Joplin High School junior Nathan Wardlow shattered a pair of school records at Saturday’s Springfield Invitational.
Wardlow set school records in the 500-yard freestyle and the 200 IM at the meet. Wardlow recorded a time of 4:50.01 in the 500 free and 2:01.06 in the 200 IM.
The previous JHS record for the 500 free was 4:53.92 and was set by Andrew Chesney in 2015. The previous record for the 200 IM was 2:01.82 and was set by Alex Crawford in 2019.
On Saturday, Wardlow won the 500 free and he finished third in the 200 IM.
The JHS 200 medley relay team finished seventh in 1:47 and featured Wardlow, Jackson Mordica, Parker Hinman and Ian Vermillion.
Joplin’s 400 freestyle relay team of Wardlow, Vermillion, Isaiah Thom and Hinman finished eighth in 3:41.
In other highlights of Saturday’s meet, Hinman placed eighth in the 100 backstroke and 13th in the 200 IM, while Vermillion was 18th in the 100 butterfly and 20th in the 500 free and Jackson Mordica took 20th in the 100 breaststroke.
The Eagles finished 19th in the 200 freestyle relay.
Joplin finished eighth in the team standings. There were 23 full squads competing.
Rockhurst, Lafayette, Rock Bridge and Glendale were the top four teams.
Also of note, Monett’s Ryan Goodson finished seventh in the 50 freestyle and Nevada’s Kolton Evans took seventh in the 100 backstroke.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — For the second straight year, the Carthage Tigers were celebrating at the conclusion of the Central Ozark Conference boys swimming and diving championships.
Led by seven event wins, Carthage repeated as COC champs on Tuesday night at the Buck Miner Swim Center on the campus of Webb City High School. The Tigers topped the team standings with 324 points.
“Last year was the first year we’d ever won it, and we graduated four seniors and lost a couple of other kids,” Carthage coach Braden McBride said. “So this really came as a surprise. Joplin has the best swimmer in the conference in Nathan Wardlow. Ozark has Steve Boyce as their coach and he’s won state championships. And I’ve learned so much from Shawn Klosterman. The fact that we won this year’s meet is awesome. It’s not just the guys who earn the medals and get on the podium, we’ve got a lot of guys scoring points. Those guys scoring the seventh, eighth and ninth place points really matter and are big for our program.”
Host Webb City was second in the team standings with 233 points and Joplin took third with 205.
“I’m pretty happy, we had some good swims,” Webb City coach Shawn Klosterman said. “We had some guys move up and that’s what you always look for. It’s always an inspired meet. Carthage is loaded, so they’re pretty untouchable this year. Joplin has some studs this year, and I thought they were going to get us. We pulled off second place, so we’re happy with that.”
“Overall, I think there were a couple of events where we could have done a little better, but the guys performed well,” Joplin coach Aaron Stump said. “If we had diving, we would have been closer to second overall. Webb City has that advantage on us. But I’m happy with how the guys performed tonight.”
Nixa (180), Ozark (93) and Republic (92) rounded out the team standings.
Carthage’s Kellen Frieling won the 100-yard backstroke at Tuesday’s COC Swim Meet. Photo by Israel Perez.
CARTHAGE HIGHLIGHTS
Carthage’s Will Wright won the breaststroke at Tuesday’s COC Swim Meet.
The Tigers won two of the three relays and also took first in five individual events.
“Our boys competed well and they did everything we thought they’d need to do tonight,” Coach McBride said. “It was a great night.”
Carthage’s 200-yard medley relay team of Kellen Frieling, Braxton McBride, Will Wright and Maveric Allphin took first with a time of 1:47.
The Tigers won the 400 freestyle relay in 3:34, with Braxton McBride, Frieling, Aydan Nye and Wright competing.
Carthage finished second in the 200 freestyle, as Allphin, Daryl Martin, Ben Rogers and Nye recorded a time of 1:42.
Braxton McBride and Frieling each won two individual events.
A junior, McBride won the 50-yard freestyle in 23.15 seconds and the 100 freestyle in 51.71 seconds.
A senior, Frieling took first in the 100 butterfly with a time of 57.46 seconds and also captured gold in the 100 backstroke with a time of 56.69 seconds.
A sophomore, Wright won the 100 breaststroke in 1:05. Wright also finished second in the 200 IM.
The Tigers received big points in several other events. Allphin finished third in the 100 breaststroke and fifth in the 50 free, while Martin took fourth in the 100 free and Noah Blackford finished fourth in the 100 backstroke.
Also, Ryan Steinbach took sixth in the both the 200 IM and the 500 free, Emerson Ixcol took sixth in the 100 backstroke, Carter Yost finished seventh in the 200 IM and Rogers took seventh in the 500 free.
“Kellen, Braxton and Will have committed to being year-round swimmers,” Coach McBride said. “They lead us, but they’ve got a lot of other guys with them. It was a total team victory.”
Webb City’s Dagan Chacon is pictured during the COC Swim Meet.
WEBB CITY HIGHLIGHTS
Webb City fared well in the relays.
The 200 medley relay team of Cole Dalton, Micah Brouwer, Dalton Spence and Aiden Patterson finished third in 1:54.
Webb City was also third in the 200 freestyle relay, as Steve Kenlee, Spence, Brouwer and Adrien Black recorded a time of 1:43.
The Cardinals were fourth in the 400 freestyle relay, with Black, Kenlee, Dalton and Patterson competing.
