Swim teams from Joplin, Carthage, Webb City and Monett will conclude the 2022 season alongside the state’s best at the 86th annual MSHSAA Boys Swimming and Diving Championships in St. Peters.
Joplin will be the lone area school competing in Class 2, while Carthage, Webb City and Monett will compete in Class 1.
Held at the St. Peters Rec-Plex near St. Louis, the Class 2 meet is Thursday and Friday, while the Class 1 event is Friday and Saturday.
The Class 2 prelims begin at noon on Thursday, with the finals scheduled for 10 a.m. on Friday.
The Class 1 prelims begin at 4:30 on Friday, with the finals slated to begin at 3 on Saturday.
JOPLIN EAGLES SET FOR STATE
Joplin will be represented at the Class 2 state meet by six athletes — senior Zane Newman, juniors Ian Vermillion and Jackson Mordica, sophomores Parker Hinman and Nathan Wardlow and freshman Isaiah Thom.
“I was confident in this group before our season even began,” Joplin coach Aaron Stump said. “We have an experienced group with returning swimmers and those with year-round dedication beyond our high school team. I’m proud of this group and everything they’ve accomplished. I would have liked to see more individual qualifiers, but everyone in the group improved their times. I see that happening next year based on the progress I’ve seen and the caliber of swimmers who will be returning.”
Wardlow is seeded 14th in the 500-yard freestyle and 23rd in the 200-yard individual medley. Hinman is seeded 30th in the 100 backstroke and Newman is seeded 31st in the 50 freestyle.
The Eagles qualified for state in all three relays.
Joplin is seeded 24th in the 400 freestyle relay, 25th in the 200 medley relay and 26th in the 200 freestyle relay. The 200 medley relay will feature Hinman, Mordica, Vermillion and Newman, while the 200 free relay consists of Newman, Vermillion, Thom and Wardlow.
Newman, Vermillion, Hinman and Wardlow make up the 400 free relay.
“Making the finals would be great since the guys weren’t able to get there last year, but my focus is on continued improvement,” Stump said.
CLASS 1: TIGERS, CARDS, CUBS COMPETING
CARTHAGE
Central Ozark Conference champion Carthage is sending eight athletes to state — seniors Eli Cox, Trey Nye, Will Wallace and Landon White, junior Kellen Frieling, sophomore Braxton McBride and freshmen Maveric Alphin and William Wright.
“Making the state meet is a large accomplishment in itself,” Tigers coach Braden McBride said. “It’s very exciting. This year we have the chance of making the finals in three or four events, but we’ll have to swim personal bests to make the finals. Our main goal is to compete well. If we swim personal bests, and don’t make the finals, at least we’ll know we did everything we could possibly do.”
Frieling is seeded 12th in the 100-yard backstroke and 31st in the 200 freestyle, while Braxton McBride is seeded 18th in the 50 freestyle and 26th in the 100 freestyle.
The Tigers will compete in all three relays. Carthage is seeded 13th in the 400 freestyle relay, while the team’s 200 medley relay is seeded 15th and the 200 freestyle relay is seeded 24th.
“We knew we would make the cut in five out of the seven events,” Coach McBride added. “Kellen Frieling in the 200 free and Braxton McBride in the 100 free were surprises.”
WEBB CITY
Webb City is sending eight athletes to the state meet.
Representing the Cardinals are seniors Cody Herndon, Judah Ritchie and Emiliano Vasquez, juniors Micah Brouwer, Steve Kenlee and Aiden Patterson, sophomore Adrien Black and freshman Maddox Wood.
“The state meet is always a blast, and the goal is always to get as many people invited as possible and to be at our fastest when we get there,” Webb City coach Shawn Klosterman said. “Any points on the board at the MSHSAA Championship are an achievement. This group of boys has their eyes on trying to get every event into the top 16 if we can. This year we got two of the three relays invited, along with two individual events. We were a little disappointed that we didn’t sneak the 200 free relay in, but we just ran out of opportunities to put that one together.”
Brouwer is seeded 13th in the 100 breaststroke, while Wood qualified to compete in the 1-meter diving competition.
“It is encouraging to have Micah ranked relatively high individually,” Klosterman said. “And Maddox Wood’s fourth place finish at districts makes me think he has a shot to score as a freshman in diving.”
The Cardinals are seeded 24th in the 200 medley relay and 31st in the 400 freestyle relay.
“The 200 medley will be Judah, Micah, Emiliano and Cody,” Klosterman noted. “The 400 free relay will most likely be Emiliano, Steve, Micah and Cody. The relays are always exciting at state because during a typical meet the boys have four events, so they’ll have a little more rest and be a little more fresh this weekend. I’m hoping to see some inspired splits to get what we need to return Saturday for finals.”
MONETT
Monett will be represented by seniors Matthew Fillinger and Lincoln Johnson, juniors Ryan Goodson and Sandeep Maharjan, sophomores Jayden Apostol and Spencer Hunt and freshman Rowan George.
Fillinger is seeded 11th in the 200 freestyle and 15th in the 100 butterfly, while Goodson is seeded 12th in the 100 free and 17th in the 50 free.
The Cubs are seeded 15th in the 200 freestyle relay, 23rd in the 400 freestyle relay and 25th in the 200 medley relay.
