CLASS 5-1A GIRLS SWIMMERS/DIVERS TO WATCH IN 2025
 

DELANEY ALBRIGHT, ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
 
Albright was a member of two top-3 relays for the Saints as a junior last season. She swam the leadoff leg of Aquinas’ 200-yard freestyle relay along with Ridley Newell, Abby Roos and Maggie Dahir. The quartet shaved off 1.48 seconds from the team’s fourth-place finish in prelims and finished with a time of 1:42.97 to take runner-up behind Blue Valley Southwest. Albright also took the leadoff leg of 200 medley relay with the same group of swimmers. The Saints took third in that race, a split second behind runner-up Seaman. As an individual, Albright took seventh in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:04.21, while also taking 13th in the 50 freestyle.
 

MARY ARCHAMBAULT, LANSING
 
After only qualifying for one individual event as a freshman in 2023, taking 11th in the 100 butterfly, Archambault made a big leap last year as a sophomore. She finished sixth at state in both the 100 butterfly and 50 freestyle. She also was on the Lions’ 400 freestyle relay that finished third at state and the 200 freestyle relay that placed fourth. Archambault holds multiple school records and is one of nine Lions returning this season. At the United Kansas Conference meet, Archambault was second in the 200 individual medley and third in the 100 butterfly while helping the Lions’ 200 and 400 freestyle relays to league titles.
 

ASHLYN BOLYARD, BLUE VALLEY SOUTHWEST
 
Bolyard returns from a freshman campaign where she helped the Timberwolves replenish its depth as Blue Valley Southwest won a second straight state championship. Bolyard participated in two gold medal relays, while also picking up a pair of fourth-place finishers in her individual events. She swam the third leg of the 200 yard freestyle relay and the anchor leg of the 400 freestyle relay, both being repeat championship events for the Timberwolves. In the 400, Bolyard took over the anchor spot following the graduation of Presley Baber from the relay that returned Miriam Hill, Willow Weninger and Sophia Sponseller. These three also joined her in the 200, with Sponseller as another addition to last year’s state lineup for the race.

 

JADYN BRUCH, BASEHOR-LINWOOD
 
Bruch has quickly become the face of Basehor-Linwood swimming in just two seasons in high school. As a freshman she became the Bobcats’ first state placer when she finished fourth in the 200 freestyle in 2023, earning second-team All-5-1A honors. Bruch traded the 100 for the 500 freestyle at state last year as a sophomore and recorded a third-place finish with a school-record time of 5:09.78 – a nine-second drop from her best regular-season time. Bruch’s state showing was a bit bittersweet as she was disqualified in the 200 freestyle, missing out on a second straight medal in the event. The United Kansas Conference champion in the 500 freestyle, Bruch holds the school record in every event for the Bobcats and will be a threat in the distance freestyles at state even with the top placers a year ago returning.
 

SABRA BRUEGGEN, LOUISBURG
 
After spending her first two years of high school swimming competing at state in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard backstroke events, Brueggen hoped to finally bring home a pair of all-state medals at last year’s state meet. She stuck with the 100 back following a fifth-place finish as a freshman and sixth-place finish as a sophomore, but opted to replace the 50 free with the 200 individual medley as a junior. Brueggen would ultimately score a fourth-place finish in that event, but a disqualification in the 100 back derailed an event in which she held the second best time in prelims.
 

OLIVIA CARLSON, CENTRE
 
Despite coming off an injury that limited her playing time in volleyball and basketball last season, Carlson showed no ill effects once diving season hit and put together a strong season. The lone state qualifier in Centre’s history – the Cougars co-op with Marion and Hillsboro – Carlson has steadily climbed up the podium, going from a 10th-place finish as a freshman to fifth as a sophomore. Last year, Carlson went up two more spots to a third-place showing with a career-best state score of 374.40. She was sitting fifth going into finals before closing strong over her final three dives to pass Maize South’s Sydney Schumaker and Salina Central’s Caroline Fields. Though Emporia’s Allisyn Weiss returns to defend her title, Carlson will be in the mix once again.
 

JILLIAN DAVIS, VALLEY CENTER
 
Davis, who was previously homeschooled, transferred to Valley Center last year and was ruled eligible in early May. She made the most of the season’s final month, helping Valley Center win the 200-yard freestyle relay at the Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail II meet. Davis then earned all-state second-team honors after finishing second in the 5-1A 100 backstroke (58.33) and tying for sixth in the 100 butterfly (59.70). Davis is Valley Center’s school record-holder in the back.
 

