2023 GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING PREVIEW
 

 
 
CLASS 6A
 
2022 State Champion: Free State
 
2022 State Runner-up: Shawnee Mission East
 
2022 Review: It took all of one race in the championship finals to set the tone for Free State’s first team state championship since 2015. The foursome of Bradie Ward, Halle McCullough, Samantha Packard and Liza Engelbrecht kicked off the finals with a state-meet record in the 200 medley relay and the Firebirds rode the momentum of that victory to a 48-point win over Shawnee Mission East for the state title. Free State only won one more individual event – Ward dominating the 500 freestyle final – but the Firebirds used their depth to pile up 13 top-eight finishes to emerge from a battle with East, Blue Valley North and defending champion Blue Valley West. East’s runner-up finish was led by a double-gold showing from senior Anne Deedy, who swept titles in the 200 individual medley and the 100 breaststroke and was named the 6A swimmer of the meet. That honor easily could have gone to Wichita East’s Ariana Dirkzwager, who cruised to state titles in the 100 and 200 freestyles to cap her second straight state meet as a double champion. Or perhaps Blue Valley West’s Annika Finzen, who broke the state-meet record in 100 butterfly in winning the event for the second straight year. Finzen also won the 100 backstroke for the second straight season, making her 4-for-4 in her career state individual races. Blue Valley North swept the 200 and 400 freestyle relays, while Blue Valley Northwestadded a pair of champions with Sophia Paduano winning the 50 freestyle and Claire Garrelts taking the diving title. 
 
2023 Contenders: After waiting nearly a decade to sit atop Class 6A with its state championship a year ago its first since 2015, Free State goes into the 2023 season as the heavy favorite to repeat as champion. The Firebirds lost six seniors off last year’s title team, but only one of them – Emma Day – factored into the state scoring, and that was as a member of the Firebirds’ 200 and 400 freestyle relays. The bulk of Free State’s state firepower returns, including the entire record-setting 200 medley relay team of seniors Bradie Ward, Halle McCullough and Samantha Packard and junior Liza Engelbrecht. Ward was the Firebirds’ lone individual state champion last year, winning the 500 freestyle title, but Free State put swimmer after swimmer on the medal stand, getting at least one top-eight finish in every event but diving. Ward added a second in the 200 freestyle, McCullough took second in the 200 individual medley and third in the 100 breaststroke, Packard was second in the 100 freestyle and third in the 50, Engelbrecht took third in the 100 butterfly and fourth in the 100 backstroke, Jocelyn Wilson was sixth in the 200 IM, Molly Nuckolls was seventh in the 200 and 500 freestyles and Gayla Gao was seventh in the 100 backstroke. Matching that depth will be tough for Free State’s top challengers with Blue Valley West leading the pack. The Jaguars slipped to fourth as a team last year after capturing the 2021 team championship. West has arguably the top swimmer in Class 6A in junior Annika Finzen, who swept titles in the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke for the second straight year, setting the state-meet record in the 100 butterfly last season with a time of 54.36, breaking the old record of 54.89 set by Blue Valley Northwest’s Hannah Musser in 2014. West also returns three-fourths of each of their three relay teams that all posted top-six state finishes while senior Rose Lawler took third in diving. Only five seniors graduated for the Jaguars. Blue Valley North finished third as a team a year ago on the strength of state champion 200 and 400 freestyle relay performances. The Mustangs must replace anchor Caroline Blake off those relays, but sophomores Sarah Blake, Margo Hauser and Charlotte Barton return off the 400 relay and Blake, sophomore Siena Masillonis and senior Abi Patterson are back off the 200 relay. Hauser added a pair of top-four individual finishes and Blake posted a pair of top-five showings individually and the Mustangs return 13 off last year’s state squad. Blue Valley Northwest returns a pair of state champions in juniors Sophia Paduano and Claire Garrelts as it looks to move up from a fifth team finish last season. Paduano won the title in the 50 freestyle and was runner-up to Finzen in the 100 backstroke, while Garrelts took home the diving title in a tight competition that saw just 7 points separate first through fourth. While state diving runner-up Anna Self of Derby isn’t returning this season, Lawler and Topeka High’s Brianna Devlin both are back to challenge Garrelts. In all, the Huskies only lost three seniors off last year’s 14-member state team. Shawnee Mission East rode double-gold champion Anne Deedy and its traditional depth to a runner-up team finish last year. Deedy, the 6A swimmer of the meet, has graduated, as has fellow All-State first-teamer Maeve Linscott, who was second to Deedy in the 100 breaststroke and second in the 100 butterfly, and six other seniors. The Lancers return 10 from the state team, however, and will be led by senior Piper Benjamin, who took fourth in the 100 butterfly and 50 freestyle. Olathe South was seventh as a team last year with just five swimmers, and has all but one back, including state medalists Kira and Mia Jacobs and Macy Bush with Kira a runner-up finisher in the 500 freestyle and third in the 200 free and Mia third in the 200 individual medley. Wichita East will have to reload after taking sixth last year. The Blue Aces lost multi-time state champion Ariana Dirkzwager and three other seniors to graduation and return just three off last year’s state team, including double-medalist Abby Jones. Olathe Northwest could make a big move as all but two off last year’s 14-member state team are back. The Ravens were seventh last year as a team and will be led by returning medalists Carrie Wong and Mikayla Todd.
 
