A large part of Lauryn Vogt was content with getting a piece of the Class 5-1A state meet record in the 50 freestyle last year when she won her second straight state title with a time of 23.77 that matched the 20-plus-year-old record of Winfield’s Kathy Echiverri.
 
“That was definitely my goal this season – beating that record,” Vogt said last May after equaling Echiverri’s record from 1998. “Even though I didn’t beat it, tying it is a pretty huge accomplishment for me.”
 
Taking sole ownership of that record has been something on Vogt’s mind this season, but won’t be something she’ll have occupying her thoughts when she takes to the blocks for Saturday’s finals at Capitol Federal Natatorium.
 
Vogt took care of business in Friday’s Class 5-1A preliminaries, turning in a 23.57 that gave her the 50 freestyle record all to herself. After breaking the mark, Vogt simply checked out the board, congratulated her fellow competitors in her heat and went to cool down for her next race.
 
Vogt was the top qualifier in the 50 freestyle by .60 seconds over Hays’ Izabel Schmidt and then came back and turned in the top qualifying time in the 100 freestyle, more than a second faster than Trinity Academy’s Aleca Howard, who went 52.20.
 
The 100 freestyle is a shift for Vogt this season after she won the 100 butterfly title a year ago. It’s also a new event for Howard, who vacated the 100 breaststroke where she won state titles the past two seasons.
 
While Howard has ground to make up to catch Vogt in the 100 freestyle, she set the pace in the other event she’s won the past two seasons, the 200 individual medley. Howard’s time of 2:05.43 was nearly two seconds faster than Andover’s Mari Griffin, herself a past state champion in the 100 backstroke where she was the top qualifier by nearly two seconds over Blue Valley Southwest’s Ashlyn Bolyard with her time of 55.88.
 
Bolyard didn’t come away without a top qualifying mark, taking advantage of Vogt’s departure in the 100 butterfly to easily qualify first by more than two seconds in 56.75. Her heat was delayed after a starting malfunction, but it hardly rattled Bolyard, who finished in 56.75, well ahead of teammate Sophia Sponseller (58.95).
 
Blue Valley Southwest’s Willow Weninger, the defending state champion in the 200 and 500 freestyles saw her top competition in those events snag the top qualifying times. Bishop Carroll’s Genevieve Wilhite posted the fastest time in the 200 freestyle with a 1:53.70, just ahead of Norwich’s Kimberlyn Grim (1:53.92), while Weninger was third (1:54.62). 
 
In the 500 freestyle, Basehor-Linwood’s Jadyn Bruch had the fastest mark with a 5:12.07, just ahead of Weninger’s 5:12.49.
 
Andover opened and closed the meet with top qualifying times from relays with the 200 medley relay just missing out on a state record with its time of 1:47.20. That was just .04 off the record of 1:47.16 set by Bishop Miege in 2017.
 
The 400 freestyle relay turned in a 3:41.34 to lead the way, two seconds ahead of Blue Valley Southwest. Lansing turned in the top time in the 200 freestyle relay with a 1:40.97, .21 ahead of Blue Valley Southwest.
 
In Thursday’s diving preliminaries and semifinals, defending champion Allisyn Weiss of Emporia built a solid lead in her quest for a second straight title, putting up 311.70 points to lead Salina Central’s Caroline Fields by 22.50 points going into Saturday’s three-dive finals.

 

HAUSER, BLAKE LEAD BLUE VALLEY NORTH TO DOMINANT 6A PRELIM SHOWING

It was a dominating performance by defending state champion Blue Valley North during Friday’s Class 6A girls state swimming and diving championship preliminaries at Capitol Federal Natatorium.
 
The Mustangs didn’t come away with the top qualifying in every event, but they were pretty darn close. Sarah Blake and Margo Hauser each posted the fastest marks in their two individual events and all three Mustang relays posted the best times as well as North claimed the top seed for Saturday’s finals in seven of the 11 swimming events.
 
Blake, the defending state champion in the 50 freestyle, blazed to a 23.62 in her prelim swim and was the only swimmer under 24 seconds to easily claim the top spot. She also posted the fastest 100 freestyle time with a 51.68, the only time under 52 seconds. She was third in the event at state a year ago.
 
Hauser, the defending state champion in the 500 freestyle, cruised to the top time in that event in prelims with her 5:05.79 nearly five seconds ahead of Blue Valley Northwest’s Maggie Dahl. Hauser also posted the fastest time in the 200 individual medley by two seconds with a 2:05.56. Olathe South’s Mia Jacobs was second in 2:05.57.
 
While Mia Jacobs came up short in landing a top qualifying time, also qualifying second to Blake in the 100 freestyle, twin sister Kira Jacobs secured the top spots in both of her individual events.
 
Kira Jacobs just edged out Northwest’s Dahl for the top time in the 200 freestyle, posting a 1:54.45 to come in just .12 ahead of Dahl’s 1:54.57. She also had a slim margin in qualifying first in the 100 backstroke with her 58.47 just .16 ahead of Shawnee Mission East’s Emmy Barrett, who finished in 58.63.
 
Olathe Northwest’s Angela McCoy claimed the top qualifying time in the 100 butterfly with a 57.61, a half second ahead of Shawnee Mission Northwest’s Fia Boshart whose time of 58.23 was nearly two seconds off her season-best of 56.27 that had her as the top seed going into the prelims. Boshart also had the top seed going into the 200 freestyle prelims, but qualified sixth.
 
Mill Valley’s Abigale Sitdham-Ebberts had no trouble upholding her top seed in the 100 breaststroke with her prelim time of 1:05.42 two seconds ahead of Olathe East’s Katharine Costello.
 
North’s three relays were dominant in qualifying first with the 200 medley relay’s time of 1:48.20 more than five seconds faster than Olathe East, the 200 freestyle relay’s time of 1:37.50 more than four seconds faster than Olathe South and the 400 freestyle relay’s time of 3:33.52 more than 11 seconds ahead of Shawnee Mission East.
 
Defending diving champion Irene Gettya has an overwhelming lead going into the finals after a dominant performance on Thursday. Gettya racked up 384.80 points through her first eight dives and leads by more than 100 points over Olathe North’s Avery Metcalf.