(2-10-18) It was a day to remember for Jay County’s Alex Bader at the IHSAA Girls State Swimming and Diving Championships.
Friday night Bader finished in a fast time of 1:02.80 to qualify in 5th spot in the 100 Yard Breaststroke and the opportunity to swim for her second State medal.
On Saturday she finished 5th in the finals in a time of 1:03.09 in her final race as a Jay County Patriot. The winner of the race was Yorktown junior Emily Weiss who set a national high school record with a time of 58.40, beating the 58.56 record set by Lindsey Horejsi of Albert Lea Senior High School in Minnesota in November 2015.
But the day was not over for the Senior, Bader was named the Mental Attitude Award winner, one of the most prestigious awards given out to an IHSAA Student-Athlete. Bader is the first Patriot to ever win the award in swimming, the first award in swimming was handed out in 1974-75.
Can’t believe I’m done with high school swimming… 4 years went by fast
— Alex Bader (@AlexBader99) February 11, 2018
Jay County Matt Slavik –
This is a huge deal for our program. We are very blessed in Jay County to have so much community support for swimming, from summer rec to the high school program. It is fantastic to have one of ours be recognized above the tremendous swimmers and divers that compete in Indiana.
Alex is a very deserving young lady and has worked extremely hard, both academically and athletically, to get to where she is. Her 100 Breaststroke was an incredible race, where a young lady who will more than likely be representing the United States in the next olympics, was the winner.
I cannot speak highly enough of the effort and energy that Alex has brought to our program. She has trained extremely hard for the past four years to get to where she is. Alex is one of the most coachable young ladies that I have every had the opportunity to work with. She will excel at the next level in the sport of swimming and her work ethic will propel her to an extremely successful career and future life outside of the pool. Alex epitomizes what it means to be a team player and leader. Alex is a tremendous role model for our youth and is a shining example of what we should want our young kids to aspire to be like. Her faith, family, academics and swimming are a huge part of who she is as a person.
Award Description-
At the conclusion of the state finals, the IHSAA Executive Committee presents the Mental Attitude Award to the outstanding senior participant in the swimming and diving state tournament. The recipient of this award, who was nominated by her principal and coach, must excel in mental attitude, scholarship, leadership and athletic ability in swimming and diving. From 1989 to 2013, over $825,000 in college scholarships were presented by Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance to deserving high school students in Indiana.
Past Winners
| Year | Name | School |
| 1974-75 | Pat Lapham | North Central |
| 1975-76 | Carol Bartholomew | Valparaiso |
| 1976-77 | Debra McFadyen | Kokomo Haworth |
| 1977-78 | Mara Hagan | Terre Haute South |
| 1978-79 | Elizabeth Ashburn | Ben Davis |
| 1979-80 | Julie Trudgen | North Central |
| 1980-81 | Jane Coontz | Castle |
| 1981-82 | Sherry Cartwright | Harrison (West Lafayette) |
| 1982-83 | Laura Ashburn | Ben Davis |
| 1983-84 | Pamela Hayden | Columbus East |
| 1984-85 | Debbie Daniel | Anderson |
| 1985-86 | Jenny Turnock | Elkhart Central |
| 1986-87 | Tricia Berger | Jasper |
| 1987-88 | Heidi Hendricks | Logansport |
| 1988-89 | Angela Todt | Elkhart Central |
| 1989-90 | Ginger Faerber | Carmel |
| 1990-91 | Allison Bock | Lafayette Jefferson |
| 1991-92 | Carrie Keckley | South Bend St. Joseph’s |
| 1992-93 | Kirsten Johnson | Valparaiso |
| 1993-94 | Danielle Biggs | New Albany |
| 1994-95 | Lindsay Benko | Elkhart Central |
| 1995-96 | Emily Ayers | Carmel |
| 1996-97 | Melissa Sugar | Evansville Day |
| 1997-98 | Maureen Hillenmeyer | Westfield |
| 1998-99 | Michala Kwasny | Fort Wayne Snider |
| 1999-00 | Brooke Taflinger | Kokomo |
| 2000-01 | Jenni Anderson | Chesterton |
| 2001-02 | Kristy Siminski | Portage |
| 2002-03 | Katie Robinson | South Dearborn |
| 2003-04 | Erin Sparks | Carmel |
| 2004-05 | Christine Shehorn | North Central |
| 2005-06 | Brittney Feldman | Indianapolis Broad Ripple |
| 2006-07 | Kayla Sergesketter | Jasper |
| 2007-08 | Emily Schroeder | Hamilton Southeastern |
| 2008-09 | Jessica Hammes | Carmel |
| 2009-10 | Kait Flederbach | Westfield |
| 2010-11 | Carly Marshall | Carmel |
| 2011-12 | Abby Smith | Franklin Community |
| 2012-13 | Lacey Locke | Carmel |
| 2013-14 | Alex Cleveland | Zionsville |
| 2014-15 | Lillia King | Evansville Reitz |
| 2015-16 | Claire Adams | Carmel |
| 2016-17 | Lauryn Parrish | Fishers |
One more time 🏊🏼♀️🏆💪🏼 pic.twitter.com/A8UKcJriAR
— Alex Bader (@AlexBader99) February 9, 2018
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