LENEXA — For one final act in a swimming career already filled with gold medals and school history, Blue Valley Southwest senior Willow Weninger decided to rewrite the script. 

After owning the distance freestyle events for the better part of her high school career, Weninger traded familiarity for something new in her final trip to the Class 5-1A state swim meet — and still found herself standing atop the podium. 

The Timberwolves senior capped her memorable career Saturday at the Shawnee Mission District Aquatic Center by winning two individual state championships in entirely different events and helping Blue Valley Southwest close the meet with a relay title.  

Different races, same dominant ending. 

“I feel really good with the way everything ended,” Weninger said. “It has been such a fun season with trying new events. I think it all worked out for the best and I am happy to do it with this team.” 

After sweeping the 200- and 500-yard freestyle events each of the previous three seasons, Weninger changed course for her senior campaign, opting for the 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke at state. 

The gamble paid off. 

Weninger opened her final state meet with a victory in the 200 individual medley, touching the wall first in 2 minutes, 7.82 seconds. Later, she added another gold medal in the 100 breaststroke in 1:06.23, finishing her career with seven individual state championships. She was later named the Class 5-1A Swimmer of the Meet. 

 

“I just wanted to throw myself in other events,” Weninger said. “We started to look at some of the other top 20 times to decide what to swim at state and I thought I had a chance to win some of these. I had a lot of fun with those events and I like training for them. I thought I might as well mix it up and it has been a lot of fun.” 

The transition to unfamiliar races came with a learning curve, especially in the medley, but Weninger still found a way to finish on top. 

“My swim in the IM was ok, but I think that I could have gone faster,” she said. “I haven’t had a lot of time to practice all these events. I just feel like I learn something new every time I swim it and I definitely look back and there are things that I can fix. I am just happy that I won.” 

While the 200 individual medley was a newer challenge, the breaststroke brought Weninger back to familiar territory. 

Though best known for her freestyle dominance, the 100 breaststroke had long been one of Weninger’s favorite events dating back to her club swimming days. In fact, the 200 breaststroke was the first event in which she qualified for sectionals as a younger swimmer, making her decision to revisit the stroke for her senior season feel especially fitting. 

 

“The breaststroke has always been one of my favorites,” Weninger said. “When I was younger, the 200 breaststroke was the first thing that I qualified for sectionals in when I swam in club. I have always had a little history with that event and I had to bring it back out for my last year of swimming.” 

That familiarity showed in the finals as Weninger powered to the breaststroke title, validating her decision to step outside her comfort zone and leave behind the events she had long dominated. 

While Weninger added more hardware to an already decorated résumé, Blue Valley Southwest narrowly missed its ultimate team goal. The Timberwolves finished runner-up in the team standings, just 11 points behind Lansing. 

Still, Weninger and the Timberwolves made sure the final race of her high school career ended in celebration. 

She teamed with Kameryn Ross, Sophia Sponseller and Molly Hartweger to win the 400-yard freestyle relay in 3:38.63, giving Blue Valley Southwest one final state title before the curtain closed on her prep swimming career. 

 

“It was great to end it with a win in the relay,” Weninger said. “I am a very competitive person, so it was great to end it with a win with those girls. They are a special group and it is one that works hard and we all do club swimming. It is fun to see us all come together and win it all.” 

For Weninger, the relay triumph marked the end of a high school athletic journey unlike many others. 

One of Kansas’ top multisport athletes, Weninger left the very next day for Georgia Tech, where she will begin preparing for her collegiate volleyball career. The quick turnaround, she admitted, helped ease some of the pressure surrounding her final state swim meet. 

“Knowing I had to leave for volleyball right after this is something that has kept my mind off of state and not made me so nervous and not overthink certain things,” Weninger said. “I am used to working hard and staying busy so this is just another step in my journey.” 

As she reflected on four years of state titles, long practices and lifelong friendships, Weninger said the memories made outside the pool may matter just as much as the medals collected inside it. 

