Led by a pair of silver medalists, and with five trips to the awards podium overall, Carl Junction finished sixth in the Class 1 team standings at the 47th annual MSHSAA Girls Swimming & Diving Championships on Friday at the St. Peters Rec-Plex.
The Bulldogs finished with 114.5 points. Parkway West (220.5), Cape Girardeau Central (187), Clayton (165), Pembroke Hill (129) and Webster Groves (124.5) were the only squads to top the Bulldogs.
“The girls are in good spirits, and I feel really good about how we performed,” Carl Junction coach Stephanie Miller said in a phone interview. “I told them they had to really show up at the prelims and hold on for the finals. And for the most part, they did that. There was one relay that fell short, but we moved on and did really well today. I was happy. Going to the medal stand five times is fun, and two second places is really good.”
Carl Junction sophomore Chloe Miller was the runner-up in the 50-yard freestyle with her time of 24.39 seconds. Rogersville’s Maddie Atwood took first in 23.67.
Miller also finished sixth in the 100 freestyle with a time of 54.61.
Carl Junction’s Skyler Sundy placed second in the 100 backstroke in 59.72 seconds. New Covenant’s Maggie Moore took first in 55.74.
A junior, Sundy also placed fifth in the 50 freestyle (24.68).
“For two of them to be top eight in two races was great to see,” Coach Miller said.
The Bulldogs finished fourth in the 200 medley relay in 1:53, with Sundy, Abigail Wilson, Miller and Alanza Montez competing.
The CJ team of Sundy, Elyanna Dogotch, Montez and Miller finished ninth in the 200 free relay (1:42).
“I put freshman Elyanna Dogotch on the 200 free relay so Carsyn Smith could get ready for the backstroke, and Elyanna showed up big with a lifetime best time… in the finals at state,” Miller said. “That was one of my favorite swims today because it’s fun to see someone deal with that pressure.”
CJ senior Carsyn Smith placed 12th in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:02, while Wilson was 16th in the 100 breaststroke (1:11).
The Bulldogs will lose seniors Montez and Smith to graduation, but Carl Junction will return a solid core next winter.
“It’s always hard to see the seniors go,” Coach Miller said. “We’ve had a solid team all year. And we’re already looking at next year. We’re ready to go and ready to do it again. It’s just so much fun.”
The Bulldogs weren’t the only local squad to have a nice showing alongside the state’s best.
The Carthage Tigers and Webb City Cardinals also had state medalists.
Carthage junior Madison Riley placed fourth in the 100 butterfly in 58.86 to earn state medalist honors. According to Tigers coach Braden McBride, Riley is the first state medalist in program history.
Carthage took 11th in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:44, with senior Cassidy Smith, sophomore Aubree Santillan, senior Hope Fultz and Riley competing.
The Tigers were 12th in the 200 medley relay, as Santillan, Smith, Riley and Fultz recorded a time of 1:57.
Webb City junior Sophia Whitesell placed eighth in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:16 to earn a state medal. Whitesell also placed 16th in the 500 freestyle in 5:31.
Cardinals junior Skylar Powell finished 13th in the 50 freestyle (25.64) and 14th in the 100 free (56.64).
Webb City fared well in all three relays.
The 400 freestyle relay team of Powell, sophomore Avery Mitchell, freshman Alix Davis and Whitesell finished 11th in 3:49.
Webb City’s 200 medley relay team of freshman Camryn Klosterman, senior Makenzie Storm, Whitesell and junior Olivia Honey finished 15th in 2:01. The Cardinals placed 16th in the 200 free relay in 1:46, with Powell, senior Ella Holt, Honey and Mitchell competing.
Like the Bulldogs, Shawn Klosterman’s Cardinals will return a solid core next year.
Carthage (38) and Webb City (37) were 20th and 21st, respectively, in the team standings.
Before departing St. Peters for a long bus ride home, Coach Miller noted the Southwest Missouri squads represented the area well at the state championships.
“We see so much great competition in Southwest Missouri with Webb City, Kickapoo and Glendale and everybody,” Miller said. “We all go at it during the season and then it’s fun here at state because we’re all cheering for each other. I love that dynamic. We’re from an area that is so powerful down there in the corner. We all show up here at state and we all care about each other. The area coaches hang out and we look forward to seeing all the area kids compete. It’s been really fun and that’s what I love about this sport.”
MSHSAA Girls Swimming & Diving Championships
Class 1 top 10 teams
Parkway West 220.5, Cape Girardeau Central 187, Clayton 165, Pembroke Hill 129, Webster Groves 124.5, Carl Junction 114.5, Villa Duchesne 104.5, Parkway Central 99.5, Visitation 99, Mehlville 95.
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