Junior Maddy Schnelzer qualified for the OHSAA State Swimming and Diving Tournament on Saturday, February 18, after competing in the District Tournament at Bowling Green State University. 

Schnelzer swam in four events at Districts: the 200 freestyle, 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle relay, and 400 freestyle relay. She advanced to State in the 100 butterfly with a time of 57.54 seconds.

“I’m glad to have qualified for States,” Schnelzer said. “I’m really looking forward to what I can do there and hopefully medal[ing].”

A total of 32 swimmers advance from Districts to State in each individual event. The top two finishers in each of the four districts are guaranteed to advance. The remaining 24 spots are then decided based on times.

Schnelzer placed fourth in the 100 butterfly at Districts. Although this did not guarantee that she would advance to State, her time was fast enough to put her in competition for a spot. It was not until Sunday afternoon that she found out for sure she had qualified. 

“I am super excited for Maddy with her second year qualifying for the state swim meet,” said Autumn Reeves, the head swim coach. “She puts in a tremendous amount of time in the water as well as in the weight room. She is focused while training to reach her goals.”

In addition to qualifying for State in the 100 butterfly, Schnelzer also saw success in her other events. She broke the school record in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:57.61. She was also part of the team that set a new school record in the 400 freestyle relay by swimming a 3:45.79.

“I think my favorite moment at this year’s Districts was breaking the 4×100 free relay record, which is the second oldest school record if I’m remembering correctly,” Schnelzer said. “The girls have been working so hard for this moment and to get to experience and share that with them was great.”

Schnelzer qualified to State in the same event last year. The experience she gained there has given her confidence going into this year’s State meet. 

“I am super excited for States this year because it’s the last possible high school meets, so I feel like I can really just focus on swimming rather than having to qualify for something else,” Schnelzer said. “I’m not really nervous because I have already gone last year, so I know what to expect.”

The state meet will be held from February 21-25 at the C.T. Branin Natatorium in Canton. Schnelzer will compete in the preliminaries on Friday, February 24. If she advances to the finals, she will compete again on Saturday.

“My goals for State are to hopefully medal, as well as go a 55 in my 100 fly and just have a good time,” Schnelzer said.