The margin never felt safe, and by the time the final relay climbed onto the blocks, the outcome was still very much in doubt.
Platte County did just enough to withstand a late surge from Park Hill, edging the Trojans 92-88 in a tightly contested girls swimming dual meet on Jan. 20 at the Park Hill Aquatic Center. The Pirates led wire to wire, but the gap narrowed repeatedly as Park Hill answered nearly every push with one of its own, turning the meet into a tug-of-war that came down to the final event.
Depth proved to be Platte County’s difference. While the two teams split individual event wins evenly, the Pirates stacked higher-scoring finishes more consistently, turning seconds and thirds into just enough points to stay in front as the Trojans chipped away.
Platte County struck first in the 200-yard medley relay, where Mackenzie Johnson, Ronnie Benford, Ashleigh Cruce and Remi Woolard touched first in 2 minutes, 8.98 seconds, narrowly edging Park Hill’s top relay. The opening race set the tone for an afternoon defined by close finishes.
Park Hill answered quickly. Ava Knepper captured the 200 freestyle, and Molly Mills followed with a victory in the 200 individual medley, keeping the Trojans within reach. Platte County, however, countered with numbers as they placed multiple swimmers near the front of each race to maintain a slim but steady lead.
Park Hill’s Molly Mills swims in the 200-yard individual medley.
That advantage grew briefly during the sprint freestyle events. Johnson tied her personal record in the 50 freestyle, winning in 27.72 seconds as the Pirates swept the top three spots. Even then, Park Hill stayed afloat behind solid finishes of its own and a dominant performance from Zoe Lyons on the diving board, preventing the meet from tilting too far.
Momentum swung again in the middle portion of the meet. Woolard delivered one of Platte County’s most emphatic swims in the 100 butterfly, winning in a personal-best 1:09.79, which was nearly 15 seconds ahead of second-place Benford.
Moments later, the closest race of the afternoon unfolded in the 100 freestyle, where Johnson edged Park Hill’s Brynn Wilkens and Knepper by less than three-tenths of a second. The Pirates briefly stretched their lead to 60-44, but the meet was far from settled.
Park Hill mounted its charge in the distance events as Claire Conrad broke through with a personal record in the 500 freestyle, touching first in 6:32.36, with Paige Hardy not far behind.
The Trojans continued to pressure Platte County in the relays and followed with another jolt in the 100 backstroke, where Wilkens posted a personal-best 1:15.85 to win outright.
Facing a growing sense of urgency, Park Hill delivered its biggest scoring swing in the 100 breaststroke. Genevieve Poitras led a one-two-three Trojan finish, pulling Park Hill within two points and setting the stage for a winner-take-all finale.
Everything came down to the 400 freestyle relay. Park Hill placed two relays among the top finishers, but Platte County’s relay of Erin Anderson, Cruce, Benford and Alex Yurko rose to the moment. The quartet surged ahead and never relinquished the lead, touching first in 4:26.07 to clinch the dual and finally exhale.
In the end, tenths of a second told the story. Platte County’s balance and depth held up just long enough to prevail.
Both teams continue the countdown toward the postseason, with conference championships scheduled for Feb. 5-7 and district competition set for Feb. 13-14.