“These last four years have been special,” she said. “Swim is such a challenging sport, but when you look back on it you think about the memories that you made and the people you met along the way.” 

 

THREE THE HARD WAY: EMPORIA’S WEISS STAYS THE COURSE, RALLIES FOR THIRD DIVING CROWN
 
One would have never guessed that Allisyn Weiss was in the fight of her life to successfully defend her Class 5-1A diving championship and close out her career with a third straight crown.
 
Prior to the start of Saturday’s finals, the Emporia senior was singing and dancing to the music playing over the speakers at the Shawnee Mission District Aquatic Center, engaging her fellow competitors to do the same. As the competition played out, she calmly went about her business, giving no indication where she stood in the standings.
 
Even as she stepped to the board for her final dive, still trailing rival Sydney Schumaker of Maize South, Weiss remained calm, cool and collected.
 
“This sounds really bad, but I just try not to care,” Weiss said of her demeanor. “Because when I care, I get in my own head and my dives don’t go the way that I want. I’ve done these dives all year, I’ve competed them since my freshman year, so I know what I’m doing. I just put the trust in myself.”
 
Weiss rewarded that trust in herself, nailing her final dive to take the event lead and then watching – kind of – as Schumaker came up just short of the upset on the final dive of the meet. Weiss finished with a winning score of 469.65 to edge Schumaker, who finished with a score of 460.10.
 
“It was one heck of a competition,” Weiss said.
 
Weiss had had no such challenge in capturing her first two state championships. After finishing fourth at state as a freshman in 2023, Weiss catapulted to the top of the podium in 2024, scoring 451.20 points to win by nearly 70 points over St. Thomas Aquinas’ Abby Paprocki. Last year, Weiss posted a total of 453.75 to win by 60 points over Centre’s Olivia Carlson with Schumaker third, just .10 points behind Carlson.
 
But after Thursday’s preliminary and semifinal round, it was clear title No. 3 wasn’t going to be a runaway. Schumaker enjoyed a stellar first day, scoring 331.05 points to sit atop the standings with Weiss close behind with 326.00 points.
 
Finding herself in a position she hadn’t been in since her freshman season, Weiss said her confidence didn’t waver one bit.
 
“To be honest, I came into the last day knowing my last three dives were stacked,” Weiss said. “So I wasn’t too worried. There’s always that thought I guess in the back of your head, but I think I did a pretty good job of keeping my mind clear and staying calm and just doing the dives and performing them the best that I could.
 
“It did get to me a little bit after the first day because I wanted my score to be so much higher than what it was. So I was kind of disappointed where I ended the first day. But at the end of the day I knew I could fall back on my training and it was going to be OK.”
 

 
She felt good during her practice on Friday, so good in fact that she hung around the side of the pool to watch Schumaker finish her practice. It wasn’t merely a case of scoping out what the Mavericks’ final dives looked like – though that was some of it – but also she did something a bit unconventional.
 
She began giving Schumaker pointers on how to better execute a new dive she had added to the end of her repertoire – a forward two and a half.
 
“I had never seen her two and a half when I competed against her so it’s a new dive for her,” Weiss said. “So I kind of wanted to see where she was at with it. I was good to go so I helped her out with it, called out her timing because I really wanted her to do the best she could. I’ve always said the best diver is going to come out on top and so I wanted the best for her.
 
“We talked throughout the whole meet, laughing and joking. I helped her out with some of her dives, she gave me some ‘Do this, do that,’ and I gave it right back to her. At the end of the day, we both want the other to do their best.”
 
Schumaker said the camaraderie between her and Weiss was special.
 
“She’s a great sport and has great sportsmanship,” Schumaker said. “She’s helping me out with a diver that I was completely struggling with. She was very helpful and very supportive and it really could have been the difference in how it turned out.”
 
Schumaker actually gained a bit more separation between the two after the completion of their first dives, stretching the lead to 381.65-368.55. But Weiss’ hardest dive in her set – a back one-and-a-half somersault with a two-and-a-half twist (degree of difficulty, 2.7) – came on her second dive of finals and she hit it to close her deficit to just over three points (428.90-425.25).
 
