MSHSAA GIRLS’ CLASS 2 STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
While the snow was falling outside the St. Peter’s Rec Plex in St. Peters, MO, the swimming was on fire at the MSHSAA Girls’ Class 2 State Championships. The Chesterfield, MO-based Marquette High School girls team took the top trophy with 278 points, over Columbia, MO-based Rock Bridge High School’s final tally of 224.5 points.
Marquette’s impressive depth (24 top 16 finishes) fueled their win as their highest finishes were second place in the 200 free (Carsyn Cosman, 1:54.63), and 100 fly (Amanda Yu, 58.01). Marquette brought a team of 20 qualifiers to the 2019 meet, 6 more than the 2018 team, which placed 5th in the 2018 state championships. Individual standout and Virginia Tech commit Karisa Franz (Cor Jesu Academy) took the gold in three events: the 200 medley relay – 1:47.12, 200 IM – 2:05.22, and 100 fly – 54.99.
In the fall of 2017, MSHSAA divided high school boys’ and girls’ swimming into two groups – Class 1 and Class 2 – based on school size. Records set in Class 1 and 2 championships meets may be recognized as specific to the class or the overall state record based on time.
TOP 5 FINAL GIRLS’ CLASS 2 SCORES:
- Marquette – 278
- Rock Bridge – 224.5
- Nerinx Hall – 194.5
- Cor Jesu Academy – 186
- Hickman – 168
MEET HIGHLIGHTS
The evening began with Cor Jesu Academy’s first-place finish in the 200-yard medley relay. Sophomore Maddie Palatt, senior and University of Nebraska-Omaha commit Maddie Mather, senior Franz, and freshman Anna Moehn hit the wall first with a time of 1:47.12. The Nerinx Hall team of senior Katie Knapp, freshman Brooke Punnewaert, sophomore Emily Traube, and junior Meghan Bryan quickly followed in second with a time of 1:47.81.
Hickman senior and Missouri State University commit Grace Beahan took the 200-yard free with a time of 1:51.14, a 1.36-second drop from her 2018 third-place finish of 1:52.50. Marquette freshman Cosman dropped more than 3 seconds from her seed time of 1:57.73 to finish second with 1:54.63.
Cor Jesu Academy senior Franz won her second gold medal with her title in the 200-yard individual medley (2:05.22). Kirkwood High School sophomore Ella Pearl took second with a 2:06.30, moving up eight positions from her 10th place finish (2:11.57) in 2018.
In one of the closest races of the evening, Liberty North freshman Ainsley Dillon won the 50-yard free (23.72), .04 seconds in front of Fort Zumwalt West junior Courtney Harris’ 23.76. Lafayette junior Claire Vanbiljon rounded out the top three with a time of 24.16.
Franz took her third gold in the 100-yard butterfly (54.99), .63 seconds off her 2018 Class 2 record of 54.36. In the foremost example of Marquette’s depth, junior Amanda Yu (58.01) took second, junior Jenny Flores (59.24) took fifth, senior Sarah Rosson (59.48) took sixth, and senior Eva Main (1:00.06) took twelfth.
Fort Zumwalt West’s Harris and Liberty North’s Dillon flipped finishes in the 100-yard free with Harris taking the event in 50.93, and Dillon finishing second in a time of 51.77. Harris’ time was only .11 seconds off the 2018 Class 2 state record of 50.82, held by former Lafayette high school attendee and University of Kansas freshman Franceska Petrosino (50.82).
Hickman’s Beahan took her second title of the night in the 500-yard free (4:56.40), dropping her 2018 Class 2 state record 3.4 seconds from her 2018 time of 4:59.80. Blue Springs senior and Lindenwood University commit Shaedyn Read took second with a time of 5:08.63.
The Nerinx Hall 200-yard free relay team of Bryan, Knapp, sophomore Grace Schaefer, and Traube (1:38.48) out-touched the Liberty North team of junior Bryn Mattes, senior and Lake Forest College commit Ashlyn Pope, junior Kate Huyser and freshman Dillon (1:38.83). Marquette’s team of senior and Indiana University water polo commit Taryn Zweifel, junior Lexi McClard, freshman Cosman, and junior Yu took third with a time of 1:38.91.
Kirkwood sophomore Pearl won the 100-yard backstroke, marking a new Class 2 state record time of 55.83, besting the 2018 record of 56.49 held by Franz. Rockbridge sophomore Mara Manion earned second with a time of 56.38, a 1.77-second drop from her 2018 sixth-pace finish time of 58.15.
In the 100-yard breaststroke, Hickman senior and Southern Illinois University commit Sarah Vogt took the top spot with a time of 1:04.31, with Lindbergh senior and Missouri State University commit Karli Sewell (1:05.04) taking second.
In the final and perhaps loudest swimming event of the evening, Rock Bridge’s team of junior Barnes, sophomore Olivia Henderson, sophomore Elise Henderson and sophomore Manion (3:31.98) beat out the Cor Jesu Academy team of Moehn, Palatt, Mather and Franz (3:32.03) by .05 seconds to take the top spot.
Staley junior Ella McMahon won the one-meter diving with a score of 481.50, leading from preliminaries through semifinals and finals. McMahon’s score was a 75.25-point improvement over her 2018 fourth-place finish with a score of 406.25. Lee’s Summit North junior Annie McCord took second with a score of 405.10, and Park Hill South senior Taylor Young was third with 394.15.
EVENT WINNERS:
- 200 Medley Relay: Cor Jesu Academy – 1:47.12
- 200 Free: Grace Beahan, Hickman – 1:51.14
- 200 Individual Medley: Karisa Franz, Cor Jesu Academy – 2:05.22
- 50 Freestyle: Ainsley Dillon, Liberty North – 23.72
- 100 Butterfly: Karisa Franz, Cor Jesu Academy – 54.99
- 100 Freestyle: Courtney Harris, Fort Zumwalt West – 50.93
- 500 Freestyle: Grace Beahan, Hickman – 4:56.40
- 200 Freestyle Relay: Nerinx Hall – 1:38.48
- 100 Backstroke: Ella Pearl, Kirkwood – 55.83
- 100 Breaststroke: Sarah Vogt, Hickman – 1:04.31
- 400 Freestyle Relay: Rock Bridge – 3:31.98
- One-Meter Diving: Ella McMahon, Staley – 481.50