 JOSIE EBEL, SALINA CENTRAL
 
Ebel, a junior, qualified for state in four events for the second straight season last spring. She earned her first individual state medal, taking eighth in the 50 freestyle with a time of 25.73 after swimming 25.40 in the prelims. Ebel also competed in the 500 freestyle and 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays. Ebel also won double gold at the AVCTL II meet, taking first in the 200 free (2:06.04) and 500 free (5:50.66).
 

KIERSTEN ELLIOTT, ANDOVER
 
Elliott, who signed with Drury University in November, collected her fourth state gold medal last season and third as part of Andover’s 200 medley relay team, joining Mari Griffin, Sophia Mandanis and Brynn Eilert to win the 5-1A title in 1:52.09. Elliott also earned runner-up finishes in the 400 freestyle relay and 100 breaststroke, swimming the latter in 1:06.02. She was fifth in the 100 free (54.15). Elliott won the 100 free and 100 breast at the AVCTL II meet as part of a four gold-medal performance.
 

 ANGELA EWERT, HESSTON
 
Ewert proved to be remarkably consistent down the stretch of her sophomore season last spring, duplicating the state medal-winning performances of her freshman campaign. After competing with Newton as part of a co-op program, Ewert represented Hesston at state and finished seventh in the 200 freestyle (2:03.17) and eighth in the 500 free (5:37.09). Her prelim time of 5:32.81 was a season-best by more than 4 seconds. Ewert matched those placings two years ago to become Hesston’s first girls state swimming medalist.
 

CAROLINE FIELDS, SALINA CENTRAL
 
Fields, who has a background in gymnastics, enters her senior season as a three-time state placer in diving, finishing a career-best sixth last year with a score of 360.20. The reigning Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail II champion has improved her state score each year, finishing seventh as a freshman with a 343.75 total and eighth as a sophomore at 345.25.
 

 JOSLYNN GRACE, SEAMAN
 
One of Seaman’s “Big Three” for the past two seasons along with twin sisters Avery and Tauren Walz, Grace will be “The One” for the Vikings this year with the graduation of the Walzes. Grace has helped Seaman to top-five team finishes at state the past three seasons, including a third-place showing last year. Grace finished fifth at state in the 100 breaststroke, a spot behind Tauren, and also finished eighth in the 200 individual medley after qualifying for finals in the fifth spot. That flip-flopped her 2023 state finishes when she took fifth in the 200 IM and eighth in the 100 breast. Grace also helped Seaman’s200 medley relay to a runner-up finish and the 200 freestyle relay to a fifth, earning second-team All-Class 5-1A honors. Grace was the 200 IM champion at the United Kansas Conference meet and runner-up in the 500 freestyle. Grace is one of eight Vikings returning from last year’s state team.
 

 
KAYLEE GREGG, HAYDEN
 
Missing out on a state diving medal by less than nine points in 2023 when she finished 10th, Gregg improved by leaps and bounced last year as a junior. She went into the state meet with the second-best score in Class 5-1A, holding the top spot for the bulk of the season before Emporia’s Allisyn Weiss overtook her late. Gregg finished runner-up to Weiss at the Centennial League meet, scoring a career-best 433.50 points. Though she couldn’t quite hit that total at state, Gregg posted a score of 364.80 to finish fifth. More than just a diver, Gregg also gets in on some swimming events for the Wildcats and was a member of Hayden’s state-qualifying 200 and 400 freestyle relays after taking fourth at league in the 50 freestyle.
 

 MARI GRIFFIN, ANDOVER
 
The heavily decorated Griffin enters her senior season as the reigning 5-1A 100 backstroke champion after reclaiming the title she won as a freshman. Griffin’s winning time of 55.29 was just .14 off the 5-1A meet record. An Arkansas signee, Griffin also took gold at state last spring with Kiersten Elliott, Sophia Mandanis and Brynn Eilert in the 200 medley relay, her third career state victory in that event. Griffin’s runner-up finishes in the 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle relay raised her career state medal count to 12. She has also helped the Trojans to a 5-1A team title as a freshman, third-place finish as a sophomore and runner-up a year ago.
 

 KIMBERLYN GRIM, NORWICH
 
Grim, who competes for Campus during the regular season as part of a co-op program, has made the most of two state appearances for Norwich. After placing seventh in the 5-1A 100 butterfly and eighth in the 100 backstroke as a freshman, Grim finished fifth in the fly last season with a time of 59.50. A qualifier in every individual state event, Grim competed in the 500 freestyle and took sixth, matching her preliminary qualifying spot with a time of 5:32.08. Grim, a junior, earned All-5-1A second-team honors.
 