“I really wanted to hit that dive, which I did,” Weiss said. “My first dive, I didn’t quite get the scores I wanted, but that was OK. Knowing I hit that second dive, it made me relax going into that third dive. My heart was beating out of my chest, knowing I had to get a good approach.”
 
Weiss then nailed her final dive, a forward two-and-a-half somersault to apply a little pressure to Schumaker for her final dive, the exact same dive as Weiss just performed and the one she’d given Schumaker advice on how to improve.
 
During her practices, Schumaker had been under-rotating but in the finals she got past that point. But she couldn’t pull out in time for a clean entry with a bit of over-rotation and the scores left her short of dethroning Weiss for the title.
 
“I knew it was coming down to the last dive and I prayed I had a good approach,” Schumaker said. “For my expectations of that dive, it did go OK. I wish I’d gotten it down more if I’d known it would come down to it. But I’m proud of my performance.”
 

 
As Schumaker was getting ready for her final dive, Weiss wandered down to the shower area beside the pool, which has a tiny wall that could block her from watching Schumaker’s attempt. She lingered there for a minute, but then walked back out to see Schumaker dive.
 
“It was just kind of getting away from it and let my head space just relax,” Weiss said. “She’d been struggling in warm-ups with under-rotating and so for her to get out there and over-rotate it – I know she’s upset with it, but that’s a very big achievement when you’re still new to a dive. It’s really hard to get that rotation and when to come out at the right time. It just happened to be a timing thing and I sympathize with her. For her to come out and throw that dive with it being so new, it takes a lot of confidence.”
 
Despite coming so close to upsetting Weiss, Schumaker had nothing to hang her head about. She entered the state meet with a high score this season of 479.75 – nearly 60 points behind Weiss’s best – yet was right there until the final dive.
 
“It really shows my improvement because in past years, she’s gapped me by like 50 points,” Schumaker said. “Being right there with her shows my growth and all the work I put in. I’m just so proud. I love Allie and I wouldn’t want to lose to anyone else.”
 
Weiss’ final total of 469.65 was her highest winning total at state. And though she was happy with the three-peat, she was a bit disappointed that she wasn’t able to take down the state record of 486.90 set by Blue Valley Southwest’s Natalie Leachner in 2019.
 
Weiss had gone into the meet with a high score of 535.75, which broke Emporia’s school record that previously had been held by her older sister, Haylee.
 
“That state record is something I’ve had my eye on for a while,” Weiss said. “And it’s disappointing knowing I didn’t get there. Having my focus on a bigger goal, winning comes with that. Coming her, my focus was on the state record and winning comes with that.”
 

 
Haylee Weiss also was a three-time state champion for the Spartans from 2016-18, her bid to become a four-time state champion denied by Leachner’s record-setting performance in 2019. While Weiss matched her older sister with three titles, she said chasing her accomplishments was never on her mind.
 
“She started it off for me but diving has mainly been me focused on what I can do better,” Allisyn said. “Yes, I was looking for her scores, but at the end of the day we were two completely different divers doing two completely different dive sheets. There is that relative bloodline there, but other than that, we’re two different people.”
 
Weiss also sent out longtime Emporia diving coach Barbara Clark out with a state champion. During her career, Clark coached seven different Spartan divers to a total of 13 state championships with the Weiss sisters getting three each and Braxton Higgins (2021, 2022) and Reed Slayden (2019, 2020) winning two apiece for the boys’ program.
 

 
HILLSBORO’S VOGT GETS CAREER SWEEP OF 50 FREESTYLE, FINISHES WITH SEVEN GOLDS
 
For the briefest of moments this year, Lauryn Vogt dabbled with swimming the 200 individual medley at the state meet.
 
