BY JASON PEAKE
Huddled in a small group, the Webb City Cardinals let out a collective scream as soon as the final team scores became official.
The Cardinals had a reason to celebrate — they'd just made history.
Led by its overall team depth, Webb City won the inaugural Central Ozark Conference Swimming and Diving Championships on Thursday night at the Buck Miner Swim Center.
This is the first year an actual conference championship was sanctioned in the COC, as there are now enough schools fielding teams to make it official.
"I'm pretty proud of our team," Webb City senior Mary Bean said. "They never cease to amaze me. This is the first one that's official, but for us this is three straight COC titles. And we're pretty happy about that."
With contributions from many, the Cardinals took first place in four events and had a top-five finish in all 12 events.
"It's fun to see the COC become a bigger deal," Webb City coach Shawn Klosterman said. "Today was everything I asked for. We talked a lot about creating the mental atmosphere to have inspired swims. And these girls were inspired across the board. Everybody did their part. It was absolutely fantastic."
Webb City finished with 298 points and Nixa was second with 243. Carl Junction (210) and Carthage (167) were third and fourth, respectively in the team standings. Ozark (160) and Joplin (121) were fifth and sixth.
Bean earned gold medals in three events, winning both the 50 and 100-yard freestyles while swimming third on the team's 200-yard medley relay team. Bean touched the wall in the 50 free in 25.77 seconds and recorded a time of 55.86 in the 100.
"I'm really happy with my freestyle races," Bean said. "That's the first time I swam the 100 free individually and not in a relay, so I was really happy to see that 55."
Also featuring Anna Swearengen, Allie Storm and Paige Williams, the medley relay team's time of 1:57.05 not only set a new pool record, but was also a state qualifying mark.
Webb City's Storm, Williams, Ashley Philpot and Mary Bean were second in the 200 freestyle relay, while Swearengen, Macy Bean, Hannah Robinson and Philpot comprised the runner-up in the 400 freestylerelay. Third-place finishers for the Cardinals wereWilliams in the 200 individual medley, Swearengen in
the 100 butterfly and the 100 backstroke and Storm in the 100 free. Fourthplace finishers were Storm (50 free), Robinson (500 free) and Macy Bean (200 free), while Philpot took fifth in the 200 IM and Macy Bean was fifth in the 100 butterfly.
"We have several girls who didn't get to rest up for this," Klosterman noted. "They put their suits on and swam faster than I thought they would."
Also for the Cardinals, Ashley Cole won the diving competition.
Carl Junction won three events, as Tyne Holt won both the 200 individual medley and the 500 freestyle, while Emma Lacey was the champ in the 100 breaststroke.
"Tyne's just a solid swimmer," Carl Junction coach Stephanie Miller said. "She can swim any stroke and any distance. And Emma was coming off an injury, so she came back in style."
The Bulldogs took second in the 200 medley relay, with Corinne Miller, Lacey, Sophia Hensley and Carsyn Smith finishing with a state-qualifying time of 1:57.47.
"We got our first automatic (time), so we know we're going to state," Coach Miller said.
Hensley was the runner- up in the 200 IM and Miller placed second in the 100 backstroke, while Carl Junction's 200 freestyle relay team of Lacey, Hensley, Holt and Smith placed third.
"I thought all of our girls swam fantastic," Miller said. "I'm so proud of them."
Carthage's top finisher was Nadya Housh, who placed fourth in the 200 IM and the 100 butterfly. The Tigers finished fourth in the 200 medley relay, with Karsen Dininger, Carrie Wallace, Housh and Cassidy Smith competing.
Joplin's Brenna Jones finished second in the 100 butterfly, while Mara Anselm was fifth in the 500 free.
"We had some new personal best times from a few girls, so I thought they did pretty well," Joplin coach Ali Stauffer said. "We've been working pretty hard and I could tell some of them are pretty tired by their swims and times tonight. Now we're going to rest up for the SWMO Championships (on Feb 1)."
Joplin Globe 1/25/19 (Used by permission)