2022 Gold Conference Championships (Boys)
- October 27-29, 2022
- Lee’s Summit, Missouri
- SCY (25 yards)
- Results on Meet Mobile: “2022 Gold Conference”
The high school swimming & diving season is in full swing, with several states hosting regional and conference meets in the lead-up to their respective state championships in November.
Over in Missouri, the Lee’s Summit West boys, coming off a runner-up finish at the Class 2 MSHSAA state championship meet last year, had a standout showing at the Gold Conference Championships in Lee’s Summit, winning their fourth straight conference title.
Our Swim team takes 1st place at Varsity Gold Conference for the 4th year in a row! Congrats boys! pic.twitter.com/ndA5ivnWP5
— Titan Sports Update (@LSWSportsUpdate) October 30, 2022
Highlighting the team’s effort was senior swimmer Leo Kurucz, who broke a pair of conference records en route to individual wins in the 100 and 200 free.
Kurucz, an Arizona State University commit, clocked 45.39 to lead the way in the 100 free, undercutting his previous best (45.45) and the conference and school record (45.54) previously held by former teammate Caleb Ellis, who is now a freshman at Ohio State.
Race Video – 100 free
It was a similar story in the 200 free, where Kurucz, coming off his first sub-1:40 swim in late September (1:39.53), reeled off a new best of 1:38.72, dipping under Ellis’ previous conference and school record of 1:38.87 set last year.
Race Video – 200 free
Matching Kurucz with two individual victories for Lee’s Summit West was junior Jack Ailshire, who roared to victory in both the 100 back and 100 fly.
Ailshire swam consecutive best times to win the 100 back, first clocking 50.60 in the prelims before dropping a 50.33 in the final, breaking another conference/school record previously held by Caleb Ellis (50.52).
Ailshire, who recently committed to Auburn, also went 48.76 in the 100 fly heats before winning the final in 49.36, having set an early-September best of 48.17.
Kurucz and Ailshire would join forces at the end of the meet in the 400 free relay, as Kurucz (45.64), Conner Weatherby (48.82), Garrett Waller (48.23) and Ailshire (46.22) combined for a time of 3:08.91 to break the conference and school record of 3:10.29 the same quarter set in September.
Race Video – 400 free relay
The runner-up team behind Lee’s Summit West was Blue Springs South High School, which was led by senior Carter McIntosh, who won the 50 free (21.08) and was second to Kurucz in the 100 free (46.94), setting lifetime best in both races. Incredibly enough, McIntosh is also a highly-touted tennis recruit.
The teams will now prepare for the MSHSAA State Championships, which are scheduled for Nov. 10-12 in St. Peters, Mo.
FINAL TEAM SCORES
- Lee’s Summit West, 573
- Blue Springs South, 426
- Liberty North High School, 326
- Blue Springs High School, 281
- Raymore-Peculiar, 190
