By Matt Turer — @MattTurer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
ST. PETERS, Mo. — For Glendale, it all came down to the 400 freestyle relay.
For swim fans, it doesn’t get any better.
The Falcons trailed Parkway Central by three points going into the final event of the 2018 MSHSAA Class 1 Girls State Championships. A win meant a team title. Anything less meant uncertainty.
One Class 1 state record time and 3:38.12 later, the Falcons were celebrating their first state swim championship since winning back-to-back titles in 2013 and 2014.
The Glendale group of Ashley Baldwin, Samm Rathjen, Jessi Hicks and Maddie Duncan won the championship-clinching 400-yard freestyle relay in a Class 1 state record 3:38.12, leading the entire way and holding off Webster Groves by 0.92 seconds. Summit Prep took third (3:39.25) and Carl Junction finished eighth (3:49.49).
“It was super intense,” Baldwin said. “We knew we had to win the race to win state. I knew the nerves were high but at the same time I was super excited and ready to win.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE MEET
For Duncan, it was one last shot at a state championship in the senior’s final race as a Falcon.
“In that last moment I was trying to take it all in,” Duncan, who anchored the relay, said. “It was just really exciting. All these special girls helped me through the season and pushed me to be better. It was one heck of a relay.”
Glendale finished the championship with 195 points. Parkway Central ended with 188 for second and St. Joseph’s Academy was third with 161. Summit Prep finished eighth with 108.
“We’ve always been a great team locally, and to be able to come up here and show on a state level that we are also a great team, it helps these guys grow and shows in their confidence in what they’re doing,” Falcons coach Steve Boyce said. “Couldn’t beat it. Couldn’t beat it.”
During the final relay, Boyce was jumping up and down with his hands held high on the far side of the pool.
“That part is just fun for me,” he said. “The hard work was in December and January when I’m asking them to train hard and the weather sucks and we go to the pool at 5:30 am and it’s cold and dark and we get done with practice in the afternoon at 5:30 pm and it’s cold and dark. Today was a victory lap. It was spectacular to watch.”
Emotions ran high following the meet and the entire relay group had tears in their eyes while discussing the championship.
“I’ve swam with these girls my whole life,” Hicks said. “Just to win this relay with them is something really special. They’re my best friends. I’ve grown up with them. I’ve trained with them. We worked really hard and it’s fun to see that pay off.”
The Falcons opened up the championships with a relay win in the 200-yard medley with the group of Duncan, Danielle Robinson, Audrey Mace and Baldwin winning in a Class 1 record 1:49.77. The Webb City grouping of Anna Swearengen, Anzhela Orlenko, Mary Bean and Allie Storm finished seventh (1:55.57).
Duncan secured Glendale’s first individual all-state finish of the day by finishing fifth in the 200-yard individual medley (2:12.27). Lutheran St. Charles’ Andrea Rogers won that event (2:10.34). Duncan later finished fourth in the 100-yard backstroke, an event won by Summit Prep/New Covenant Academy’s Molly Moore.
Then, it was Baldwin’s turn. The junior placed fifth in the 50-yard freestyle (24.51) and two events later brought home a silver in the 100-yard freestyle (53.35). The 50 was won by St. Charles’ Autumn Looney (23.73) and the 100 by Incarnate Word’s Ellie Wehrmann (51.73). Webb City’s Mary Bean was seventh in the 50 (25.01) and Carl Junction’s Madeline Wilson was seventh in the 100 (54.47).
“When it comes down to it, everyone on our team did above and beyond what they were expected to,” Rathjen said. “It’s really special to come here with all these girls I’ve been with for three years now or longer and really cool to see where my team has evolved from back to the start of the season.”
Moore golden in breastroke
Summit Prep/New Covenant Academy senior Molly Moore dominated the 100-yard backstroke, taking gold in 54.77. She set the Class 1 record on Thursday with a 54.39. Thomas Jefferson’s Caroline Martucci went for bronze in that event (59.78) and Glendale’s Robinson
Summit Prep’s freestyle showed up with a bronze in both the 200 free relay (1:40.76) and the 400 free relay (3:39.25) with the grouping of Faith Guyer, Alexis Workman, Eden Chiu-Pinheiro and Molly Moore swimming both.
St. Joseph’s Academy won the 200 free relay (1:40.01) and Glendale placed eighth (1:43.86).
Moore did not participate in the 50-yard freestyle championship after a DQ in the preliminaries. She was favorited to win.
Top performances across all events
Logan-Rogersville sophomore Cabrini Johnson lived up to high expectations and found a new rival in the process. Johnson finished third in the 500-yard freestyle (5:08.45), under three seconds behind champion Allison Weber of Marshall (5:05.68). She followed that three events later by winning silver in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:06.52), an event won by Parkway Central sophomore Abigail Levine (1:05.14). Glendale’s Robinson was seventh in the 100 breast (1:08.96).
“This feels really good after being in consolation last year as a freshman,” Johnson said. “This year I trained hard and came back. I was looking for gold, but now [Weber] is my new competitor. She’ll be here next year.”
Parkview’s Audrey Duchscherer was all-state in the 200-yard freestyle with a fifth-place finish (1:57.87). Wehrmann was your 200 free champion (1:51.01).
The only finals event without southwest Missouri swimmers was the 100-yard butterfly, won by St. Charles’ Autumn Looney with an all-class state record 54.99.
Top 10 team scores: Glendale 195, Parkway Central 188, St. Joseph’s Academy 161, Parkway West 156, Ladue 153, Kearney 132, Webster Groves 130.5, Summit Prep 108, Visitation 106.5, Villa Duchesne 82
