The 2024 All-City girls swimming and diving team -- Front, from left: Tauren Walz, Seaman; Genevieve Miranda, Washburn Rural; Hara Del Castillo, Topeka High; Joslynn Grace, Seaman; Ashtynn Landry, Shawnee Heights; Rhiannon Good, Washburn Rural; Jella Belgardt, Washburn Rural. Back, from left: Kaitlyn Aldridge, Shawnee Heights; Avery Walz, Seaman; Presley Green, Hayden; Audrey Appuhn, Washburn Rural; Maddie O'Brien, Washburn Rural; Molly Didde, Washburn Rural; Kaylee Gregg, Hayden. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Six state placers, led by second-place finishers Avery Walz, Tauren Walz and Joslynn Grace of Seaman, headline the 2024 All-City girls swimming and diving team.
Avery Walz posted four top-five finishes in last weekend's Class 5A-1A state meet, including a runnerup finish in the 200-yard individual medley and the 100 freestyle and she also teamed with junior Joslynn Grace and senior Tauren Walz to post a runnerup finish in the 200 medley relay and a fifth-place finish in the 200 free relay.
Washburn Rural freshman Audrey Appuhn posted top-six finishes in a pair of 6A individual events, while Hayden junior Kaylee Gregg finished fifth in the 5A-1A state meet in one-meter diving and Washburn Rural sophomore Rhiannon Good placed seventh in the 6A diving event.
City and Centennial League champion Washburn Rural, which won its 21st straight city title, put a city-high six swimmers/divers on the All-City first team, which is determined by performances in the city meet, while Seaman, which finished third in the 5A-1A team standings, has three first-teamers..
Washburn Rural put Appuhn, Good, Jella Belgardt, Molly Didde, Genevieve Miranda and Madeline O'Brien on the first team while Seaman is represented by the Walz twins and Grace after the Vikings posted a top-five 5A-1Ateam finish for the fourth straight season.
Hayden's Gregg and Presley Green and Shawnee Heights' Kaitlyn Aldridge and Ashtynn Landry also earned first-team recognition and Topeka High's Hara Del Castillo is a first-team repeat honoree.
All-City first-team capsules:
KAITLYN ALDRIDGE, Shawnee Heights -- Aldridge earned All-City first-team honors as a freshman, placing third in the city meet in the 100-yard backstroke and helping Shawnee Heights placed third in the 200 free relay and the 400 free relay. Aldridge competed in last weekend's 5A state meet at the Shawnee Mission District Aquatic Center, helping the T-Birds post a 13th-place finish in the 'B' final of the 400 free relay.
AUDREY APPUHN, Washburn Rural -- A sophomore, Appuhn placed in multiple events in the 6A state meet for the second straight season, taking fifth in the 200 individual medley (2:12.72) and sixth in the 500 freestyle (5:17.70) to lead Rural to a 13th-place team finish with 73 points. Appuhn also helped Rural win the 'B' final (ninth place) in the 6A 200 medley relay (1:59.01). Appuhn won three golds in the city meet as Rural won its 21st straight title and four golds in the Centennial League meet as the Junior Blues won a fourth straight league title.
JELLA BELGARDT, Washburn Rural -- Belgardt, a junior, was part of Rural's winning 400 relay team and was also part of three second-place finishes in the city championships as the Junior Blues won their 21st straight city team title. Belgardt won a pair of gold medals and also posted a second-place and third-place finish as Rural won its fourth straight Centennial League title. Belgardt was part of Rural's team that won the 'B' final (ninth place) in the 200 medley relay (1:59.01) in the 6A state meet.
HARA DEL CASTILLO, Topeka High -- Del Castillo earned All-City honors for the second straight season as the Trojan sophomore , finished second in the city meet in the 100-yard backstroke and 100 freestyle and helped High post a third-place finish in the 200 medley relay. Del Castillo won the Centennial League title in the 100 backstroke and was second in the 100 butterfly. Del Castillo competed in the 6A state meet last weekend.
MOLLY DIDDE, Washburn Rural -- Didde, a senior, finished third in the city meet in the 50 freestyle and also swam on the Junior Blues' second-place 200 medley relay team as Rural won its 21st straight team title. Didde was part of a win, a second-place finish and a third in the Centennial League meet as the Junior Blues won their fourth straight league crown. Didde helped Rural win the 'B' final (ninth place) in the 200 medley relay (1:59.01) in Saturday's 6A state meet.
RHIANNON GOOD, Washburn Rural -- A sophomore, Good capped her sophomore season with a seventh-place finish in the Class 6A one-meter diving event (359.40) last weekend at the Shawnee Mission District Aquatics Center. Good tied for the city diving title as Rural won its 21st straight city team championship and finished third in the Centennial League meet as the Junior Blues won their fourth straight championship.