It wouldn’t have been a reach. During the season – one in which she battled through illness and posted slower times than she had hoped over the last month – her best time in the event was a 2:09.96 that ranked No. 2 in Class 5-1A behind Blue Valley Southwest’s Willow Weninger, whose state specialties had always been the 200 and 500 freestyles.
 
But swimming the 200 IM would have meant giving up the 50 freestyle at state with that even the very next one in the state-meet order. And as tantalizing as going after a different title was, vacating the 50 free was something she just couldn’t do.
 
“I knew I didn’t want to go away from the 50 free,” the Hillsboro standout said.
 
And for good reason. Vogt already had claimed the state title in the event each of her first three seasons. The thought of becoming a four-time champion in that event – something no swimmer in Kansas history had ever done (boy or girl) in the 50 freestyle – simply outweighed any inclinations of showing off her versatility with going after a different event.
 
“I knew I wanted to be a four-timer in that event. It’s just not something that’s been done.”
 
Of all the championship races held Saturday, the one title that appeared the most up for grabs was the one title that Vogt has had locked down throughout her career. Going into the state meet, Vogt had only the second-best time in Class 5-1A with Leavenworth’s Elisabeth Howell turning in a 24.42 during the season that just edged Vogt’s 24.45 for the best mark.
 
Even coming out of prelims, Vogt’s reign appeared a bit in peril. While the Trojan turned in the fastest qualifying time with a 24.14, Howell was right on her heels, just .01 seconds back in 24.15. St. Thomas Aquinas sophomore Lucy Hanna also was lurking, turning in a 24.35 qualifying time.
 
With such a tight battle in a race that often times at state can be a bit of a crapshoot with which swimmer has the best technical race, Vogt had slight reason to be a bit concerned.
 
“The 50 is so technical,” Vogt said. “But after the prelims, I knew I hadn’t swam my best in either race and I just had to fix some things today. Having (Howell) right there, .01, definitely had me knowing I had to do more. I wasn’t very happy with the 24 that I saw in prelims, so I was ready to come back faster.”
 
What Vogt has shown at past state meets is that when it comes to the state finals in the 50, it’s going to take something in the 23-second range to hang with her. When she won the state title her freshman year, Vogt went a 23.92 to win by .37 seconds over Bishop Carroll’s Karis Reynaga. Her sophomore year, she turned in a 23.77 in the finals to win by .64 seconds over Hays’ Izabel Schmidt and tie the 5-1A meet record set by Winfield’s Kathy Echiverri in 1998.
 
Last year, Schmidt got down below 24 but still couldn’t knock off Vogt, whose demolished the state meet record with a 23.39.
 
“I feel like when it comes to state, I can always hit that 23,” Vogt said. “I train for it and know I’m ready to do that. I think I was a little more relaxed knowing I could do that. It’s great for them to push me and see some fast times come out.”
 
Vogt get her time in the 23s again, though well off her record time from a year ago. But her 23.83 forced Howell and Hanna to hit uncharted waters and they couldn’t crack that barrier. Hanna trimmed .23 seconds off her prelim time to claim the runner-up spot in 24.12 while Howell was a bit off her prelim time and took third in 24.30.
 
The career sweep of the 50 free made Vogt one of three girls’ swimmers in Kansas history to accomplish that feat, joining Trinity Academy’s Elizabeth Bruce, who won the 100 breaststroke from 1999-2002 and younger sister Jamie Bruce, who won the 100 breast from 2005-08 and the 200 individual medley from 2005-08.
 
“It’s just such a blessing,” Vogt said. “You can’t really put it into words. It’s a privilege and crazy to do that, to succeed like that and it’s so exciting to do it for Hillsboro and the program.”
 

 
A year ago, Vogt did deviate from the norm in trading in the 100 butterfly for the 100 freestyle. She had placed third in the event at state her freshman year before winning it as a sophomore. Last year, however, she opted to swim the 100 freestyle at state and won that title handily over Trinity Academy standout Aleca Howard.
 