Black was the runner-up in the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:28, while Brouwer placed second in the 100 breaststroke in 1:07 and third in the 200 IM in 2:16.
Black and Kenlee took fourth and sixth in the 200 freestyle, while Kenlee and Patterson were fifth and seventh in the 100 butterfly.
Also for the Cardinals, Spence was fifth in both the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke, Dalton was fifth in the 100 free, Patterson placed fifth in the 500 free, Cole was fifth in the 100 backstroke and Dagan Chacon finished seventh in the 50 free.
Webb City’s Grant Humphrey won the 1-meter diving competition, besting Nixa’s Keegan Sandgren for the top spot.
“Adrien had a big meet and our 200 free relay moved up from fifth to third, so I was proud of that,” Klosterman said. “Aiden had a season-best in the 500, so that was big. Grant Humphrey had a great day. He’s a new kid, but he’s proven to be very competitive.
“I’m also glad we got to have a Senior Night, too,” Klosterman said. “And it’s always nice to host this meet. It’s a hectic day, but it’s really nice to have it here.”
Joplin’s Nathan Wardlow won two events at the COC Swim Meet on Tuesday. Photo by Israel Perez.
JOPLIN HIGHLIGHTS
Joplin was led by the standout performance of junior Nathan Wardlow.
Joplin’s Nathan Wardlow reacts to his time in the 500-yard freestyle, which broke a pool record set in 1984.
Wardlow was the COC champion in two events, as he won the 200 individual medley in 2:02 and took first in the 500 freestyle with a record-breaking time of 4:53.
Wardlow set a meet and pool record in the 500 freestyle. The previous pool record (4:55) was set in 1984 by Sean Garretson of Jenks, Oklahoma. The COC record (4:57) was set by Ozark’s Graham Eisenmann in 2022.
“Nathan has been impressive all year,” Stump said. “I see a lot of drive from him. I saw him kick it into another gear tonight. For him to get that time in the 500 free here, I couldn’t be more impressed.”
The Eagles had a top-five finish in all three relays.
Joplin’s 200 medley relay team of Wardlow, Jackson Mordica, Parker Hinman and Ian Vermillion finished second in 1:50.
The JHS team of Wardlow, Isaiah Thom, Vermillion and Hinman took second in the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 3:40.
The Eagles placed fifth in the 200 freestyle relay, with Owen Mordica, Jackson Mordica, Jordan Goins and Thom competing.
A junior, Hinman was the runner-up in two events, the 100 fly in 59.71 seconds and the 100 backstroke in 1:00.
Vermillion and Thom finished third and sixth, respectively, in the 50 freestyle, while Jackson Mordica took fourth in the 100 breaststroke.
Also for the Eagles, Vermillion was sixth in the 100 fly, Thom took seventh in the 100 free and Owen Mordica placed seventh in the 100 backstroke.
CENTRAL OZARK CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Team standings: Carthage 324, Webb City 233, Joplin 205, Nixa 180, Ozark 93, Republic 92.
Carthage’s Carter Yost is pictured during Tuesday’s Central Ozark Conference swimming and diving championships. Photo by Israel Perez.
Jackson Mordica competes for the Joplin Eagles on Tuesday night in Webb City. Joplin finished third in the team standings at this year’s COC Meet. Photo by Israel Perez.
The Carthage Tigers pose on Tuesday night after winning the Central Ozark Conference Championships for the second straight season. Photo by Jason Peake.
The Joplin Eagles finished third in the team standings at Tuesday’s Springfield Invitational.
Glendale won the meet with 387 points, with Springfield Central second (268) and Joplin third (165).
Rounding out the team standings were Camdenton (138), Ozark (96), Rogersville (23) and Republic (20).
Joplin’s Nathan Wardlow won the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:06. Ian Vermillion took third in the same event.
Wardlow also placed third in the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:07.
Joplin’s 200 freestyle relay team of Wardlow, Vermillion, Isaiah Thom and Parker Hinman finished third.
The Eagles finished fourth in the 200 medley relay, with Wardlow, Jackson Mordica, Hinman and Vermillion competing.
The team of Thom, Owen Mordica, Jordan Goins and Jackson Mordica finished fifth in the 400 freestyle relay.
Also for the Eagles, Hinman placed fifth in the 100 freestyle, Owen Mordica took fifth in the 100 backstroke, Hinman and Jackson Mordica were sixth and seventh in the 100 breaststroke and Thom finished eighth in the 100 butterfly.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — Carthage won seven events en route to claiming the team championship at the Red Bird Invitational swim meet on Saturday at the Buck Miner Swim Center.
Carthage compiled 304 points to take the team title, while host Webb City was the runner-up (235), and Joplin took third (199). There were nine teams competing.
CARTHAGE HIGHLIGHTS
The Tigers won two of the three relays.
Carthage’s 200-yard medley relay team of Kellen Frieling, Braxton McBride, Will Wright and Maveric Allphin took first in 1:49, while the Tigers also won the 400 freestyle relay, as McBride, Wright, Aydan Nye and Frieling recorded a time of 3:39.
Carthage’s McBride and Frieling each won two individual events.
McBride won the 50 freestyle in 23.55 seconds and the 100 freestyle in 52.84 seconds, while Frieling won the 100 butterfly in 59.7 seconds and took first in the 100 backstroke in 58.02 seconds.
Wright won the 200 IM with a time of 2:14.
Wright was the runner-up in the 500 freestyle and Allphin took third in the 100 breaststroke.