JOSLYNN GRACE, Seaman -- Grace, a junior repeat All-City honoree, helped Seaman post a runnerup finish in the Class 5A-1A 200 medley relay (1:56.90) on Saturday and a fifth-place finish in the 200 free relay (1:44.47). Grace also finished fifth in the 100 breaststroke (1:09.12) and eighth in the 200 individual medley (2:15.23) in the state meet as the Vikings finished third in the 5A-1A team standings. Grace was a four-event champ in the city meet and had two firsts and two seconds in the United Kansas Conference meet.
KAYLEE GREGG, Hayden -- A junior, Gregg finished fifth in the 5A-1A one-meter diving event last weekend with a score of 364.80 after finishing 10th in the state meet as a sophomore. Gregg tied for the championship in the diving event in the city meet and placed second in the Centennial League meet. Gregg also swam a full schedule for the Wildcats.
PRESLEY GREEN, Hayden -- Green, a sophomore, was the Centennial League champion in the 200 freestyle and she finished third in the 100 backstroke and swam on the Wildcats' third-place 200 medley relay. Green placed third in the 200 individual medley and third in the 500 free in the city meet to earn her spot on the All-City team.
ASHTYNN LANDRY, Shawnee Heights -- A junior, Landry is a repeat All-City first-team pick, finishing second in the city meet in the 200 free and and the 500 free and also swam on the T-Birds' third-place 200 freestyle relay and third-place 400 free relay. Landry shared the Swimmer of the Year award in the United Kansas Conference, finishing third in the 200 freestyle and helping Heights finish fourth in a pair of relays. Landry was 11th at state in the 200 free.
GENEVIEVE MIRANDA, Washburn Rural -- Miranda, a junior, helped Rural win the 'B' final (ninth place) in the 200 medley relay (1:59.01) in the 6A state meet and finished 11th in the 'B' final in the 50 freestyle (25.84). Miranda swam on the Junior Blues' winning 400 free relay in the city meet and finished second in the 50 free and third in the 100 butterfly. Miranda won four gold medals in the Centennial League meet as Rural won its fourth straight team title.
MADELINE O'BRIEN, Washburn Rural -- A senior, O'Brien posted a third-place finish in the city meet in the 200 freestyle and swam on the second-place 400 free relay for the Junior Blues as Washburn Rural won its 21st straight city team title. O'Brien contributed three second-place finishes in the Centennial League meet as the Junior Blues won their fourth straight team championship.
AVERY WALZ, Seaman -- The Seaman senior star finished second in the 5A state meet in both the 200-yard individual medley (2:09.40) and the 100 freestyle (53.17) and she also helped the Vikings post a runnerup finish in the 200 medley relay (1:56.90) and a fifth-place finish in the 200 free relay (1:44.47). Walz was part of four victories in the city meet and posted three wins and a second-place finish in the United Kansas Conference meet, sharing the UKC Swimmer of the Year award.
TAUREN WALZ, Seaman -- A senior, Walz swam on the Vikings' second-place 200 medley relay team in the 5A state meet (1:56.90) and added fourth-place finish from in the 100 breaststroke (1:07.95), an eighth in the 100 butterfly (59.97) and a fifth in the 200 free relay (1:44.47). Walz was part of four victories in the city meet and posted three wins and a second-place finish in the United Kansas Conference meet, sharing the UKC Swimmer of the Year award.
The 2024 All-City girls swimming and diving second team -- Front, from left: Margo Crismas, Seaman; Georgia Cole, Shawnee Heights; Sophie Heinen, Washburn Rural; Ella Bombardier, Washburn Rural; Caroline Toland, Topeka High; Kaelyn Gerdel, Hayden; Esa Herrera, Hayden. Back, from left: Lizzie Gould, Seaman; Bailee Heincker, Seaman; Megan Strobel, Seaman; Jenna Dernovish, Hayden; Maddie Gregg, Hayden. [Photo by Rick Peterson.TSN]
ALL-CITY GIRLS SWIMMING
First team
Kaitlyn Aldridge, fr., Shawnee Heights; Audrey Appuhn, so., Washburn Rural; Jella Belgardt, jr., Washburn Rural; Hara Del Castillo, so., Topeka High; Molly Didde, sr., Washburn Rural; Rhiannon Good, so., Washburn Rural; Joslynn Grace, jr., Seaman; Kaylee Gregg, jr., Hayden; Presley Green, so., Hayden; Ashtynn Landry, jr., Shawnee Heights; Genevieve Miranda, jr., Washburn Rural; Madeline O'Brien, sr., Washburn Rural; Avery Walz, sr., Seaman; Tauren Walz, sr., Seaman.
Second team
Ella Bombardier, sr., Washburn Rural; Georgia Cole, sr., Shawnee Heights, Margo Crismas, jr., Seaman; Jenna Dernovish, sr., Hayden, Kaelyn Gerdel, fr., Hayden; Lizzie Gould, so. Seaman, Maddie Gregg, fr., Hayden; Bailee Heincker, jr., Seaman; Sophie Heinen, so., Washburn Rural; Esa Herrera, fr., Hayden; Megan Strobel, so., Seaman; Caroline Toland, jr., Topeka High.