 
MAKAILA HAYES, LANSING
 
For the second time in her two years in high school, Hayes came away from the state meet with four medals, recording top-five finishes in both of her individual events. Going into the finals of the 100 butterfly seeded seventh, Hayes took nearly a second off her qualifying time with a 58.87 to finish third – 2.85 seconds behind champion Lauryn Vogt of Hillsboro but just .61 seconds behind runner-up finisher Sophia Mandanis of Andover, both of whom return this season. Hayes also took fifth in the 200 freestyle and led the Lions’ 400 freestyle relay to a third and the 200 freestyle relay to a fourth. She’s one of four returners on both of those relays as the Lions look to challenge for the titles this season. A school record holder in multiple events, Hayes won the 200 freestyle at the United Kansas Conference meet and was runner-up in the 100 backstroke.
 

ALECA HOWARD, WICHITA TRINITY
 
Howard, a Missouri State signee, is the two-time reigning 5-1A champion in the 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke. After finishing second at state in both events as a freshman, Howard captured the double her sophomore year at Topeka. Even though her winning times weren’t as fast last year in Lenexa, Howard increased her victory margins in both, posting times of 2:05.18 in the IM and 1:04.76 in the breast. Howard is a three-time All-Class 5-1A first-team selection.
 

 
LIZ HOWELL, LEAVENWORTH
 
A state placer in one event as a freshman in 2023, Howell doubled that fun last season as a sophomore. She moved up from an eighth in the 100 freestyle to a fifth-place showing after earlier in the meet taking sixth in the 200 freestyle. Howell also teamed with twin sister Alex, Naomi Serravo and Alyssa Stenerson to finish eighth in the 400 freestyle relay and with Alex, Stenerson and Luiza Caon for a seventh in the 200 medley relay. All those relay members return this season as Leavenworth looks to continue its climb in the team standings, going from 13th in 2023 to 10th last season.
 

 SIENNA HURST, ANDOVER CENTRAL
 
Hurst, a junior, earned her first state medal last season for the Jaguars, finishing eighth in the 5-1A 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:12.83. She also earned a spot in the B final in the 100 freestyle, posting a time of 56.96 to take 11^th. A four-event participant at state in each of her first two seasons, Hurst finished second in the 100 free last year in the Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail II meet.

 

 CAMILLE KEELER, MAIZE SOUTH
 
Keeler, a senior, collected a pair of medals at each of the last two 5-1A state meets. Last year, she finished sixth in the 100 breaststroke (1:09.83) and was part of the Mavericks’ 200 medley relay that moved from seventh in the preliminaries to sixth in the finals in 2:01.59. Keeler was also sixth at state as a sophomore in the breast, and added a seventh-place finish in the 200 IM. Keeler won Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail I titles last year in the IM and 100 butterfly, and is the school record holder in the 500 freestyle.
 

GABBY KINMAN, KAPAUN MT. CARMEL
 
Kinman, a two-time state qualifier in diving, earned her first state medal last season, finishing eighth in 5-1A. Her total score of 312.15 improved on her 292.55 her freshman year, when Kinman finished 14^th. Kinman also placed second to Wichita Northwest’s Olivia Leatherman in the Greater Wichita Athletic League championships, helping the Crusaders capture their third consecutive league title.
 

KATE KOCHENDERFER, KAPAUN MT. CARMEL
 
Kochenderfer, a senior, collected four medals and a school record at last year’s state meet to earn All-Class 5-1A honors. The record came in the 200 freestyle, when she set the mark in the prelims, then topped it in the finals with a time of 1:54.18 to finish third. After posting the top prelim time in the 500 free, Kochenderfer finished second to Blue Valley Southwest’s Willow Weninger in 5:07.95. She also helped the Crusaders’ 200 freestyle relay take third and the 400 free relay finish fourth. Kochenderfer swam a career-best 500 free (5:05.80) at the Greater Wichita Athletic League championships, finishing that meet with four golds and helping the Crusaders win the team title.
 

BRILEY LARCOM, EL DORADO
 
Larcom earned All-Class 5-1A honors for the second straight year last season after she finished fourth at state in the 50 freestyle and fifth in the 100 backstroke. Larcom posted her top time in the back during the state prelims, swimming 59.45. She earned her first state individual medals as a sophomore, taking fifth in the 100 backstroke and seventh in the 100 free. The senior is El Dorado’s school record holder in the 50 free, 100 back and 200 individual medley.
 