Carthage finished third in the 200 freestyle relay, with Allphin, Daryl Martin, Ben Rogers and Aydan Nye competing.
Finishing fourth in their events were Ryan Steinbach (200 IM), Martin (100 freestyle) and Noah Blackford (100 backstroke).
WEBB CITY HIGHLIGHTS
The Cardinals were second in the 200 medley relay, with Cole Dalton, Micah Brouwer, Dalton Spence and Dagan Chacon competing.
Webb City also finished second in the 200 freestyle relay, with Adrien Black, Aiden Patterson, Brouwer and Steve Kenlee swimming.
The Cardinals’ team of Black, Patterson, Dalton and Kenlee placed third in the 400 freestyle relay.
Black and Kenlee finished second and third in the 200 freestyle, while Brouwer and Spence placed second and third in the 200 IM. Brouwer was also second in the 100 breaststroke.
Also for the Cardinals, Black was third in the 500 free, Kenlee took fourth in the 100 fly, Dalton was fifth in the 100 free, Patterson placed fifth in the 500 free and Spence took fifth in the 100 breaststroke.
Webb City’s Grant Humphrey won the 1-meter diving competition.
JOPLIN HIGHLIGHTS
Nathan Wardlow won a pair of individual events and was part of three event wins to lead the Joplin Eagles.
A junior, Wardlow won the 200 freestyle in 1:54 and also took first in the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:10.
Wardlow was the anchor on Joplin’s 200 freestyle relay team that took first in 1:40, with Parker Hinman, Isaiah Thom and Ian Vermillion swimming the first three legs of the relay.
The Eagles took second in the 400 freestyle relay, with Hinman, Thom, Vermillion and Wardlow competing.
Hinman and Vermillion finished second and third in the 100 butterfly, while Jackson Mordica placed fourth in the 100 breaststroke.
The JHS team of Connor Intessimone, Jackson Mordica, Owen Mordica and Gideon Speer finished fifth in the 200 medley relay.
Finishing fifth in their individual events were Hinman (200 free), Jackson Mordica (200 IM), Owen Mordica (100 backstroke) and Vermillion (50 free).
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Nevada’s Trace Gould won the 100 breaststroke in 1:05 and finished second in the 50 freestyle.
Nevada’s Cooper Pennington was the runner-up in the 100 freestyle and teammate Kolton Evans took second in the 100 backstroke.
WEST PLAINS, Mo. — The Carthage High School boys swimming team repeated as Zizzer Invitational champions on Saturday.
The Tigers compiled 406 points at the outdoor event, with host West Plains second (306) and Poplar Bluff third (276).
Rounding out the team standings were Monett (261), Camdenton (219), Hillcrest (167), Greenwood (166) and Parkview (23).
Braden McBride’s Tigers won four events.
Carthage’s 200-yard medley relay team of Kellen Frieling, Braxton McBride, Will Wright and Maveric Allphin took first with a meet record time of 2:01.06.
The Tigers were second in the 400 freestyle relay, as McBride, Wright, Frieling and Aydan Nye recorded a time of 4:02.
Wright won two individual events, the 200 IM with a time of 2:26 and the 400 freestyle in 4:47.
Frieling took first in the 100 backstroke in 1:05.
Frieling and Nye finished second and fourth, respectively, in the 200 freestyle. Nye was also the runner-up to his teammate in the 400 free.
Braxton McBride finished second in the 100 freestyle and also took fourth in the 50 freestyle, with Allphin sixth in the same event.
Also for the Tigers, Allphin and Dylan Evans finished fourth and fifth in the 100 breaststroke, Daryl Martin placed fifth in the 100 freestyle, Ben Rogers took sixth in the 400 free and Ryan Steinbach finished seventh in the 200 IM.
The team of Martin, Rogers, Nye and Allphin finished fifth in the 200 freestyle relay.
Also of note, Monett’s Jayden Apostol won the 100-yard breaststroke with a meet and pool record time of 1:15.58. Apostol was the runner-up in the 200 IM.
The Tigers will host the Carthage Relays on Tuesday at the Fair Acres Family YMCA.
With seven returning starters and a number of promising newcomers, the Webb City High School boys swimming and diving team has the expectations set high entering the 2023 season.
“I’m excited to see what these guys can do,” Webb City coach Shawn Klosterman said. “It will be tough to get our relays into state this year, but the boys are pretty focused on getting into the MSHSAA Championship in as many events as possible. We are returning one individual state qualifier (Micah Brouwer) but a few of the guys put in the work this summer and have put themselves in position to have a shot.”
Senior standout Micah Brouwer is the team’s returning individual state-qualifier, as he finished 18th in the prelims of the 100-yard breaststroke at last year’s state meet. Brouwer also competed at last year’s state meet as part of two relays, the 200 medley and the 400 freestyle.
Brouwer was last year’s Central Ozark Conference champion in the 100 breaststroke while also finishing third in the 200 individual medley.
Other returning starters for the Cardinals are seniors Steve Kenlee (butterfly, freestyle) and Aiden Patterson (distance freestyle), juniors Adrien Black (distance freestyle), Dagan Chacon (freestyle, backstroke) and Landon Sharon (diving) and sophomore Dalton Spence (breaststroke, individual medley).
Kenlee placed third in the 200 freestyle and fifth in the 100 butterfly at last year’s COC Meet.
The group of returning starters are expected to lead the Cardinals this fall.
