Five Races to Watch

Girls 100 butterfly: Battle No. 2 between Haverford’s Madison Hart (seeded second) and Radnor’s Julia Cullen (third). Cullen got the better of Hart at Centrals, and with Hart likely peaking in her training and Cullen showing no signs of slowing down in her torrid freshman campaign, both could book tickets to states.

Girls 400 freestyle relay: Five teams make it to states, followed by the next eight fastest relays statewide. Radnor enters the event seeded sixth, with Haverford seventh and Strath Haven eighth. The latter two might actually have an edge: They’ll be in the middle lanes of the second-to-last heat and able to drive each other out in front, while Radnor has to contend with the wash of an outside lane in the fastest heat.

Girls 100 breaststroke: Five Delco girls are in the top 17 seeds, led by Haverford’s Cassandra Reed in ninth. Expect big-time drops from Ridley’s Gab Rudy (seeded 12th) and Strath Haven’s Camille Jablonski (16th), both of whom made states as freshmen last year.

Boys 50 freestyle: Garnet Valley’s Andrew Woerth is seeded 14th, which means he’ll have a central lane in the third-to-last heat. Anything can happen in the insanity that is swimming’s splash and dash, to a state-worthy time is possible in a 50 field that is crowded but not deep.

Boys 100 backstroke: Radnor’s Eli Avart is seeded fourth, and Garnet Valley’s Ivan Michalovic is seeded fifth. Michalovic, who just missed out on states in the 500 last year, has taken a chance by switching events, but it may work out for the senior, who is also seeded fourth in the 200 individual medley.