Getting the Class 5-1A 500-yard freestyle state record wasn’t at the top of Zach Mendez’s priority list during Friday’s state meet preliminaries at Topeka’s Capitol Federal Natatorium.
 
“I really was just going for a best time and good seed for tomorrow,” the Lansing junior said.
 
But why put off until tomorrow what you can accomplish today. After going out and turning in a season-best time in the 200-yard freestyle earlier in the day, Mendez made the 500 freestyle record his own.
 
The defending Class 5-1A state champion in the event and the top seed this year by nearly 14 seconds, Mendez blazed his way to the top qualifying time of 4 minutes, 32.58 seconds. That broke the previous 5-1A state meet record of 4:33.52 set by Seaman’s Zeke Metz in 2018.
 
“Honestly, I didn’t think the record was going to happen today, maybe I had a shot in the finals,” said Mendez, whose record time was 23 seconds faster than Andover’s Clark Young in Friday’s prelims. “I was really surprised. It was such a shock. In my 200 free, I went a best time and I was going into that 500 with a great mindset, but not expecting anything.”
 
So what can Mendez do for an encore in Saturday’s finals?
 
“Just go for another best time,” he said. “Maybe a 4:30, sub-4:30. That would be good. But even if I don’t, that’s fine. A win’s a win.”
 
An encore could come in the form of another state-meet record. In qualifying first in the 200 freestyle in 1:41.16 – five seconds ahead of Andover Central’s Jackson Lee (1:45.22) – Mendez pulled within just over a second of the state-meet record of 1:39.92 set by Wichita Collegiate’s Adam Sandid in 2022.
 
Mendez was one of three 5-1A swimmers to qualify first in two individual events on Friday.
 

 
Kapaun Mt. Carmel’s Frank Alberti, the defending state champion in the 200 individual medley and 100 backstroke, easily swam to top times in both of those events. Alberti posted a 1:56.71 in the 200 IM, three seconds faster than Blue Valley Southwest’s Reilly Eagan (1:59.78). In the 100 backstroke, which Alberti has won three straight seasons, his time of 51.82 was nearly three seconds faster than teammate Henry Studnicka’s 54.80.
 
Wichita Colleigate’s Derek Yang, runner-up in the 50 and 100 freestyles last year, had the top time in the 50 freestyle in 20.79, .6 seconds faster than Andover’s Eli Conard. Yang opted for the 100 butterfly instead of the 100 freestyle this year and qualified first with a 51.18, more than a second ahead of Andover Central’s Lee (52.44).
 

 
Conard took the top time in the 100 free in 47.26, more than a second ahead of Andover teammate Ian Diefenbach (48.62). That duo also helped Andover’s 200 and 400 freestyle relays to the top qualifying times, teaming with Brett Ziser and David Gott in the 200 for a 1:29.30 that was less than a second ahead of Collegiate (1:30.23), and with Ziser and Eric Witt in the 400 for a 3:16.50 that was a second ahead of Lansing (3:17.99).
 
Yang, meanwhile, teamed with Karim Sandid, Nathan Lynch and Paul Mines to post the fastest mark in the 200 medley relay in 1:39.13, a second ahead of Kapaun. Lynch also was the top qualifier in the 100 breaststroke in 59.46, a half second ahead of Andover’s Witt (1:00.14).
 
Andover and Collegiate put themselves in position to battle it out for the team championship on Saturday. The Trojans finished with 18 qualifiers in the championship finals and added another two in the consolation finals, while Collegiate was right behind with 16 qualifiers for the championship finals.
 
Kapaun put nine in the championship finals and seven in the consolation finals to keep itself in the hunt for a top-three finish. Andover Central and Blue Valley Southwest also are right there with the Jaguars putting eight in the championship finals and two in the consolation finals and Southwest getting six in the championship finals and five in the consolation finals.
 
Championship finals begin at 9 a.m. Saturday morning with diving beginning the competition. St. Thomas Aquinas’ Alex Moeller sits in first after the preliminaries and semifinals, which were held Thursday, scoring 297.70 points. Andale’s Gage Cooper is in second with 267.75 points while Andover’s Braden Larson is third with 264.45.

 

BLUE VALLEY NORTH TAKES COMMAND OF 6A TEAM RACE
 
The overwhelming favorite to win a second straight Class 6A state championship, Blue Valley North certainly lived up to that billing during Friday’s afternoon preliminaries at Capitol Federal Natatorium.
 
Despite not having a top qualifier in any event until closing the day with the best time in the 400 freestyle relay, the Mustangs left no doubt they were every bit the favorite they were deemed to be. North finished the prelims putting a whopping 16 qualifiers in Saturday’s championship finals, nearly double the number of the next-closest school – Manhattan with 9.
 
North had four events where it qualified multiple swimmers for the championship finals, including three in the 200 freestyle and 100 breaststroke. The top individual qualifier for the Mustangs was Jack Munro, who was second in the 100 backstroke to defending state champion and top qualifier Brock Wallace of Wichita Northwest. Wallace finished in 50.58 and Munro was second in 52.77.
 

 
Wallace was one of two individuals to qualify first in both of their events, also posting the fastest in the 200 individual medley in 1:52.99, more than a second ahead of Blue Valley Northwest’s Micah Churchill (1:54.97).
 
Churchill was the top qualifier in the 100 butterfly – an event he won a year ago – in 49.68, two seconds ahead of Washburn Rural’s Brogan Meier. In turn, Meier was the top qualifier in the 50 freestyle, coming in seeded seventh but posting a 21.49 to edge out Manhattan’s Mariano Palacian (21.85) and Rural teammate Will Powell (21.87).
 

 
Shawnee Mission South’s Grady O’Connor, a double state champion a year ago in the 100 and 200 freestyles, easily swam to the top qualifying time in both of those events to join Northwest’s Wallace with a pair of top marks. O’Connor was more than four seconds better than Maize’s Zachary Rife in the 200 with his time of 1:39.84 and then was two seconds ahead of Rife in the 100 with his time of 45.47.
 
Jack Miranda gave Rural its second No. 1 qualifier, posting the best time in the 500 freestyle with a 4:49.03, which was two seconds ahead of Olathe West’s Hayden Renoux (4:51.06).
 
Blue Valley West and Shawnee Mission East each picked up a pair of top qualifiers, getting an individual and relay apiece. West started the prelims with the top time in the 200 medley relay in 1:37.99, just .24 ahead of Blue Valley North, and had Jack Punswick come back later in the meet and post the lone sub-minute time in the 100 breaststroke with a 58.38 that was more than two seconds ahead of Olathe Northwest’s Kiefer Yim (1:00.91).
 
East, meanwhile, had the top 200 freestyle relay time with a 1:28.29, just .18 ahead of Washburn Rural. The Lancers’ Peter Stechschulte leads the diving competition after the completion of prelims and semifinals on Thursday, sitting at 337.15 points to lead Wichita Northwest’s Giani Benoit by 13.70 points.
 
Runner-up by only 16 points to Blue Valley North a year ago, SM East will be locked in a five-way battle for that spot this year. The Lancers had six qualifiers for the championship semifinals and 13 for the consolation semifinals, but has strong challengers in Blue Valley West, Washburn Rural, Manhattan and Blue Valley Northwest.
 
Manhattan has nine in the championship finals and five in the consolation finals while Rural has eight in the championship finals and four in the consolation finals. West ha six in the championship finals and nine in the consolation finals and Northwest has four in the championship finals and five in the consolation finals.
 
The Class 6A finals begin at 4 p.m. Saturday with diving kicking off the competition.