Champions and medalists from Wichita highlight Kansas high school state girls swimming
A pair of gold medals won by Trinity Academy sophomore Aleca Howard highlighted another impressive showing from the Wichita area at this past weekend’s Kansas high school girls swimming and diving state championships in Topeka.
After finishing runner-up in both of her events last season as a freshman, Howard took the final step to the top of the podium in both the 200-yard individual medley and 100-yard breaststroke in the Class 5-1A division.
Howard finished just a touch behind the winner in last year’s breaststroke race and this year’s race also turned into a photo finish. This time, it was Howard who touched first in less than a tenth of a second faster (1 minute, 3.86 seconds) than Blue Valley Southwest’s Presley Baber (1 minute, 3.95 seconds).
There was no such drama in her first race of the day, as Howard easily cleared the field in the 200 IM with a season-best time of 2:04.22. She finished with the second-best times in Kansas with both of her races at state.
The other star of the day was Hillsboro freshman Lauryn Vogt, who competed on Marion’s co-op team during the regular season, who was the only competitor to crack 24 seconds in the 50-yard freestyle, winning the event handily in a time of 23.92. She also took third in the 100-yard butterfly (58.15) and swam a leg on Hillsboro’s 200-yard freestyle relay team, along with Ainsley Duell, Tanner Plett and Talia Jost, that placed fifth in a time of 1:44.71.
After winning the program’s first team state championship last season, Andover placed third in the 5-1A team standings on the strength of four individual medalists and two relays placing high.
Senior Emma Todd, who took ninth at state last year, ascended to the top of the podium in her final season, winning the diving championship with a final score of 400.7.
In the pool, the nucleus of sophomores Sophia Mandanis, Mari Griffin and Kiersten Elliott once again scored major points. Mandanis took second in the 200 free (1:55.94) and fourth in the butterfly (59.04), while Griffin was second in the backstroke (55.84) and third in the 200 IM (2:07.74) and Elliott took fourth in the breaststroke (1:07.37) and sixth in the 200 free (2:01.91).
Griffin, Elliott and Mandanis teamed up with classmate Marisa Scholl to easily win the 200 medley relay title for the second straight year with a time of 1:48.78. The same four sophomores also teamed up to take second in the 400 free relay in a time of 3:40.72.
Bishop Carroll took fourth place in the team standings behind two double medalists in senior Karis Reynaga, who was runner-up in both the 50 free (24.29) and 100 free (52.74), and freshman Genevieve Wilhite, who was fourth in both the 200 IM (2:14.35) and backstroke (59.00). Bryanna Bailey, a junior, took eighth in the 200 free (2:03.12), while younger sister Maggie, a freshman, was sixth in the 500 free (5:34.51). Wilhite, junior Teagen Patterson, Bryanna Bailey and Reynaga teamed up to finish second in the 200 free relay (1:42.27), while Wilhite, both Bailey sisters and Reynaga took third in the 400 free relay (3:44.37).
Kapaun Mt. Carmel featured a pair of double medalists in sophomore Kate Kochenderfer, who took third in both the 200 free (1:56.18) and 500 free (5:21.27), and junior Sydney Turner, who took fifth in the 100 free (53.79) and sixth in 50 free (24.75). Kochenderfer and Turner teamed up with junior Savannah Austin and sophomore Isabel Wentzel to take fifth in the 400 free relay (3:45.95), while senior Makenzie Amphone, Kochenderfer, Austin and Wentzel took sixth in the 200 medley relay (1:55.89).
Other Wichita-area double medalists included McPherson junior Danica Brunk in the backstroke (third, 56.16) and 50 free (third, 24.31); El Dorado sophomore Briley Larcom in the backstroke (fifth, 59.77) and 100 free (seventh, 55.43); Maize South sophomore Camille Keeler in the breaststroke (sixth, 1:09.69) and 200 IM (seventh, 2:19.74); Hesston freshman Angela Ewert in the 200 free (seventh, 2:02.78) and 500 free (eighth, 5:38.78); and Norwich freshman Kimberlyn Grim in the butterfly (seventh, 1:00.45) and backstroke (eighth, 1:02.35).
Other Wichita-area individual medalists included Collegiate senior Katherine Grace in the 50 free (fifth, 24.67), Andover Central sophomore Faith Butler in the 500 free (fifth, 5:31.92), Circle senior Georgia Devine in the 500 free (seventh, 5:34.88), Winfield junior Emma Moore in the 200 free (fifth, 1:59.55).
The relays also featured two more area teams emerge with medals, as Winfield’s 200 free relay squad of Moore, Lydia Nelson, Jordan Hughes and Allie Pippitt placed eighth in 1:47.01 and McPherson’s 200 medley relay team of Brunk, Claire Schmidt, Adyson Wiens and Clarea Williams placed eighth in 1:56.96.
In the Class 6A competition, Campus senior Sayler Roberts (fourth in 200 free, 1:58.67; fourth in 100 back, 59.74) and Wichita East junior Abby Jones (fifth in 200 IM, 2:12.54; sixth in 100 back, 1:00.75) highlighted the Wichita area’s performance as dual medalists.
Other individual medalists included East freshman Jordan Kleeman in the 100 back (eighth, 1:02.52) and Derby sophomore Carson Griffin in the 500 free (eighth, 5:38.48).
East’s 400 free relay squad was the lone relay medalist, as the team of Kleeman, sophomore McKenna Blessant, Jones and freshman June Schmidt notched an eighth-place finish in a season-best time of 3:46.10.