SOPHIA MANDANIS, ANDOVER
 
Mandanis has been one of Andover’s top performers for the past three seasons as the Trojans won the 2022 5-1A title and posted top-three finishes the other two years. At the 2024 state meet, she teamed with classmates Mari Griffin and Kiersten Elliott, and newcomer Brynn Eilert to win her third 200 medley relay title. Mandanis also finished second in the 100 butterfly (58.26) and third in the 200 IM (2:10.80) before capping the third four-medal finish of her career at state as part of a runner-up team in the 400 freestyle relay. Mandanis won the butterfly and two relays in the Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail II meet to help Andover capture the team title.
 

ELLA MERAZ, BLUE VALLEY SOUTHWEST
 
Meraz got her first taste of competing at state during her sophomore year last season. She had her top finish in the 100-yard breaststroke, pushing a spot up in the finals to finish third with a time of 1:07.95. Meraz also earned a second-place finish with her teammates Kate Horton, Zoe Greathouse and Sophia Taghizadeh in the 200-yard medley relay. Meraz also took 11th in the 100 butterfly.
 

RIDLEY NEWELL, ST. THOMAS AQUINAS

Newell earned some redemption as a sophomore last year after facing a tough setback during her first state outing in 2023. Newell had finished fourth in the 500 free as a freshman, but suffered a disqualification in the 200 individual medley. Although she slid down a spot to finish fifth in the 500 free last year, she also turned her eight-place finish in the prelims for the 200 IM into a sixth-place finish in the finals. Newell also played a role in a pair of top-3 finishes for the Saints’ relays. She anchored the team’s 200 free relay in a state runner-up finish while also swimming the second leg of the Saints’ third-place 200 medley relay.
 

BREE PICKERELL, MCPHERSON
 
Pickerell, a senior, captured her first medals in three state appearances last spring. After posting a time of 5:31.50 in the 500 freestyle prelims, Pickerell swam 5:34.03 in the finals to finish seventh. She also teamed with Clarea Williams, Adyson Wiens and Danica Brunk to finish sixth in the 200 freestyle relay (1:45.33). Pickerell was part of two victorious relays and finished second in the 500 free and 200 individual medley at the Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail III-IV meet, helping the Bullpups finish second to Winfield.
 

 ALI RICHARDSON, SOUTHEAST OF SALINE
 
After making history as Southeast of Saline’s first-ever state qualifier in 2023, Richardson did again last year when she became the Trojans’ first-ever state placer. She narrowly missed out on a state medal in her sophomore season in 2023, taking ninth in the 100 butterfly. Last year, Richardson firmly planted herself in the championship finals and ended up fourth in 59.21, just .34 out of third and .95 away from second. Richardson missed out on earning a second championship finals berth in the 200 freestyle, less than a second from the top eight in qualifying, and ended up placing 10th.
 

IZABEL SCHMIDT, HAYS

Schmidt has already rewritten the Hays swimming record book, and she has been creeping closer to becoming a state champion each year. Schmidt was the state runner-up in the 50 freestyle last year, clocking a 24.41. Hillsboro’s Lauryn Vogt was the champion with a 23.77. Schmidt took third in the 100 freestyle with a 53.22, finishing behind champion Danica Brunk (52.77) from McPherson and runner-up Avery Walz from Seaman (53.17). As a sophomore, she took fourth in the 50 but was only .43 behind champion Vogt. . She also finished fourth at state in the 100 freestyle as a sophomore. As a freshman, she took sixth in the 100 freestyle and seventh in the 50 freestyle. Her personal best in the 50 free is 24.06 and her best 100-free time is 53.01.
 

SYDNEY SCHUMAKER, MAIZE SOUTH
 
Schumaker, a junior, is Maize South’s school record holder in 6- and 11-dive events. After finishing 13^th at state as a freshman, she vaulted to fourth last year with a 373.90 total. Schumaker was in third place after the preliminaries and tied for second after the semifinals. Schumaker also finished second in a close battle with Derby’s Ana Self at the Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail I meet. Schumaker’s score of 377.80 was just 1.15 off Self’s winning total.
 

SOPHIA SPONSELLER, BLUE VALLEY SOUTHWEST

Sponseller earned her third gold medal as a member of a Blue Valley Southwest relay team last year, as well as helping the Timberwolves bring home the state championship as a team. She was once again a member of the Timberwolves’ 400 free relay in a repeat first-place finish. Sponseller also moved from the 200 medley relay to 200 free relay last year, helping the team repeat as state champs in that event as well. She also took seventh in the 200 individual medley, after finishing in the B-final of both of her individual events as a freshman.
 

