Ketterling pushing the limits in pool

South Dakota swimming and diving team member Cassie Ketterling finally pushed past that personal barrier and enjoyed her best collegiate meet at the Summit League Championships.

Ketterling, a senior from Oak Creek, Wisconsin, had what many would call a meet of a lifetime during the four-day championships that took place at Hulbert Aquatic Center in Fargo, North Dakota.

Not only did Ketterling swim to personal bests in all four individual races she competed in, but all four were school records to boot. 

“I was just happy all over because I was in a plateau for the last four years with no best times or anything,” said Ketterling. “So to finally get a best time again it blew my mind away.

“I was in so much joy and tears almost.”

To sum it up, it was six total school records (four individual, two relay) while she also earned All-Summit League honors in all seven of the races she competed in during the finals. 

Ketterling joined an elite list of Coyotes as double individual Summit League champions – Elizabeth Hoffman is the only other one – when she captured the gold in the 100 IM (56.92) and 400 IM (4:24.04). She would go on to finish second in the 200 breast in 2:19.12 and also set a school record in the prelims of the 200 IM in 2:03.31. 

She swam on the 400 free relay and 400 medley relay that set school records while finishing second and third, respectively. She also helped the 200 free relay to a second-place finish and the 200 medley to a third-place finish.

“Personally, I had a really good meet,” she said. “It brought my confidence up a lot, because I was struggling with that, not getting best times. So, to finally be getting best times, knowing that all my hard work finally paid off was really relieving and helped my self-confidence a lot.”

Ketterling is among 16 Coyotes (seven women, nine men) who will compete this week at the National Invitational Championship in Elkhart, Indiana. The three-day meet, sponsored by the Collegiate Swimming Coaches Association of American (CSCAA), begins Thursday at the Beacon Health Aquatic Center.

Ketterling will compete in four individual events and two relays at the NIC while her success this weekend will be determined by how much fun she will have.

“We actually get to fly, so it will be a different experience,” said Ketterling. “It’s a have fun meet, but we still want to swim fast. We can still swim fast and have fun, but our goal isn’t necessarily to win, it’s to swim fast and place well.

“We are swimming 50’s, which we can’t do at conference, so we’re trying to have fun a little bit more.”

The daughter of Mike and Amy Ketterling will compete in the 50 breast and 50 fly along with the 200 free relay and 400 medley relay on Thursday. She will come back on Saturday to swim in the 100 IM and 200 breast.

“I want to have fun and not stress about if I don’t go a best time, because I just went those times off a good taper,” Ketterling said. “Just having fun with it and not getting down on myself if I don’t do well.”

Ketterling, a double major in kinesiology and sports management along with psychology, isn’t quite ready to put away the swimsuit just yet and will be back next school year for her fifth season, her COVID year. 

The decision, she says, wasn’t all that difficult.

“It was actually pretty easy,” said Ketterling. “It worked out academically for me, so I was able to spread out my double major to finish one major this year and one major next year.

“I wasn’t quite ready to close the yearbook on swim, especially ending it on such a good season. I want to see if I can do better next year and end on even more of a bang next year.”

Ketterling will also get to enjoy her final school year in Vermillion with her brother, Jacob, and won’t have to worry about making the eight-hour drive back and forth by herself.

“It’s nice not doing it alone,” she said. 

It will also be easier on her parents who had to split time between the Summit League Championships and the Wisconsin High School State meet, to see Jacob, as both meets were on the same weekend.

One thing is certain, the drive from Oak Creek, Wisconsin, to Elkhart, Indiana, (three hours and 21 minutes) will be a short one for Mike and Amy, when compared to what it’s been like over the last four years watching Cassie compete for the Coyotes.

“It will be a lot easier for them (parents) for meets too, to be able to go to one place, to have one schedule,” said Ketterling. “They already have all the gear, I think they’re going to like that a lot more.”