LENEXA — For three years, Shawnee Mission East chased.
On Saturday night, the Lancers caught — and passed — the field.
After finishing runner-up each of the last three seasons, East climbed back to the top of Class 6A swim and dive, totaling 290.5 points to edge Blue Valley West (270) and captured the state title at the Kansas State Swimming and Diving Championship held at the Shawnee Mission School District Aquatic Center.
In the process, the Lancers ended Blue Valley North’s three-year championship run as the Mustangs finished third with 218.5. It was East’s first state title since 2022 and the program’s 18th overall — a number that underscores a legacy built largely under longtime head coach Wiley Wright, who has been a part of 10 of those.
“We have been runner-up the last three years and that has been tough for some of them,” Wright said. “Each year we have a new crop of kids and they want to do well. This year they made up their mind that this was going to be the year and sure enough they did it.”
Unlike some championship teams built around multiple individual champions, the Lancers did it with depth.
East won just one event Saturday — the 200-yard freestyle relay — but scored in every event except the 200 individual medley. The Lancers flooded consolation and championship finals alike, stacking points in waves to slowly overtake Blue Valley West.
“Depth really played a vital role for us,” Wright said. “We placed four kids in the backstroke of the consolation finals and three in the 100 freestyle and four in the 200 freestyle. We got four in the 50 freestyle and then our diving was instrumental getting third and fifth. It was a whole team win.”
Shawnee Mission East's Barrett Tegtmeier, Cole Person and Emmet Lynch celebrate with Luke Sinatra after winning the 200 freestyle relay Saturday.
The lone victory came in a race that has become a benchmark for the program. Barrett Tegtmeier, Cole Person, Emmet Lynch and Luke Sinatra captured gold in the 200 freestyle relay in 1 minutes and 26.53 seconds, marking the third straight season East has won the event and the fourth time in five years.
“One of the benchmarks of our program is the 200 free relay,” Wright said. “Those kids want to keep that legacy going.”
Lynch, a junior, was at the center of the Lancers’ surge, earning four medals. He finished sixth in the 200 freestyle and fourth in the 500 freestyle, swam on the gold medal 200 free relay and helped power the 400 freestyle relay to a state runner-up finish.
“This feels amazing and I really can’t put it into words,” Lynch said. “This is something I have dreamed for since I was a freshman. Coming up short these last few years makes this feel even more amazing. We finally decided that this was going to be our year and no one was going to stop us.”
East's Cole Person (pictured) and Emmet Lynch each won four state medals to lead the Lancers.
Person also medaled in four events, taking third in the 50 freestyle, fifth in the 100 freestyle and contributing to two scoring relays. Briggs Perry added a fifth-place finish in the 100 butterfly, while the 200 medley relay team earned bronze to further pad East’s total.
But perhaps no performance symbolized East’s all-in effort more than senior Grant Kimmel’s.
In an era of specialization, Kimmel is a rarity — a state medalist in both swimming and diving. He delivered in both disciplines when the Lancers needed it most.
Kimmel placed third in diving with a personal-best score of 456.45, a massive jump from his previous best of 430 at the Sunflower League meet. Sophomore Graham Delzer followed in fifth at 420.80, giving East a crucial double boost in the event.
“It is pretty rare and we are fortunate that he was able to do both for us,” Wright said. “He has to split his time between both the dive and pool and really he is only swimming like half the practice.”
Shawnee Mission East senior Grant Kimmel medaled third in the diving and then earned two more medals on the swim side to key the Lancers' title.
Kimmel didn’t stop there. He added a seventh-place medal in the 100 breaststroke after setting a personal record in Friday’s preliminaries and swam on the third-place 200 medley relay.
“I take a lot of pride in being able to do both,” Kimmel said. “I just had the meet of my life. In my prelims of the breaststroke, I set a personal record there and I just give all the credit to my coaches.”
For Kimmel, a senior whose brother was part of the 2022 championship team, the moment carried extra weight.
“Being a senior, I have never won state before,” he said. “We have gotten so close each of the last three years. To go out in my senior year as a state champion is just so special. We won because of our depth and that is something I am so proud of.”
That depth — swimmers piling up points in consolation heats, divers delivering season-best scores and relays continuing a championship standard — ultimately proved too much for Blue Valley West down the stretch.
Shawnee Mission East coach Wiley Wright joins his team in the pool for a celebratory swim following their state title Saturday.
“We don’t have any superstars,” Wright said. “We are just one team that wants to do well. They encourage each other and they know they have a legacy to follow. They want to contribute to what East has been over the years.”
On Saturday, they did more than contribute — they restored the Lancers to the top of Kansas swimming.
Shawnee Mission East won its 18th state swim title in school history Saturday.
CLASS 6A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
TEAM SCORES
Shawnee Mission East 290.5, Blue Valley West 270, Blue Valley North 218.5, Olathe Northwest 160, Maize 156, Washburn Rural 143.5, Olathe West 135, Olathe East 130, Blue Valley Northwest 112, Mill Valley 105, Blue Valley 97.5, Lawrence Free State 92, Shawnee Mission South 91, Shawnee Mission West 91, Manhattan 52, Campus 46, Wichita-East 31, Derby 17, Lawrence 16, Shawnee Mission North 16, Wichita-Heights 11, Olathe South 8, Garden City 7, Shawnee Mission Northwest 4, Junction City 1, Wichita-Southeast 1