AVILA VERZOLA, LANSING
 
Verzola has been a key member of Lansing’s record-setting freestyle relay teams that swept the United Kansas Conference titles and posted a pair of top-three state finishes with the 400 freestyle squad taking third and the 200 freestyle foursome finishing fourth. But Verzola broke out in her individual events as well and ended up earning a state medal in the 50 freestyle, placing seventh. Verzola swam on the 200 medley relay at state last year as well, helping the Lions to the championship finals before they were DQed in the finals. She’s one of four returners for the Lansing relays as the Lions look to challenge for the titles this season and help Lansing continue its climb in the team standings after a fifth-place finish last year.
 

 
LAURYN VOGT, HILLSBORO
 
Vogt, a junior, has firmly established herself as 5-1A’s fastest freestyler after winning her second state 50 freestyle title last spring. Vogt, who competes for Marion’s co-op team during the regular season, tied a 26-year-old meet record of 23.77 seconds set by Winfield’s Kathy Echiverri to defend her crown. She added another individual title at last year’s state meet in the 100 butterfly, improving on her third-place finish as a freshman with a winning time of 56.02. Vogt also helped Hillsboro’s 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays reach the consolation finals. Vogt became Hillsboro’s first state swimming champion two years ago in Topeka, winning the 50 free in 23.92. She holds all of the Marion program’s individual swimming records.
 

LAIKEN VORTHMANN, DE SOTO
 
Vorthmann is arguably the most accomplished swimmer in De Soto history and has the resume to back that claim up. She came away from last year’s state meet with four medals around her neck, topped by a fourth-place finish in the 500 freestyle. Vorthmann also plced fifth in the 200 individual medley and helped the Wildcats’ 200 and 400 freestyle relays to seventh and sixth-place finishes, respectively. Showing off her versatility, Vorthmann was the United Kansas Conference champion in the 100 backstroke and second in the 100 butterfly. She hold school records in the 200 freestyle (2:01.62), 200 IM (2:12.16), 100 butterfly (59.64), 500 freestyle (5:15.49), 100 backstroke (59.76) and 100 breaststroke (1:14.41) as well as being on the record-setting 200 and 400 freestyle relays. All but the 100 breaststroke record came either at the league or state meet last year.
 

 
ALLISYN WEISS, EMPORIA
 
The younger sister of former Emporia diving champion Haylee Weiss, who won three straight state titles from 2016-18 before posting a runner-up finish as a senior, Allisyn showed she was more than capable of matching her sister’s exploits. After missing out on a state title as a freshman in 2023 when she finished a somewhat disappointing fourth after having the second-best regular season score, Weiss used that motivation to leave no doubt about who the top diver in 5-1A was last season. She won her second straight Centennial League title with a career-high score of 503.05, which was the top score in the state last year. While she didn’t go over 500 at state, Weiss’ total of 451.20 was still nearly 100 points better than her 2023 state score and was nearly 70 points ahead of runner-up Abby Paprocki of St. Thomas Aquinas. Weiss is still chasing her sister’s school record for both six and 11-dive scores but has positioned herself to match her three state titles.
 

 
WILLOW WENINGER, BLUE VALLEY SOUTHWEST
 
After a runner-up finish in the 500-yard freestyle prevented her from taking home all golds as a freshman, Weninger returned last year to improve upon the lone silver finish. Weninger repeated as the 200 free champion with her time of 1:52.42 before also winning the 500 free. Her time of 5:03.63 in the latter event marked a nearly 13 second improvement from her time in the finals the year before. Weninger also repeated as state champion in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays, as well as leading the Timberwolves to a second straight state championship as a team.
 

GENEVIEVE WILHITE, BISHOP CARROLL
 
Wilhite enters her junior season as an eight-time state medalist, highlighting last year’s haul with a third-place finish in the 100 backstroke (58.36) and fourth place in the 200 freestyle (1:56.17). Wilhite also anchored the Golden Eagles’ 400 free relay to a fifth-place finish and the 200 free relay to eighth. Wilhite earned fourth-place finishes in the backstroke and 200 individual medley as a freshman, and helped Carroll’s freestyle relays to top-3 finishes. Wilhite also captured double gold at last year’s Greater Wichita Athletic League championships, winning the 200 free by more than 8 seconds (1:55.59) and the backstroke (58.71).