All three of Park Hill South’s relays posted season-best times, and the Panthers finished third in the team standings Saturday, Sept. 16 in the North Kansas City Invitational.
Jackson Garrett recorded a win and two of the five top-eight individual finishes for Park Hill South, but the relays scored the big points. The Panthers’ 200 freestyle team of Garrett, Cody Beeler, Isaac Lee and Isaac Smith led the way with a fourth-place showing in 1 minute, 33.13 seconds, while the 200 medley team of Garett, Beeler, Lee and Patrick Hefferren came in fifth (1:44.49).
Park Hill South’s 400 freestyle team of Hefferren, Zander Livingston, Zane Reavley and Zach Schneider capped the meet with a sixth-place showing.
Garrett’s victory came in the 100 backstroke. His finals time of 54.45 was just .05 off his season-best, which currently ranks as the No. 2 qualifying mark for the Class 1 Missouri State Swimming and Diving Championships.
Three of Park Hill South’s other best finishes were eighth-place showings, including Garrett in the 100 butterfly (56.81). Livingston (500 freestyle) and Reavley (100 freestyle) also had eighth-place finishes.
Platte County senior Caden DeLay grabbed two of the Pirates’ top-eight showings, helping them score 116 points and finish ninth out of 20 teams.
In the 100 breaststroke, DeLay matched his school-record time of 1:00.76 set a week earlier, putting him second. He currently owns the No. 3 Class 1 state qualifying time after placing 16th a year ago when Missouri still just held one state meet.
DeLay also placed third in the 50 freestyle at 22.93, just in front of Park Hill South’s Lee (23.17) in fourth. Isaac Cook, a freshman, rounded out Platte County’s individual showings with an eighth-place finish in 1-meter diving with a career-best score of 238.30.
Platte County had one top-eight relay with the 200 medley team of DeLay, Jerry Orozco, Alex Beall and Baxter Stone in seventh (1:46.42).
Raytown Triangular
Platte County finished second with a win over Warrensburg and a loss to Raytown on Wednesday, Sept. 13 at The Bird Bath in Raytown, Mo.
Ahead of the big weekend meet, the Pirates loaded up their freestyle relays but didn’t come away with any automatic qualifying times. DeLay won a pair of individual events and swam a leg on the victorious 200 freestyle relay and runner-up 400 freestyle relay.
DeLay took the top spot in the 100 butterfly (57.46, about a second off auto qualification) and the 200 freestyle (1:55.43). Orozco was third in the 200 freestyle for Platte County (1:58.99).
Platte County’s 200 freestyle team consisted of DeLay, Orozco, Beall and Hunter Bowen (1:37.05).
North Kansas City Quad
Park Hill dominated, winning eight of 12 events Tuesday, Sept. 12. Seven swimmers contributed to the victories, including a dominant showing for Mark Foster in the 1-meter diving competition.
Already qualified for state early in the year, Foster topped a field of eight with a score of 238.50, winning by 71 points.
Alex Dunlevy contributed individual wins in the 200 freestyle (1:54.49) and 100 backstroke (1:04.52), edging Jack Duffy of North Kansas City by a quarter of a second. He also swam on the 200 and 400 freestyle relays that took first for the Trojans.
Jordan Timmerman (200 medley, 400 freestyle), Zack O’Conor (200 medley, 400 freestyle), Nick Dieffenbach (200 medley, 200 freestyle), Hunter Dieffenbach (200 medley, 200 freestyle) and Sam Duesterhaus (200 freestyle, 4000 freestyle) rounded out Park Hill’s winning relays. Timmerman took the 500 freestyle, while Hunter Dieffenbach won the 100 freestyle.
Park Hill South dual
The Panthers won 11 of 12 events in a meet with Kearney on Tuesday, Sept. 12 at Park Hill District Aquatic Center in Kansas City, Mo.
Livingston (200 freestyle and 500 freestyle) and Beeler (100 freestyle and 100 breaststroke) both won multiple events. Garrett, Hefferren, Lee and Beeler were on the winning 200 medley relay, while Beeler, Garrett, Lee and Smith were on the winning 200 freestyle relay.
Livingston, Reavley, Schneider and Hefferren made up the 400 freestyle team and rounded out Park Hill South’s winning relays. The Panthers also received individual wins from Finn Hefferren (200 IM), Lee (50 freestyle) and Garrett (100 backstroke).