowen all broke state records in 2023. They could do so in 2024 . . . and again in 2025.
About next year:
In addition to the aforementioned four, Carmel’s roster will include Lexie Ward, a junior who was second at state in the 500 freestyle last year; freshman sprinters Faith Gorey and Sophia Floyd, both sectional champions, and Ellie Clarke, a backstroker. Clarke, an eighth-grader, won a national title at age 13 last August.
“The question is, how do you continue to get better, especially after the Olympic year?” Plumb said. “You find ways and see where it goes.”
Here’s a way: Carmel vs. Team USA. Might be an epic junior dual meet.
Contact IndyStar correspondent David Woods at dwoods1411@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IHSAA girls swimming: Carmel dominance reaches new levels of greatness