This year, she debated which way to go, also considering the 200 freestyle. But having a longer break between the 50 and 100 butterfly with the diving competition splitting the two rather than starting the meet when it was held at Topeka’s Capitol Federal Natatorium, swayed Vogt to return to that event this year.
 
“I knew I wanted to come back to it and having that break helps,” she said. “I was close to the 100 free record last year and I did want to get another record this year so it was a difficult choice for me. But fly has just kind of been my main stroke that I’ve always done. I wanted to get a faster time and push myself to get a record there.”
 
The sickness Vogt has battled this season kept her from challenging the 5-1A butterfly mark of 53.26 set by Bishop Miege’s Cailey Grunhard in 2016. But she had no trouble getting back her state title in the event, turning in a 55.36 that was more than two seconds faster than runner-up Sophia Sponseller of Blue Valley Southwest, who went 57.74.
 
Vogt also anchored Hillsboro’s 200 freestyle relay to the highest showing ever for a Trojan relay at state. Teaming with Talia Jost, Scarlet Koehn and Gracelyn Just, Vogt pulled the Trojans from a fifth-place standing when she entered the water to a runner-up finish behind Lansing.
 
The same foursome also finished fourth in the 200 medley relay.
 
With seven individual state gold medals in her career, Vogt came one gold medal shy of joining a trio of Kansas girls who finished their career with eight individual golds – Manhattan’s Amy Oberhelman and Trinity Academy’s Caroline and Jamie Bruce. But the legacy she’s left for a Hillsboro program that she started as a freshman is secure as she moves on to swim for the University of Kansas.
 
“It’s crazy,” she said. “Four years goes by so fast. It seems like I was just here as a freshman and now it’s senior year. Just the community around me knowing the impact I’ve had and how supportive they’ve been. You can’t put it into words and you don’t take it for granted. It’s great for the program to see what we can do and the work we’ve all put in. I’ve loved being there and pushing them.
 
“Coming in as a freshman, I’d swam club since I was five so I was used to this environment. I had a lot of expectations for myself to place high and get fast times and show everyone what I could do. I wasn’t expecting to pull a 23 my freshman year so it was exciting to do that. It just really got me excited for the next few years and it’s just grown.”
 

 
EASY DOES IT: BASEHOR-LINWOOD’S BRUCH MAKES HISTORY
 
Throughout her ground-breaking career at Basehor-Linwood, Jadyn Bruch has always had a mountain to climb when it came to becoming the first state champion in Bobcat program history.
 
Let’s just call it Mt. Willow.
 
Arriving in high school the same year that Willow Weninger arrived at Blue Valley Southwest, the Timberwolf has been the looming figure in Bruch’s specialties, the distance freestyles.
 
Each of their first three seasons, Weninger had won the Class 5-1A state title in the 200 freestyle. The past two seasons, the Southwest standout added titles in the 500 freestyle as well.
 
And evne though Bruch had posted the top times in both events during this year’s regular season, she expected that those titles would still go through Weninger.
 
“I always was ready for Willow to be in and have to race her no matter what,” Bruch said. “I was prepared to fight for it.”
 
Only Weninger dashed those expectations. Instead of going after the career sweep of the 200 freestyle and her third 500 freestyle crown, Weninger opted to go a different route her senior year, choosing to swim the 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke at state.
 
Suddenly what Bruch admitted perhaps didn’t seem possible, winning her first state title, very much was.
 
“Honestly, when I thought Willow would be swimming the 500 and 200, I didn’t think it would be possible,” she said. “But I never stopped believing it would be possible. I just wanted to keep going and push for that.”
 
A two-time third-place finisher in the 500 freestyle as a sophomore and junior, Bruch went into the state meet as the overwhelming favorite to win the title as a senior. Her regular-season best of 5:08.33 was nearly 11 seconds faster than her closest competitor, Bishop Carroll’s Genevieve Wilhite (5:19.14), and in Friday’s prelims, the qualifying gap was a solid eight seconds.
 
The margin closed slightly in Saturday’s final, but never enough where Bruch was in any danger of not finally getting her first state title. She took command early in the race and left Wilhite and the rest of the field far behind, winning the 500 title with a time of 5:09.15.
 