 

 
CLASS 5A
 
2022 State Champion: Andover
 
2022 State Runner-up: St. James Academy
 
2022 Review: After taking sixth as a team in 2021, Andover made the quantam leap to the top of the podium last year, winning four events on its way to a 56-point margin of victory over St. James Academy for the program’s first Class 5-1A state title. The Trojans opened the state meet with a win in the 200 medley relay and closed it with a win in the 400 freestyle relay with the same foursome of Natalie Neugent, Mari Griffin, Kiersten Elliott and Sophia Mandanis combining for the victories. In between, the Trojans got individual wins from Neugent in the 50 freestyle and Griffin in the 100 backstroke and more than enough high showings in the other events to handily take the team title. Neugent couldn’t quite pull off the double-gold performance she had in 2021, taking second in the 100 freestyle to Bishop Carroll’s Karis Reynaga. Reynaga was one of two Carroll state champions with teammate Zoe Winter adding to her state gold haul on her way to being named the 5-1A swimmer of the meet. The Golden Eagle senior won the 100 butterfly for the third straight season, missing out on a four-peat in the event when the 2020 season was canceled. She also won the 200 individual medley for the first time in her career, helping Carroll to a third-place team finish. Seaman was right behind in fourth, led by a state title from Avery Walz in the 100 breaststroke. Topeka West’s Kadence Jeffries, meanwhile, closed out a legendary career that saw her win state titles in the 200 and 500 freestyles all three seasons for six state golds in her career – her shot at becoming a rare eight-time state champion denied by the lost 2020 COVID season. McPherson took the title in the 200 freestyle relay with Clarea Williams, Marissa Pearcy, Kierstan Trost and Danica Brunk teaming for the two-second win over Blue Valley Southwest. St. James’ runner-up team finish was led by a title from diver Emma Holton, who led a 1-3-6 Thunder finish in the event.
 
2023 Contenders: While the graduation of multi-time state champion Natalie Neugent leaves a huge hole for Andover, the Trojans are well-equipped to defend their team state championship from a year ago. Neugent had a hand in five gold medals for the Trojans over the past two seasons and served as the anchor leg on Andover’s state champion 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays last year in addition to winning the 50 freestyle title. The Trojans do return the other three members of their title relays, all of whom were freshmen a year ago – Mari Griffin, Sophia Mandanis and Kiersten Elliott. Griffin added a state title in the 100 backstroke, winning by .09 seconds over Labette County’s Sydni Meister, who also returns this season, and also took fourth in the 200 individual medley. Mandanis added a pair of top-eight finishes individually and Elliott took third in the 100 breaststroke. Andover returns eight of its 13-member state contingent overall, but the bulk of last year’s scoring. Runner-up a year ago, St. James Academy returns almost everyone as it looks to push for the title this season. The Thunder struck in a big way in diving last year, placing three in the top six led by state champion Emma Holton. All three divers return and will get plenty of help from sophomore Rebecca Pickert, who finished second in both the 200 and 500 freestyles last year to Topeka West’s Kadence Jeffries, who pulled the career sweep in those events and has graduated. Pickert also anchored St. James’ runner-up 200 medley and fourth-place 400 freestyle relays, which also return seniors Avery Spacek and Reagan Salsbury. The Thunder only lost two of its 13 state swimmers to graduation. After taking third as a team last year, Bishop Carroll must replace last year’s 5-1A swimmer of the meet in four-time state champion Zoe Winter, who swept the 100 butterfly title all three seasons of her career. The Golden Eagles do return state champion Karis Reynaga, who upset Andover’s Neugent for the 100 freestyle title last season and also finished third in the 200 freestyle. Reynaga and juniors Bryanna Bailey and Teagen Patterson return from Carroll’s runner-up 400 freestyle relay. Seaman’s Avery Walz won a tight battle with Wichita Trinity Academy’s Aleca Howard for the 100 breaststroke title last year, winning by .29 seconds. Both return this season along with Andover’s Elliott to set up a stacked field atop the event this season. Walz’ title helped Seaman to a program-best fourth-place team finish as the Vikings were 17.5 points behind Carroll for third. The Vikings graduated double-state medalist Gabby Grace, but Walz, twin sister Tauren, and sophomore Joslynn Grace give them a strong core to build around with Tauren joining Avery as a double-medalist last year. Neugent’s departure opens the door for a new 50 freestyle champion for the first time since 2020 and last year’s next-three finishers all return – runner-up Katherine Grace of Wichita Collegiate, Salsbury of St. James and Danica Brunk of McPherson, who anchored the Bullpups’ state champion 200 freestyle relay. Trinity’s Howard and Seaman’s Avery Walz went 2-3 behind Carroll’s Winter in the 200 IM while Andover’s Griffin and Seaman’s Grace were 4-5. Blue Valley Southwest’s Presley Baber will challenge in the 100 and 200 freestyle, taking third and fourth a year ago, respectively. The Timberwolves could make a big move, returning all but two off last year’s 14-member state squad. In addition to taking second in the 100 backstroke, Labette County’s Meister also was fourth in the 100 butterfly and is the top returner in the event this season. Kapaun Mt. Carmel took fifth as a team last year and must replace Sydney Le and Olivia Orth, but Kate Kochenderfer was a top-foour finisher in the distance freestyles and leads a strong young squad.