By Pat Dailey (For OzarkSportsZone.com)
From a headliner the likes of 100 freestyle champion Ashlyn Moore to unsung heroes such as novice divers Lainey Adler and Sally Cybulski, Kickapoo captured the SWMO Championships team title Monday.
The Lady Chiefs collected 394 points while picking up six first-place finishes, including four individual firsts.
“These girls have poured their hearts and souls into this season. I couldn’t be prouder of every single of them,” Kickapoo coach Pete Hill said. “When we asked them to work hard for us and swim big, they’ve always stepped up to the challenge. Across the board, all the girls swam great.
“Ashlyn gets a pool record and meet record and to take out another Moore (New Covenant grad Molly Moore) is no slouch,” he added. “Lainey is first-year diver who took first (in diving) and Sally is a four-year swimmer who came to me one day in practice and said she’d like to try diving. She finished third after diving for about a month a half. The divers helped us out big-time. And in our 400 free relay, Emma Mayne had never been under a minute (for a leg) until a couple weeks back and tonight she goes 58.3.”
Glendale’s third-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay allowed the Lady Falcons to overtake Carl Junction for second in the team standings. Glendale tallied 290 points and Carl Junction had 288.
“That last relay was a lot of fun,” Glendale coach Steve Boyce said. “We needed to finish second or third to leapfrog Carl Junction and we pulled off a third-place finish with a lot of guts.”
Lady Chiefs’ Moore breaks records
Ashlyn Moore shed tears of joy following her winning and record-setting effort in the 100 freestyle. Her time of 51.11 bettered the previous meet and pool records of 51.22 held by Molly Moore.
The Moores are not related, but are former club teammates.
“I cried because I was so happy,” said Ashlyn, who also broke her own school record in the event. “I was hoping to break the pool record and was feeling pretty good that I could do it. It means everything to me, especially as a senior. I’m glad to leave a piece of me here before I graduate.”
Moore blazed to a first in the 200 freestyle in a meet record 1:53.84. She was one-one hundreth of a second off the pool record.
In diving, Adler posted a final score of 333.40, up from from her prelims score of 308.20. Cybulksi beat her prelims score by 31 points and was third with 300.30.
Emilie St. George won the 500 freestyle (5:17.83).
Kickapoo’s 200 freestyle relay (1:41.33) and 400 freestyle (3:39.61) also were victorious. The Lady Chiefs shaved six seconds off their prelims time in the 400 free relay.
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New Covenant’s Moore answers own challenge
New Covenant’s Maggie Moore stayed on track for a possible fourth Class 1 state championship in the 100 backstroke by taking first in the event with a 57.62. But she steered far from a path toward a possible third straight 50 freestyle state title by skipping the event.
Instead, Moore won the 100 butterfly with a meet and pool record time of 56.55. Her intent for state is for her individual events to be the 100 backstroke and 100 butterfly, as well.
“I’ve decided to do something a little different and challenge myself in the fly,” Moore said. “It’s ended up being one of the races I’m better at, so I switched it with the 50 free. I swam the fly when I was a little kid, but moved away from it when I got into the 50 free. But I still swam it off and on. Halfway through this season, I decided I like it and wanted to see how far I could take myself in it.”
Moore’s finals time in the 100 butterfly was more than four-tenths of a second faster than her prelims time.
She was happy with her kicks off the walls and her streamline swimming in both the butterfly and backstroke. Ideally, she would like to start races at ’The Nat’ by swimming half the length of the pool underwater.
“That’s my goal and I have a kick-count off the wall I try to maintain,” Moore said. “I challenge myself with my underwater (dolphin kicking). I like see how far I can take it off the wall. I know my stroke-tempo is not always the fastest. I have to keep myself ahead with my underwater.
“My underwater has always been one of my (strengths),” she added. “I do a lot of underwater practice to see how far I can go before taking a breath. I’ve also done a lot of breath-control work.”
Moore endorses a nose-clip whole-heartedly.
“I picked up on it my eighth-grade year and have used it ever since,” she said. “It’s helped me drop a lot of time. I encourage everyone to use the nose-clip who ask me about it.”
As a senior, this was Moore’s farewell for a meet in Springfield. She bid adieu alongside multiple friends from various schools.
“I’ve always loved the girls here,” Moore said. “It feels like a family. I’m sad to leave it. It’s hard knowing this is my last meet in town. It’s fun to race against friends. It’s encouraging to push them and know that they push you, too.”
Carl Junction’s Miller claims sprint
The SWMO field included the top three Class 1 50 freestyle speedsters, but with Maggie Moore choosing to bypass the event, that set up a showdown between Rogersville’s Maddie Atwood and Carl Junction’s Chloe Miller.
Miller prevailed in a time of 24.04, while Atwood was second in 24.10.
“It was weird to watch it and not swim it,” Moore said. “But I know most of the girls in it and they are just the sweetest. It was fun to cheer them on.”
“I did know (Moore) wasn’t going to be in it because she is doing so amazing in the 100 fly and 100 back and I’m so proud of her,” Miller said. “It helped me because I know she would have won if she was in it.
“I am stoked to get first. I can’t believe it,” she added. “(Atwood) has been so fast. I’m honored to race her. It’s her senior year, so I kind of feel bad beating her. At State, it’s going to be another showdown with her. I’m super excited for it.”
Miller’s winning time was more six-tenths faster than her prelims time of 24.69. She was second in the 100 freestyle with a 53.77 that was more than three-tenths faster than her prelims time.
“I couldn’t be happier with my swims today,” she said.
It couldn’t have worked out better for Miller for the meet to be pushed back from a Friday-Saturday format to Saturday-Monday.
“Mondays have always been my best practice day, so getting to race on a Monday is amazing for me,” she said. “Every Monday practice I always kill it, so I was happy to have this meet on Monday.”
Miller will try to be Carl Junction’s first state swimming champion.
“It would be amazing to win, but I don’t want to set my expectations too high,” she said. “I’m trying to get top three for the podium and I’d like my relays to do really good.”
Carl Junction also received a first-place finish from its 200 medley relay (1:52.58).
Whitesell, Metzger triumph
Webb City’s Sophia Whitesell won a hotly-contested 200 IM (2:15.26). The top three finishers were less then three-tenths of a second from each other.
Republic’s Karissa Metzger won the 100 breaststroke (1:07.66).
