By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka West star Kadence Jeffries finished her prep swimming career the same way she started it, with a pair of state championships.
Jeffries burst on the state scene with Class 5A-1A state titles in the 200-yard freestyle and 500 freestyle as a freshman in 2019 and repeated that sweep again in 2021 after having her sophomore campaign wiped out by COVID-19..
Jeffries made it six individual state championships in as many tries on Saturday at the Shawnee Mission School District Aquatic Center.
Topeka West senior Kadence Jefffries earned her fifth and sixth Class 5A-1A state titles on Saturday. [File photo/TSN]
Seaman sophomore Avery Walz won the 100 breaststroke and third in the 200 individual medley in Saturday's Class 5A-1A state swimming meet, helping lead the Vikings to a fourth-place team finish. [File photo/TSN]
Jeffries opened her day with a win in the 200 free in 1 minute, 53.68 seconds and then came back later to win the 500 free in 5:03.55.
Seaman sophomore Avery Walz joined Jeffries on top of the awards stand, winning the state title in the 100-yard breatstroke in 1:06.03, helping lead the Vikings to a fourth-place team finish.
A. Walz teamed with senior Gabby Grace, freshman Joslynn Grace and sophomore twin sister Tauren Walz for a third-place finish in the meet-opening 200 medley relay to get the Vikings' team bid off to a good start.
A. Walz and J. Grace finished third and fifth in the 200 individual medley, with Walz clocking a time off 2:10.93 and Grace a time of 2:18.50.
G. Grace finished fourth in the 100 freestyle (54.16) and the 100 backstroke (59.84), while T. Walz was fifth in the 500 freestyle (5:26.43) and posted a sixth-place finish in the 100 butterfly (1:00.39) before Seaman capped the day with a third-place finish in the 400 free relay, with T. Walz, J. Grace, G. Grace and A. Walz clocking a time of 3:41.10.
Seaman finished with 175.5 points, following team champion Andover (258), St. James Academy (202) and Bishop Carroll (193).
Topeka West finished 15th with 49 points.
HIGH'S DEVLIN FOURTH IN 6A DIVING, RURAL'S BARE, PRITCHARD EARNS MEDALS
Topeka High junior Brianna Devlin ended her first season of high school diving with a fourth-place finish in the Class 6A state meet.
Devlin was part of a tight four-person for the state title, with Blue Valley Northwest's Claire Garrelts taking first with a score of 395.80, followed by Derby's Ana Self (391.80), Blue Valley West's Rose Lawler (390.90) and Devlin (389.35).
Washburn Rural junior Mara Bare finished fifth in the 200-yard freestyle (1:58.48) and sixth in the 500 free (5:20.29) while junior Makenna Pritchard placed eighth in the 50 free (25.52) and seventh in the 100 free (56.63).