“Our upperclassmen have great experience and are really helping the younger guys to assimilate into the program,” Klosterman said. “I think we’ll be able to put together great relays even after losing several heavy hitters to graduation last year. Landon Sharon will most likely qualify for state in diving and having his experience there looks like it is bringing our new divers up to a competitive level pretty quickly. I think local teams will be surprised by the strength of our diving with only one returner.”
Newcomers who are expected to contribute are junior Derrick Crook (diving), sophomores Grant Humphrey (diving) and Lincoln Swann (diving) and freshmen Quentin Custenborder (freestyle), Cole Dalton (backstroke, sprint freestyle) and Isaac Shipley (breaststroke, IM).
How the team’s newcomers progress and contribute will be a key to success for the Cardinals. Klosterman hopes to see steady improvements throughout the season, with peaking at the end of the campaign always a goal.
“I think we are going to see a season with a lot of individual improvement and it will be competitive for our guys to earn spots on the A relay teams to try get qualified for state,” Klosterman said. “The boys will be pushing each other all the way.”
Klosterman, who is in his 25th season leading the Cardinals, noted the team lost a solid group of seniors to graduation.
With that, there are some holes to fill.
“We graduated some heavy hitters last year with Judah Ritchie, Emiliano Vasquez and Cody Herndon all leaving vital spots empty in our state relays,” Klosterman said.
Klosterman added there are always challenges entering a new season, but with hard work the team will have a shot at a successful year.
“I think the challenge this season will be getting the boys into better shape than they have ever been,” he said. “The returning guys know that if we’re going to get into the state meet this year they have to turn in times that are next level compared to where they ended the season last year. Another challenge will be that even though our new freshmen have some swimming experience, they will be training at a higher level and will have to step up in a big way.”
The Cardinals finished second at last year’s COC Meet after winning the event the two previous years. Webb City would love to take back the team trophy this fall.
“The COC is always a focus for us and this year we know that Carthage will be loaded and tough to beat,” Klosterman said. “We have an advantage with four divers on the roster, and our incoming freshmen are not inexperienced. I think we will fill the events well enough to give them a challenge.”
The Cardinals, who went 22-4 in duals last year, open the ’23 season on Aug. 31 in Springfield.
Webb City will host the annual Red Bird Invitational on Oct. 7 and the Cardinals will host the Central Ozark Conference Meet on Oct. 17.
Steve Kenlee will once again be a key performer for the Webb City Cardinals.
Five returning state-qualifiers will lead the way for the Joplin High School boys swim team this fall.
Seniors Ian Vermillion and Jackson Mordica, juniors Nathan Wardlow and Parker Hinman and sophomore Isaiah Thom all return with state meet experience.
With the group of returning state-qualifiers, along with a number of other promising athletes, Joplin coach Aaron Stump said the expectations are set high this fall.
“Our guys are dedicated to swimming,” Stump said. “They choose to swim year-round and have a drive to improve.”
At last year’s state meet, Wardlow finished 17th in the 500 free and 28th in the 200 IM, while Hinman finished 28th in the 100 backstroke.
Joplin’s 200 medley relay that featured Hinman, Mordica and Vermillion finished 18th at the state meet, while the 200 freestyle relay that featured Wardlow, Vermillion and Thom finished 24th and the 400 free relay that featured Vermillion, Hinman and Wardlow took 25th.
Stump noted the Eagles hope to improve upon their state finishes this fall.
“We have a core group of year-round swimmers who have already improved their times, and I hope to make it in the top 16 in at least two relays,” Stump said. “I expect more individual qualifiers this year and can see both Parker and Nathan breaking the top 16, if not the top eight, individually.”
At last year’s COC Meet, the Eagles were second in the 200 medley relay, second in the 400 free relay and fifth in the 200 free relay. Wardlow was the conference runner-up in both the 200 IM and the 500 free, while Mordica took second in the 100 breaststroke.
Also at last year’s COC Meet, Hinman was fourth in the 100 backstroke, while Vermillion was fourth in the 100 fly and sixth in the 200 free. Hinman was sixth in the 200 IM and Thom took sixth in the 50 free.
Thom is expected to take on a bigger role to help fill the gap left by the graduation of Zane Newman.
Also on the varsity roster are juniors Jordan Goins, Matthew Goins, Gideon Speer and Connor Intessimone and freshman Owen Mordica.
Stump, who is in his second year leading the program after nine years as an assistant coach, noted there is plenty of hard work ahead if the team wants to accomplish its lofty goals.
“We need to figure out a new swim order for the 200 medley relay since our freestyle swimmer graduated last year,” Stump noted. “We plan to conduct time trials multiple times at practices leading up to our first meet and will make adjustments in season based on swim performances.”
As far as keys to success, Stump mentioned continued hard work and dedication in practice. And he’s confident his Eagles have the pieces in place to have a stellar year.
“The passion our guys have for swimming and the enthusiasm they bring to the team will make the season a success,” Stump said.
Joplin’s Jordan Goins is pictured during last year’s COC swim meet. File photo.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — For the first time in program history, the Carthage Tigers captured the team crown at the Central Ozark Conference Swimming and Diving Championships.
Led by three event wins, along with a strong finish to the night, the Tigers finished with 287 points on Tuesday night inside the Buck Miner Swim Center.
“This is our first conference championship in school history, so we’re pretty excited,” Carthage coach Braden McBride said. “This is just a great group of young men. We have 20 guys on the team and nearly all of them scored a point tonight. We thought this was a possibility, so we’re really happy.”
