Park Hill South’s boys swimming and diving team put together a dominant three-day performance to capture the Greater KC Red Division title at the annual conference championships Oct. 29-31 at Gladstone Community Center.
The Panthers finished with 506 points, comfortably ahead of runner-up Liberty, which scored 445.5. Park Hill also turned in a strong showing, placing third with 382.5 points.
Park Hill South’s championship effort was highlighted by an impressive showing in the diving competition, where the Panthers swept the top three positions. Owen Petersen led the way with 398.20 points to claim the conference championship, followed by Nolan Deering in second with 348.14, while Joseph Russell secured third with 303.80.
The title was the 23rd conference championship in the program’s history. The Panthers also found plenty of success in the pool, particularly in the relay events.
South captured the 200-yard freestyle relay championship with a finals time of 1 minute, 27.64 seconds. Tavin Nachlinger, Alex Foot, Connor Landuyt and Ari Elder combined to deliver the winning performance, finishing more than a second ahead of Liberty’s 1:28.83.
The Panthers entered the finals with the top preliminary time of 1:30.33 and improved by nearly three seconds when it mattered most.
The 400 freestyle relay provided another important result as Casey O’Hara, Miles Cooper, Foot and Landuyt teamed up for a second-place finish in 3:18.60, shaving more than nine seconds off their preliminary time of 3:27.71. Liberty won the relay in 3:11.84, but Park Hill South’s runner-up finish helped maintain its advantage in the team standings.
Senior Alex Foot in his 100-yard freestyle prelim, touching after 54.89 seconds on Oct. 30.
Landuyt was among the Panthers’ most consistent individual performers throughout the championship. He placed third in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:47.90 before adding another third-place finish in the 500 freestyle at 5:01.51.
Cooper, a freshman, also delivered a strong performance in the distance events, placing fourth in the 200 freestyle in 1:48.26 and fifth in the 500 freestyle in 5:06.62. Foot added a second-place finish in the 100 butterfly with a time of 54.71 seconds.
Junior Ari Elder in the 200-yard individual medley prelim race on Oct. 30.
Elder contributed points in multiple events, placing third in the 200 individual medley in 1:58.11 and third in the 100 freestyle in 47.45 seconds. Nachlinger also finished second in the 50 freestyle in 21.83 seconds and fifth in the 100 freestyle in 49.20.
Other contributors included O’Hara, who finished second in the 100 backstroke in 55.06 seconds, and Jake Zupan, who placed fifth in 100 butterfly in 57.94.
Park Hill South’s depth was evident throughout the meet, with numerous swimmers contributing points as championship finalists and adding value across relay events.
Park Hill, meanwhile, finished third in the Red Division standings and had several noteworthy performances of its own.
Evan Parkes led the Trojans in the distance events, finishing second in the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:01.24. Ronan Waters added a third-place finish in the 100 backstroke in 55.97 seconds, while Isaac Stewart placed fourth in the 100 freestyle in 49.03.
Waters also finished fifth in the 50 freestyle in 22.41 seconds. In the 200 individual medley, Rainier Realina led Park Hill with a fourth-place finish in 2:04.96.
The Trojans also found success in the relay events. Their 200 medley relay team of Cormac Waters, Samuel Oetting, Austin Cooper and Waters placed third with a time of 1:42.27. The quartet of Cormac Waters, Stewart, Realina and Ronan Waters added a third-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay in 3:20.65.
Park Hill South’s title ultimately came down to putting themselves in scoring position throughout the three-day competition before closing out the meet with a comfortable margin in the team standings.
South has set itself up for a promising shot at a team trophy in the Class 2 State Boys Swimming and Diving Championships, slated for Nov. 12-13 at City of St. Peters Rec-Plex.