Lawrence Free State girls win state swimming championship

Source: The Star

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Blue Valley’s Lauren Wismer won her second state title in diving on Saturday. Her first came in 2007. She was hurt and unable to compete last year.

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TOPEKA | The Lawrence Free State girls opened the finals of the Kansas swimming and diving championships on Saturday with a state meet record time in the 200-yard medley relay. They closed the meet with a record in the 400 freestyle relay.

“Just like icing on the cake,” Free State senior Molly Albrecht said afterward.

Because while there’s no telling how long those records will stand, this Free State team will always be the one that delivered the program’s first girls swimming and diving state title.

The Firebirds scored 281 points, topping runner-up Olathe Northwest (242) and third-place Blue Valley Northwest (211) at the Capitol Federal Natatorium.

“All season we were headed toward this,” Free State coach Annette McDonald said.

The realization of that overriding goal began Saturday when Albrecht, sophomore Reilly Moore, sophomore Chloe Portela and junior Morgan Flannigan won the 200 medley relay in 1 minute, 45.87 seconds, breaking the state meet record they set last year.

In the meet’s final event, Albrecht, junior Heather Clark, Portela and Flannigan won the 400 freestyle relay in 3:33.12, breaking another record set by Free State in 2008.

Among the individual highlights for the Firebirds, Albrecht placed second in the 200 freestyle and third in the 100 backstroke, Flannigan was third in the 200 freestyle and third in the 500 freestyle, Portela was third in the 100 butterfly and fourth in the 100 backstroke, Moore was fourth in the 50 freestyle and fourth in the 100 breaststroke, and Clark was fifth in the 200 individual medley and eighth in the 100 butterfly.

While Free State didn’t have any individual state champions between those two record-setting relays, the girls claimed the prize that mattered most to them: the championship.

“Hopefully, the first of many,” Albrecht said.

Meanwhile, the Kansas City metro area boasted several individual state champions.

Olathe Northwest junior Maddy Dalcamo repeated as champion in both the 50 freestyle (23.82) and the 100 freestyle (51.27). That gives her four state championships so far in her varsity career.

But she really wanted the team title.

“We trained so hard to do it, and it was a letdown not getting first this year,” Dalcamo said. “But we came so close, and I’m just happy that everyone did their best.”

Blue Valley senior Lauren Wismer won her second diving state title. A state champ as a sophomore, she had missed the state meet last year because of an injury. In her final varsity meet, Wismer tallied a score of 465.55 to go out a winner once more.

“It’s amazing. (I’m) overwhelmed with joy,” Wismer said. “I definitely left my mark at my school and in high school sports in the state of Kansas.”

Meanwhile, Shawnee Mission Northwest senior Brooke Brull and Blue Valley North senior Haley Smith became first-time individual state champions.

Brull won the 200 freestyle in 1:52.18 — topping Albrecht, the defending state champion — and placed second in the 100 freestyle.

“I’ve been wanting (a state title) like every year, and it just never happened,” Brull said. “It really does mean a lot to me to finally get one. I mean, I wanted two, but I’m really happy with one.”

Smith won the 200 individual medley in 2:04.71 and placed second in the 100 backstroke.

“I really never dreamed of being a state champion,” Smith said. “It’s really special to me.”

She also contributed to BV North’s first-place and record-setting 200 freestyle relay. Smith, senior Kelsey Bakalar, sophomore Mardi Buchanan and senior Ana Kuehler broke the state meet record with a time of 1:37.71.

submitted by RYAN YOUNG - 2009-05-23 21:29:01