Homann Ready to Swim at State

Effingham High School senior Tyler Homann admitted it; getting to swim at the State Meet this weekend is pretty exciting.

Homann is the first male in Effingham High School history to swim at the state meet, set for Friday and Saturday at New Trier High School in Winnetka. Tyler said he and EHS Swim Coach Elizabeth Braunecker are headed north with Tyler's family Friday morning and will prepare for his first competition, likely to come Tyler said on Friday night.

Homann advanced to the state meet by winning the 100 yard breaststroke competition at the Champaign Centennial Sectional Meet. His winning time was 1:01.24, which was better than his seed time of 1:02.86.

Tyler has had good input on how to get ready for State; EHS graduate Avery Braunecker, now a freshman at the University of Louisville, competed at State throughout her high school career. Avery, Elizabeth's daughter, has been in touch with Tyler throughout the process.

Tyler trained with Elizabeth Braunecker since he was six years old, but he and his sister have been training in Sullivan the past couple of years. He said his times have been coming down, but said that's because he is older and stronger.

Here is Greg Sapp's conversation with Tyler Homann conducted Thursday afternoon at Effingham High School...