The Tigers, who won the team title this year after settling for second last season, definitely finished the meet on a high note.
Leading in the standings after 11 events, Carthage won the final event of the night, the 400-yard freestyle relay. And the team of Braxton McBride, Eli Cox, Kellen Frieling and Will Wright set a new meet record in the event with a time of 3 minutes, 33 seconds.
For the Tigers, it was a final exclamation point on a historic night.
“They got really up for that last event, and I know they’re excited,” Coach McBride said. “This has been one of the funnest years I’ve ever had coaching. They’re just a great group of guys who like hanging out with each other. We talk about how we’re the swim family, not the swim team. That really showed tonight. Everybody really stepped up. It was just a really good night.”
Webb City was second in the team standings with 234 points and Joplin was third with 193.
The Cardinals were attempting to three-peat as COC champs, but the hosts settled for the runner-up plaque this season.
“You don’t ever want to lose a title you won the year before, but Carthage is absolutely loaded this year,” Cardinals coach Shawn Klosterman said. “We knew it would be tough. They out-powered us in a lot of ways, but my guys swam absolutely amazing tonight.”
Joplin coach Aaron Stump noted he was pleased with his team’s showing.
“For a team with just nine guys, we did exceptionally well,” Stump said. “To take third against teams that are twice our size in numbers, and that have diving, I couldn’t be happier with how we performed. As a whole, we have a strong group. We only have one senior, so we’ll be back.”
Rounding out the team standings were Ozark (168), Nixa (167) and Republic (42).
Carthage’s William Wright competes during Tuesday’s COC Swimming and Diving Championships. Photo by Israel Perez.
CARTHAGE HIGHLIGHTS
The Tigers won three events. Carthage had a top-four finish in 11 of the 12 events, as the team has no divers.
In addition to the victory in the 400 freestyle relay, Carthage’s 200-yard medley relay team of Frieling, McBride, Wright and Cox took first with a time of 1:46.
A sophomore, McBride won the 50-yard freestyle in 23.63 seconds and also placed third in the 100 free (52.54).
A junior, Frieling was the runner-up in both the 200 freestyle (1:55) and the 100 backstroke (57.54).
Third-place finishers for the Tigers were Cox (100 butterfly), Wright (500 free) and Maveric Allphin (100 breaststroke). Taking fourth in their events were Wright (200 IM) and Wallace (500 free).
The Tigers were also fourth in the 200 freestyle relay, with Allphin, Trey Nye, Daryl Martin and Wallace competing.
Wallace was fifth in the 200 IM, while finishing sixth in their respective events were Landon White (100 fly), Cox (100 back) and Ryan Steinbach (100 breaststroke).
Noah Blackford finished seventh in the 100 backstroke and Carter Yost placed seventh in the 100 breaststroke.
“We score a lot of points in events that nobody really wants to swim, the 500 free, the IM and the fly,” Coach McBride said. “We scored four people in the top 12 in all three of those events. That’s really big. And we have a good mix of the different strokes. We have four seniors (Cox, Nye, Wallace, White) this year, and they score a lot of points and they’re good leaders. They’re very important to our success this year.”
Webb City’s Steve Kenlee is pictured during the COC Meet.
WEBB CITY HIGHLIGHTS
Webb City junior Micah Brouwer won the 100 breaststroke in 1:04 and also placed third in the 200 individual medley in 2:10.
The Cardinals took second in the 200 freestyle relay, as Emiliano Vasquez, Steve Kenlee, Aiden Patterson and Cody Herndon recorded a time of 1:39.
Other third-place finishers for the Cardinals were Kenlee (200 free) and Vasquez (50 free), while Herndon was fourth in the 50 free.
Webb City’s 400 freestyle relay finished fourth, with Herndon, Kenlee, Brouwer and Vasquez competing.
Finishing fifth were Kenlee (100 fly), Vasquez (100 free), Adrien Black (500 free), Judah Ritchie (100 back) and Dalton Spence (100 breaststroke). Herndon took sixth in the 100 free and Patterson was sixth in the 500 free and seventh in the 200 free.
Maddox Wood took second in the 1-meter diving competition.
The Cardinals were without diver Landon Sharon. Also of note, the hosts didn’t score in the 200 medley relay due to a DQ.
Nevertheless, Klosterman said he was proud of his team’s effort.
“We had so many good swims tonight,” Klosterman said. “Just about everyone was putting up their best times. Our relays put up a heck of a fight. I didn’t expect our 200 free relay to do as well as it did. We went through the psych sheets and picked out where they could move up a little bit from their seeds, and just about every kid did beyond what we expected them to do. They swam their hearts out and it was fun to watch.”
Joplin’s Jackson Mordica is pictured during the COC swim meet on Tuesday. All photos by Israel Perez.
JOPLIN HIGHLIGHTS
The Eagles fared well in the relays.
Joplin’s 200 medley relay team of Parker Hinman, Nathan Wardlow, Ian Vermillion and Zane Newman finished second in 1:49.
The Eagles were also second in the 400 free relay in 3:37, with Newman, Vermillion, Hinman and Wardlow swimming.
Joplin took fifth in the 200 freestyle relay, as Jordan Goins, Jackson Mordica, Connor Intessimone and Isaiah Thom recorded a time of 1:59.
Wardlow and Newman each finished second in two individual events.
A sophomore, Wardlow was the runner-up in the 200 IM with a time of 2:09. He was also second in the 500 free in 5:07.
