Caden DeLay found an impressive way to book a return trip to the Missouri State Swimming and Diving Championships.
The Pirates star junior didn’t just make the state cut, he also won the 100-yard breaststroke at the Independence Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 10 in Independence, Mo. There were 15 teams present at the meet, including many of the biggest schools in the Kansas City metro area plus both Columbia, Mo. schools.
DeLay finished in 1 minute, 3.97 seconds to edge Lee’s Summit West’s Cameron Laster by just .03 of a second. The performance set a new personal record for DeLay by .01 of a second, and he now sets his sights on taking down the school record in the event.
DeLay also placed seventh in the 50 freestyle (23.63) in the Independence Invitational, the only other top-10 individual finish for Platte County. In the final team standings, the Pirates were 11th with 76 points.
In 2015, DeLay made up a part of a record-setting group of state qualifiers for Platte County. He swam in the 100 breaststroke, placing 34th in preliminaries, and with the 200 medley relay but is the only returning qualifier back on the roster this season.
Park Hill South 99, Kearney 83
The Panthers showed off their depth in a dual win Tuesday, Sept. 6 at Park Hill District Aquatic Center in Kansas City, Mo.
Overall, Park Hill South won six of 12 events and just one of three relays — the 400 freestyle with the team of Jackson Garrett, Stephen Heit, Daniel Miller and Isaac Lee. That group also accounted for three of the five individual wins — Miller in the 50 freestyle, Garrett in the 100 backstroke and Lee in the 100 freestyle.
Park Hill South’s Kyle DiBernardo finished right behind Lee in the 100 freestyle.
Patrick Hefferren won the 100 backstroke for Park Hill South by nearly 2 full seconds, while Lucas Etheridge led a contingent of three divers for the Panthers in the 1-meter event.