In a night full of courtwarming madness, where the boys and girls basketball teams both won at home and Brayden Parker was crowned Courtwarming King, some may have missed the SWIMMING AND WRESTLING STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS.
What’s that you ask?
Rock Bridge has a swim team?
What’s wrestling?
Here is a chance to get schooled.
Two days into the Missouri State High School Activities Association State Championships, held at Mizzou Arena, the Bruin wrestling team has advanced four wrestlers to the championship bouts. Josiah Kline (113 pound category), Jason Kiehne (138), Sam Crane (145) and Cody Maly (182) all will compete for their individual state championships tomorrow. Additionally Graham Ratermann (152) clinched a medal through wrestlebacks and will compete for third place. Quinn Smith (132) placed sixth, and Brock Davis (106) was eliminated in the second round of wrestlebacks.
In the Class 4 team standings, the Bruins sit in second place with 105 points, trailing only Park Hill’s 108. Timberland is in third with 93.
100 miles away at the St. Peters Rec Plex, the RBHS girls swim team also competed well in today’s preliminary competition. In the 200-yard medley relay, the team placed 32nd with a time of 2:01.92. In the 200-yard freestyle relay they placed 8th (1:40.42), and 7th in the 400 free relay (3:40.95).
On the individual side, Althea Felton placed 15th (25.20) in the 50 free, Anna Willcoxon placed 29th (1:01.83) in the 100 butterfly and Alexis Peery placed 20th in the 200 free (2:00.79) and 17th in the 500 free (5:22.50).
The highlight of the night for the Bruin swimmers was Kelly Tackett’s domination. Aside from posting phenomenal times in her legs of the relays, Tackett placed first in 200- and 500-yard freestyle heats. Not only did she place first, though. Tackett’s 200 free time of 1:50.77 was 1.81 seconds better than Glendale’s Macie Beairsto, who placed second. Even more incredible was her margin of victory in the 500 free. Posting a time of 4:58.56, Tackett bested second-place Blue Springs swimmer Ashley Sturman’s time of 5:01.46 by 2.9 SECONDS. In a sport where results are often determined by hundredths of seconds, a victory that large is rarely encountered.
By Brett Stover
While both the Bruin wrestling and girls swim teams competed well in preliminary competition, the big finish is tomorrow. Check Bearing News tomorrow for the final results of these MSHSAA State Championships.