Wilhite was a distant second in 5:14.56.
 
“I had a lot of nerves because I still had a time goal,” said Bruch, who was aiming to swim a 5:00. “I didn’t hit it unfortunately, but I still got my first title.”
 

 
Bruch was also in the mix to win the 200 freestyle title, an event she took third in as a junior and fourth as a freshman, DQing at state her sophomore year in the prelims. Her top challenger was a friendly rival, Lansing sophomore Piper Kobs.
 
With Basehor not having its own pool, the Bobcats train with Lansing and for years Lansing coach David Bresser was the head coach for both programs. He instilled in Bruch that she had what it took to be a state champion someday and Bruch said she’s always carried that belief as fuel.
 
“I didn’t think (being a state champion) was possible until freshman year when Coach Bresser told me it was,” she said. “I wanted to keep going and pushing for that to show him I could do exactly what he thought I could.”
 
Kobs and Bruch had battled for the 5-1A lead in the 200 freestyle all season with Kobs holding the slimmest of leads going into state, a best of 1:55.23 to Bruch’s best of 1:55.29. Kobs dipped to a 1:53.09 in prelims while Bruch turned in a 1:55.51.
 
In the finals, Bruch broke the 1:55 mark, but could only manage a 1:54.38 and Kobs was able to hold her off, winning the state title in 1:53.37.
 
“I was hoping I could get her, but I expected her to go fast,” Bruch said. “I’m happy for her and I wouldn’t want to lose to anyone else, honestly.”
 
In making history for the Bobcat program by becoming its first-ever state champion, Bruch hopes to set the tone for future champions to come through the program. Basehor has already seen its numbers climb during Bruch’s four years leading the way and in addition to her two state medals, the Bobcats got a relay medal from the seventh-place finishing 200 freestyle relay team of Bruch, sophomores Taelynn Peter and Simma Baker and freshman Corinne Beck – the future of the program with Bruch off to swim collegiately at New Mexico.
 
Bruch, Peter and Beck also teamed with freshman Lucy Chute for a 12th in the 400 freestyle relay.
 
“I just want this program to keep building and hopefully we can get our own pool at the school,” she said. “Just getting our name out there and showing people that you can break outside the norm and do a sport that’s not maybe as popular. It’s been great to see this program grow. Last year, we had seven girls, this year we got seven girls to state alone. Just seeing all the work the girls have put in around me and seeing them push themselves, I’m leaving a good program behind.”
 

FROM EIGHTH TO FIRST: LEAVENWORTH'S HOWELL REWRITES SCHOOL HISTORY BOOKS WITH TITLE IN 100 FREE

The climb took four years, two school records and one unforgettable finish. 

Leavenworth senior Elisabeth Howell had spent her high school swimming career inching closer to the top of the Class 5-1A podium — eighth place as a freshman, sixth as a sophomore, fourth as a junior. On Saturday at the Class 5-1A state swim and dive championships, Howell finally completed the climb, capturing the 100-yard freestyle title to become Leavenworth’s first girls state swimming champion in at least more than two decades. 

And she did it in record-breaking fashion. 

After entering Friday’s prelims with the top qualifying times in both the 50- and 100-yard freestyle, Howell wasted little time making history. She broke school records in both events during prelims, swimming a 24.15 in the 50 freestyle and a 52.23 in the 100 freestyle — eclipsing marks that had stood for more than 25 years. 

Still, Howell wasn’t satisfied. 

In Saturday’s finals, the Pioneer senior lowered her own school record in the 100 freestyle again, racing to a winning time of 51.82 seconds to claim the state title by more than a second. 

“It is absolutely amazing,” Howell said. “I’m going to be honest, I didn’t think that I could actually win it. I started in eighth place my freshman year and then I finally won. I am really happy. I had some weird circumstances with some other sports where I missed part of the season. Then I had the top time going into prelims and that was terrifying because I got pushed a lot. I was just super nervous and it was a gratifying feeling. I have been swimming for a very long time and to see it pay off in this banner is more than I could have imagined.” 

