Hayden senior swimmer Olivia Kerr won a pair of individual events in the Wildcats' season-opening meet. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
First-year Hayden girls swimming coach John-Martin Schmidt began the 2021 season with high hopes for his Wildcats.
"We are all very excited to get back to racing after last season,'' said Schmidt, a Hayden alum and former multi-time state champion for the Wildcats. "We have a younger team, led by our 10 seniors who provide lots of experience and leadership.
"We have one of the best teams in Topeka and can't wait to get to our first meet.''
Hayden got that chance in last week's season-opening Topeka West Invitational at the Capitol Federal Natatorium and the Wildcats' solid performance only added to Schmidt's high expectations.
The Wildcats finished third as a team in the eight-school meet, just 5 points behind runner-up Lansing as Hayden won three events, including a pair of wins from Olivia Kerr, and posted seven top-four finishes.
Kerr, a senior, won the 200-yard individual medley in 2 minutes, 21.97 seconds and the 100 freestyle (57.44) and also swam on the Wildcats' runner-up 400 free relay (4:08.56) and the third-place 200 medley relay (2:08.01).
Hayden also got a one-two finish in the diving event from seniors Tatum Trent (182.10) and Anne Stegman (147.20).while senior Audrey Kuta finished second in the 100 backstroke (1:05.78) and fourth in the 500 free (6:10.48).
Kuta also swam on the Wildcats' 400 free relay along with Kerr, junior Alexis Vu and senior Ainsley Oliver and on the 200 medley relay with Oliver, Kerr, and senior Hope Mattivi.
Other top returners for Hayden include seniors Grace Evans, Natalie Gish, Kate Nicolay and Christa Nioce and junior Ella Widen while other top newcomers include senior Jane Haskett, junior Sophia Kramer, sophomore Lexi Herrera and freshman Josie Gonzalez.
Other city teams at a glance:
Seaman -- The Vikings finished fourth in their season-opening meet at Emporia,
Samantha Shea finished second in the 200 individual medley while Bailey Meggison was third in the 500 free and Grace Unruh placed third in the 100 breastroke.
Seaman's foursome of Unruh, Meggison, Jordan Riggles and Lauren Ebberts finished fifth in the 200 medley relay while Shea, Meggison, Lauren Beavers and Emily Brewer took fifth in the 400 free relay.
Meggison was fifth in the 200 free while Shea placed sixth in the 100 backstroke and Beavers sixth in the 500 free.
Shawnee Heights -- The T-Birds finished sixth in the Topeka West meet, led by a third-place finish from Audrey Cape in the 100 freestyle and a third-place finish from the T-Bird team of Cape, Savannah Stalker, Ella Copeland and Landry in the 200 free relay .
Heights also got a fifth-place finish from Madisyn Landry in the 200 free, a fifth from Georgia Cole in the 100 butterfly, a fifth from Cape in the 500 free while Cole, Stalker, Cape and Landry finished fifth in the 400 free relay and Isabelle Gomez, Ava Jordan, Cole and Copeland took sixth in the 200 medley relay.
Topeka High -- The Trojans finished third in their season-opening meet at Emporia, led by Makayla Geil, who placed second in the 100 breaststroke and fourth in the 100 butterfly.
Topeka High's relay team of Aubery Zimmerman, Ruby Schumacher, Abilgail Price and Geil finished third in the 400 free relay and posted a fifth-place finish in the 200 free relay.
Topeka West -- The Chargers will build around several top-notch swimmers this spring, led by Kadence Jefferies and Ella Teter.
Jefferies won individual titles in the 50 freestyle and 500 free in the West Inivitational while Teter won the 100 butterfly.
West also got a third-place finish from Blanca Espinosa in the 200 free while Teter was third in the 100 backstroke and the team of Makayla Baxter, Laura Beatty, Jefferies and Espinosa placed second in the 200 free relay.
Washburn Rural -- Rural dominated the season-opening Emporia meet, taking a 483-364 win over the host Spartans while posting seven event wins.
Aubrey Fritsch and Mara Bare were double individual winners for the Junior Blues with Fritsch winning the 100 freestyle and the 100 backstroke while Bare won the 100 butterfly and the 500 freestyle.
Rural also got individual wins from Tyler Lemke in the 200 individual medley while the Rural team of Fritsch, Bare, Jessie Ndungu and Makenna Pritchard won the 200 medley relay and the 400 free relay.
Lemke, Etta Hall, Shelby Schmutzler and Maddie O'Brien finished second in the 200 free relay.
