Caden DeLay hit a state qualifying standard first time out, and Platte County received a look at how the new setup for the sport in Missouri will look.
Already a school record holder and two-time qualifier for the Missouri State Swimming and Diving Championships, DeLay started out his senior season with a runner-up finish in the 100-yard breaststroke during the Battle for the Northland on Saturday, Aug. 19 at Park Hill District Aquatic Center in Kansas City, Mo. His time of 1:03.10 easily put him under the state standard and was just .01 of a second behind winner Joey Trout of Liberty North.
While DeLay hit the automatic qualifying time, Platte County — fifth out of 10 in the final team standings — saw several others hit state consideration times.
Missouri divided swimming into two classifications starting with this season, hoping to level out competition for smaller schools. In an effort to keep state competition full, state consideration time cuts were also added.
Swimmers or relays that post those times will qualify for state if less than 32 hit the automatic times in any event.
In addition to DeLay’s auto mark, Platte County had two relays (200 medley, 400 freestyle) and five individuals hit consideration cuts. DeLay placed third in the 50 freestyle (23.28), while Baxter Stone posted consideration times in both the 500 freestyle (5:50.71) and 100 breaststroke (1:09.78).
Alex Beall and Jerry Orozco were fourth and seventh, respectively, in the 100 backstroke for the other consideration cuts.
Platte County’s 200 medley relay of DeLay, Beall, Orozco and Rhett Spell came in third, while the 400 freestyle of Beall, Orozco, Hunter Bowen and Joe Ragone was fifth. The Pirates now have an early group of potential state qualifiers after DeLay was the only one to make the trip in 2016.
Park Hill South finished second in the team standings behind a trio of medal-winning relays.
The 200 medley team of Jackson Garrett, Patrick Hefferren, Cody Beeler and Isaac Lee and the 200 freestyle team of Beeler, Lee, Kubicki and Ethan Wissman were both second place, while Garrett won the 100 freestyle (51.20) and came in second in the 100 backstroke (55.39). Garrett’s time in the 100 backstroke was automatic state qualifying time.
Park Hill South’s 400 freestyle team of Lee, Garrett, Hefferren and Isaac Smith came in third to close the meet.