A senior, Newman took second in both the 50 free (23.69) and the 100 free (52.17).
“Zane Newman, our senior, has been helping our younger guys,” Stump said. “He’s been giving feedback one-on-one and he’s helped elevate the team.”
Mordica placed second in the 100 breaststroke (1:10).
Also for the Eagles, Hinman was fourth in the 100 backstroke, while Vermillion was fourth in the 100 fly and sixth in the 200 free. Hinman was sixth in the 200 IM and Thom took sixth in the 50 free.
OTHER EVENT WINNERS
Also winning individual events were Nixa’s Kai Brownlee (100 free, 100 backstroke), Gavin Jessen (200 free) and Finnley Bertholdi (diving), Ozark’s Graham Eisenmann (200 IM, 500 free) and Republic’s Brady Lewis (100 fly).
CARTHAGE, Mo. — The host Tigers cruised to a first place finish at their own Carthage Invitational on Thursday night at the Fair Acres Family YMCA.
Led by eight first place finishes, Carthage had 399 points to finish on top of the standings. Marshfield was second with 197 and Nevada took third with 151. There were six full squads competing.
Winning individual events for the Tigers were Braxton McBride, Will Wallace, William Wright, Kellen Frieling and Maveric Allphin.
McBride won two events, the 50-yard freestyle in 23.8 seconds and the 100 free in 54.05.
Wallace took first in the 200 IM with a time of 2:16, while Wright won the 500 freestyle in 5:34.
Frieling was first in the 100 backstroke in 1:02 and Allphin won the 100 breaststroke in 1:15.
Finishing second in their events were Wright (200 IM), Frieling (200 free), Eli Cox (100 fly), Wallace (500 free) and Noah Blackford (100 back).
Taking third were Blackford (200 IM), Landon White (100 fly), Trey Nye (500 free) and Cox (100 back).
Carthage won two of three relays.
The CHS team of Frieling, McBride, Wright and Cox won the 200 medley relay in 1:49.
Carthage’s 400 freestyle relay team of Wallace, Cox, Frieling and McBride took first in 3:43.
The Tigers were second in the 200 free relay in 1:44, with Nye, Allphin, White and Wallace competing.
Nevada’s Kolton Evans won the 200 freestyle with a time of 2:01 and his teammate Trace Gould was the runner-up in the 50 free (25.5).
The Carthage boys swim team poses after winning their own invite on Thursday. Courtesy photo.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — Carthage captured the team championship while squads from Webb City and Joplin also fared well at the Red Bird Invitational boys swim meet on Saturday at the Buck Miner Swim Center.
The Tigers compiled 276 points, while host Webb City was the runner-up with 259 points.
Lebanon took third with 166 points and Joplin finished fourth with 160. There were nine teams in attendance.
CARTHAGE HIGHLIGHTS
The Tigers won five events, including two of the three relay events.
The CHS team of Kellen Frieling, Braxton McBride, William Wright and Eli Cox took first in the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:48.
Carthage won the 400 freestyle relay in 3:44, with McBride, Cox, Frieling and Will Wallace competing.
The Tigers placed fourth in the 200 free relay in 1:45, with Trey Nye, Landon White, Wallace and Wright swimming.
Frieling won two individual events, the 200 freestyle in 2:03 and the 100 backstroke in 58.98 seconds.
McBride took first in the 100 freestyle with a time of 53.3 seconds and also placed second in the 50 free with a time of 23.22.
Cox finished third in the 100 butterfly, while Wright was the runner-up in the 500 freestyle, with teammate Wallace fourth in the same event.
Wright and Wallace also placed fourth and fifth, respectively, in the 200 IM.
Cox and Noah Blackford finished fifth and sixth in the 100 backstroke.
WEBB CITY HIGHLIGHTS
Webb City’s 400 freestyle relay team of Emiliano Vasquez, Cody Herndon, Steve Kenlee and Micah Brouwer finished second with a time of 3:51.
The 200 freestyle relay team of Logan Ragsdale, Herndon, Vasquez and Brouwer finished third with a time of 1:45.
The Cardinals were sixth in the 200 medley relay.
Brouwer was the runner-up in the 100 breaststroke in 1:07 and he also placed third in the 200 IM with a time of 2:15.
Adrien Black took third in the 500 freestyle in 5:45 and Steve Kenlee placed fourth in the 100 butterfly.
Vasquez and Herndon finished fourth and fifth in the 50 freestyle, while Herndon and Vasquez placed fourth and fifth, respectively, in the 100 freestyle.
Webb City’s Steve Kenlee, Black, Aiden Patterson and Lucas Lowery finished fifth through eighth, respectively, in the 200 freestyle.
Patterson and Lowery were fifth and sixth in the 500 free.
Webb City’s Landon Sharon and Maddox Wood took first and second in the 1-meter diving competition.
JOPLIN HIGHLIGHTS
Joplin’s Nathan Wardlow won a pair of individual events to lead the Eagles.
Wardlow took first in the 200 IM with a time of 2:07 and also won the 500 freestyle in 5:14.
Joplin’s 200 freestyle relay team of Parker Hinman, Isaiah Thom, Jackson Mordica and Wardlow took second with a time of 1:42.
The Eagles finished third in the 200 medley relay, with Hinman, Wardlow, Vermillion and Thom recording a time of 1:53.