 

The championship capped a season of steady belief for Howell, who admitted the possibility of a title only began to feel real after a strong performance at the league meet. 

“I only swim this race a couple times during the season,” Howell said of the 100 freestyle. “It was kind of weird season. Then with the time I got at league I thought maybe I might have a shot at it. Looking at my competition though I knew it was going to be super close. Then when I saw how the race was seeded, that is when I thought I had a good chance at it.” 

Howell nearly left with two state titles. 

She also entered the finals as one of the favorites in the 50 freestyle, but finished third in 24.30 seconds behind Hillsboro senior Lauren Vogt, who won the event for the fourth consecutive season and owns the state meet record. Still, Howell’s prelim time of 24.15 remained good enough to stand as a school record. 

“I’ve raced against Lauren for a while now and she has won the 50 free for four straight years now,” Howell said. “The fact I was close to her, that just gave me a little confidence, but then she just took off and had an amazing time. She is a great swimmer.” 

Even with the historic moment, Howell’s attention quickly shifted elsewhere after receiving her medal. Rather than soaking in the spotlight, she rushed to the pool deck to count laps for her twin sister, Alexandrea, in the 500 freestyle — an event in which Alexandrea placed fifth overall. 
 

The moment reflected the bond the sisters have built through years of swimming side by side. 

“We are twins so we have been swimming for a really long time together,” Howell said. “I am her only counter and I count her on everything. She is pushing really hard in her races and I am super proud of her. She has been dealing with a lot of injuries, so I am just amazed the fact that she is still pushing this hard.” 

The Howell twins also helped Leavenworth post strong relay finishes. The Pioneers placed fifth in the 200 medley relay in 1:58.28 and sixth in the 400 freestyle relay in 3:56.54. 

For Elisabeth, the weekend represented more than medals or records. It was validation after years of chasing a goal that once felt out of reach. 

“I was just astounded with how I swam,” Howell said. “I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better day, especially in the prelims. I have been gunning for that school record in the 100 freestyle since my freshman year and then when I found out I was kind of fast, I wanted that 50 record as well. To break both of those records on the same day in the prelims was just something I can’t put into words.  

“I was so happy with the way I swam. I swam a little slower in the 50 in the finals, but I really wanted that championship title in the 100. I already had the school record, but I wanted my spot in state history.” 

ALL-STATE TEAMS
 
First team
 
Jadyn Bruch, sr., Basehor-Linwood; Hollyn Griffin, so., Andover; Kimberlyn Grim, sr., Norwich; Lucy Hanna, so., St. Thomas Aquinas; Makaila Hayes, sr., Lansing; Elisabeth Howell, sr., Leavenworth; Piper Kobs, so., Lansing; Sophia Sponseller, sr., Blue Valley Southwest; Lauryn Vogt, sr., Hillsboro; Allisyn Weiss, sr., Emporia; Willow Weninger, sr., Blue Valley Southwest.
 
Second team
 
Angela Ewert, sr., Hesston; Elizabeth Heise, sr., St. James Academy; Sienna Hurst, sr., Andover Central; Sopjia Isom, fr., Winfield; Kaila Karhoff, jr., St. Mary’s Colgan; Everley Malone, fr., Kapaun Mt. Carmel; Madelyn McCluskey, jr., Maize South; Lindsday McIntyre, jr., Andover Central; Helena Melo, fr., Andover; Ridley Newell, sr., St. Thomas Aquinas; Kameryn Ross, so., Blue Valley Southwest; Alice Schmidt, fr., Wichita Classical; Sydney Schumaker, sr., Maize South; Avila Verzola, sr., Lansing; Genevieve Wilhite, sr., Bishop Carroll.
 
Swimmer of the meet – Willow Weninger, Blue Valley Southwest
 
Coach of the year – Rachel Davis, Holcomb