Norwell and Bluffton swam in the preliminary sectional round Thursday night at Jay County.

Norwell’s Ella Krug nears the final turn of her 100-yard butterfly event during the sectional preliminary round Thursday night at Jay County.

There are no team scores for preliminaries, but the top 16 in each individual and relay team event will advance to Saturday’s finals. The top eight will compete in the Heat 2 finals, while the rest are going for spots 9-16.

Bluffton’s Zoey Schmidt takes a stroke during the 200-yard freestyle race. Both will be heading to the sectional final rounds, competing for seven total events for their respective teams. (Photos by Ryan Walker)

Norwell is seeking a sectional title after falling to Delta last season. The Knights sent their medley relay team and 200-yard freestyle event winner Emma Page to the state finals last season.

The winners of the finals events will head to the state meet on Feb. 9 at the Indiana University Natatorium. Non-top-finishers will need to hit a certain timed cutline to advance to the state meet.

Below are the Knights and Tigers that qualified for the sectional finals on Saturday:

Norwell

• Jillian Melcher, Ella Krug, Marlee Meredith and Emerson Meredith third in the 200-yard medley relay.

• Karrigan Melcher fifth, Olivia Daniel eighth and Ryleigh Huffman 15th  in the 200-yard freestyle.

• Krug third, Haleigh Reinhard fifth and Marlee Meredith ninth in the 200-yard IM

• Jillian Melcher second, Renee Fraze and Sawyer Peterson 10th in the 50-yard freestyle.

• Krug third, Rilynn Ervin eighth and Huffman ninth in the 100-yard butterfly.

• Emerson Meredith third, Peterson ninth and Addyson Heyerly 14th in the 100-yard freestyle.

• Cassie Coyne third, Karrigan Melcher fourth and Daniel fifth in the 500-yard freestyle.

• Fraze, Emerson Meredith, Marlee Meredith and Jillian Melcher second in the 200-yard freestyle relay.

• Jillian Melcher third, Ervin fourth and Alaina Barnhart 12th in the 100-yard backstroke.

• Reinhard second, Meredith sixth in the 100-yard breaststroke.

• Heyerly, Daniel, Fraze and Krug second in the 400-yard freestyle relay.

Bluffton

• Zoey Schmidt 16th in the 200-yard freestyle.

• Lucia Corkwell 15th in the 200-yard IM.

• Corkwell 13th in the 100-yard butterfly.

• Ellie Coyne sixth in the 100-yard freestyle.

• Zoey Schmidt 10th in the 500-yard freestyle.

• Coyne, Corkwell, Anna Zurcher and Kierstynn Reed eighth in the 200-yard freestyle relay.

• Coyne first in the 100-yard breaststroke.

• Emily Hansen, Schmidt, Emma Fink and Zurcher ninth in the 400-yard freestyle relay.

The sectional finals will start at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 3.

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