Also for the Eagles, Hinman was third in the 100 backstroke, Thom placed fourth in the 200 freestyle and Vermillion took fifth in the 100 fly.
Mordica finished sixth in both the 200 IM and the 100 breaststroke.
Joplin’s 400 freestyle relay team of Vermillion, Gideon Speer, Connor Intessimore and Mordica finished sixth.
The Eagles were without Zane Newman.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
Lebanon’s Dakota Windsor took first in both the 100 fly (54.27) and the 100 breaststroke (1:03), while his teammate Matthew Wall won the 50 free (23.22).
Monett’s Matthew Fillinger took second in two events, the 100 butterfly and the 100 backstroke.
Nevada’s Kolton Evans was the runner-up in the 200 freestyle and he took third in the 100 free. Nevada’s Trace Gould finished third in the 50 free.
WEBB CITY, Mo. — Shawn Klosterman called it a great night.
It would be hard to argue with the veteran coach’s assessment.
With a solid overall showing, Klosterman’s Webb City boys swimming and diving team repeated as Central Ozark Conference champions on Tuesday night at the Buck Miner Swim Center.
Webb City finished on top of the team standings with 307 points. Carthage was second with 226, while Ozark was third (201) and Joplin was fourth (178). Nixa (144) and Republic (65) rounded out the team standings.
“Pulling off the repeat feels really good,” Klosterman said. “I was a little nervous because only one of our divers got to compete today. That’s usually a big event for us. And you never know if your swimmers are on that day until you see the first race. Our guys lit it up in that first race and I knew the rest of the meet would go well. It was an inspired night. Everybody mattered tonight for us. It was just a great night.”
Webb City’s Emiliano Vasquez competes during Tuesday’s COC Championships. Photos by Israel Perez.
The Cardinals recorded a top-three finish in 10 of 12 events, including four first-place showings.
“It was awesome to see some lifetime bests and we had a lot of them,” Klosterman added. “Steve Kenlee dropped a lot of time tonight. All of our relays were fantastic. Across the board, I can’t think of any swims that were lackadaisical or slow.”
The annual conference meet began on a positive note for the Cardinals, as Webb City’s 200-yard medley relay team of Judah Ritchie, Micah Brouwer, Zion Wood and Ethan Shipley took first with a state-consideration time of 1:48.
Aiden Patterson competes for the Webb City Cardinals during the COC Championships on Tuesday night at the Buck Miner Swim Center.
Webb City also won the final event of the night, as Cody Herndon, Emiliano Vasquez, Steve Kenlee and Shipley took first in the 400 freestyle relay with a consideration time of 3:39.
The Cardinals were second in the 200 freestyle relay with a consideration time of 1:40, with Wood, Herndon, Brouwer and Vasquez competing.
Brouwer finished first in two events, winning the 200 individual medley in 2:12 and the 100 breaststroke in 1:05.
Vasquez finished second in the 50 freestyle in 24.75 seconds, while Shipley was the runner-up in the 100 freestyle (53.08) and Wood took second in the 100 breaststroke (1:07).
Steve Kenlee finished third in both the 100 butterfly and the 500 free, while Wood placed third in the 200 IM.
Shipley finished fourth in the 200 freestyle, while Herndon was fourth in the 50 free and Ritchie was fifth in the 100 backstroke and sixth in the 200 IM.
Herndon also placed sixth in the 100 freestyle, while Aidan Patterson finished seventh in the 500 free and Vasquez was seventh in the 100 fly.
In the 1-meter diving competition, Webb City’s Eric Keeling was the runner-up with a score of 301.45.
Carson Forcum was the defending diving champion, but he was out sick on Tuesday, Klosterman said.
Carthage’s Noah Blackford is pictured at the COC Meet. Blackford finished eighth in the 200 IM.
CARTHAGE HIGHLIGHTS
Carthage won the 200-yard freestyle relay with a state-consideration time of 1:40, with Kellen Frieling, Braxton McBride, Eli Cox and Ezekiel Ramirez competing.
The Tigers were third in the 200 medley relay, with Frieling, McBride, Will Wallace and Ramirez competing. Carthage placed fifth in the 400 freestyle relay, with Cox, Landon White, Trey Nye and Wallace swimming.
McBride placed third in the 50 freestyle (24.97) and fourth in the 100 breaststroke (1:14), while Frieling finished third in the 100 backstroke (1:00).
Carthage’s Aydan Nye competes at the COC Championships.
Also for the Tigers, Wallace placed fourth in the 200 IM and fifth in the 500 freestyle, while Ramirez finished fourth in the 100 freestyle.
White finished fourth in the 100 butterfly and seventh in the 50 free. Ramirez and Frieling finished sixth and seventh, respectively, in the 200 freestyle. Cox was sixth in the 100 fly and seventh in the 100 free.
Noah Blackford finished eighth in the 200 IM.
Carthage coach Braden McBride was pleased with his team’s showing.
“We accomplished what we wanted to accomplish and I’m happy for the boys,” Coach McBride said. “Last year, we finished fourth at this meet and we were looking for improvement this year. Last year, we had no swimmers on the podium. This year, we saw lots of improvements and had several boys on the podium. I’m happy with how tonight went. And we’ll have everyone back next year besides Ezekiel. So we’re excited about the future.”
JOPLIN HIGHLIGHTS
Joplin’s Zane Newman won the 50-yard freestyle in 24.71 seconds. Newman placed third in the 100 freestyle with a time of 53.7.
Nathan Wardlow finished second in the 500 freestyle with a consideration time of 5:11. Just a freshman, Wardlow finished fifth in the 200 freestyle in a consideration time of 1:58.
Ian Vermillion competes for the Joplin Eagles on Tuesday night at the COC Championships.
Joplin’s 400 freestyle relay team of Jacob Glenn, Ian Vermillion, Wardlow and Newman finished second with a consideration time of 3:43.
The Eagles placed fourth in the 200 medley relay, with Glenn, Wyatt Satterlee, Newman and Wardlow competing.
The JHS team of Parker Hinman, Jordan Goins, Jackson Mordica and Oliver Bortz finished fifth in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:52.
Glenn took fifth in the 50 free and seventh in the 100 backstroke.
Hinman was fifth in the 200 IM in 2:24, while Mordica placed fifth in the 100 breaststroke.
Vermillion finished eighth in the 200 free and Satterlee took eighth in the 100 breaststroke.
“I thought we did well tonight,” Joplin coach Ali Stauffer said. “Nathan had an awesome time in both of his events. Zane swam really well and I thought our relays did well. I think the boys are excited. We only have two meets left. The boys have been working hard in practice, and hopefully we can continue to drop times.”
OTHER EVENT WINNERS
Other event winners were Ozark’s Graham Eisenmann (200 freestyle, 500 free), Republic’s Brady Lewis (100 fly) and Bryce Martin (100 free) and Nixa’s Kai Brownlee (100 backstroke) and Finnley Bertholdi (diving). Eisenmann set COC records in both events, while Brownlee’s time was also a conference record.
Central Ozark Conference Championships
Team standings: Webb City 307, Carthage 226, Ozark 201, Joplin 178, Nixa 144, Republic 65.
Joplin’s Jacob Glenn is pictured during Tuesday’s COC Championships in Webb City. All photos by Israel Perez for SoMo Sports.
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Webb City’s boys swim team competed alongside many of the state’s best squads at the COMO Invitational on Saturday at the Mizzou Aquatic Center.
The trip was a successful one for the Cardinals.
Webb City coach Shawn Klosterman reported that his team swam state-consideration times in numerous events. On top of that, many of the Cardinals swam season or lifetime bests in their respective events.
“Even though no one made the finals, it was actually an incredible meet for us,” Klosterman said.
Webb City’s Micah Brouwer recorded state-consideration times in both the 200 individual medley (2:10.76) and the 100 breaststroke (1:04.85). Brouwer placed 21st in the prelims of both events.
Ethan Shipley recorded consideration times in both freestyle races, with a time of 53.33 seconds in the 100 (39th place) and a time of 1:56.88 in the 200 free (33rd).
Zion Wood swam a consideration time of 1:07.97 in the 100 breaststroke and was 36th.
Judah Ritchie finished 41st in the 100 backstroke with a consideration time of 1:02.29.
The Cardinals also swam consideration times in all three relays.
The Cardinals were 24th in the 400 freestyle in 3:43.95, with Shipley, Steve Kenlee, Brouwer and Cody Herndon swimming.
The 200 medley relay team of Ritchie, Wood, Brouwer and Shipley finished 25th in 1:50.8.
Webb City’s 200 freestyle relay team of Wood, Kenlee, Aiden Patterson and Herndon finished 26th in 1:41.79.
In the diving competition, Webb City’s Carson Forcum was 22nd in the prelims, while teammates Eric Keeling and Carter Forcum were 25th and 27th, respectively.
Webb City is scheduled to host a quad on Thursday.
Athletes from Carthage and Joplin competed at the North Kansas City Invitational boys swim meet this past weekend.
There were 28 teams in attendance. Carthage finished 18th in the team standings, while Joplin was 23rd.
Lee’s Summit West, Park Hill South and Rockhurst were the top three teams.
CARTHAGE RESULTS
Carthage’s Kellen Frieling finished eighth in the 100-yard backstroke.
The Tigers were 13th in the 200 medley relay, with Frieling, Braxton McBride, Will Wallace and Ezekiel Ramirez competing. Ramirez, McBride, Frieling and Wallace finished 14th in the 400 freestyle relay.
Carthage’s 200 free relay finished 16th, with Frieling, McBride, Ramirez and Wallace swimming.
In other top finishes for the Tigers, McBride finished 26th in the 50 free, Wallce was 31st in the 200 IM, Ramirez took 38th in the 200 free and Landon White finished 44th in the 100 butterfly.
Joplin’s Wyatt Satterlee competes at the North KC Invitational this past weekend. Photo by Cody Thorn.
JOPLIN RESULTS
Nathan Wardlow was Joplin’s top finisher, as he placed 13th in the 500 freestyle. Wardlow finished 34th in the 200 free.
In the 200 medley relay, Joplin’s Wardlow, Wyatt Satterlee, Zane Newman and Jacob Glenn finished 15th. The Eagles were 19th in the 400 free relay, with Glenn, Ian Vermillion, Wardlow and Newman swimming.
Joplin finished 25th in the 200 freestyle relay. Competing in the event for the Eagles were Oliver Bortz, Devin Lawson, Jackson Mordica and Parker Hinman.
Newman was 23rd in the 100 freestyle and 36th in the 100 butterfly.
Hinman finished 41st in both the 200 IM and the 500 free, while Satterlee placed 47th in the 100 breaststroke.
Joplin’s Nathan Wardlow is pictured at last weekend’s North KC Invitational. Photo by Cody Thorn.
