Kansas Girls’ 5-1A High School State Championships

• May 21 – 23, 2026
• Shawnee Mission School District Aquatic Center
• Lenexa, KS
• Short Course Yards (25-yard format)
• Defending Champions: Andover (x1)
• Meet & State Records
• Full Meet Timeline
• Meet Central
• Full Results

Lansing High School won the 2026 Kansas Girls’ 5-1A State Championships, dethroning the defending champions Andover and holding off the 2023 and 2024 champions, Blue Valley Southwest, by just 11 points.

Lansing sophomore Piper Kobs reaped double-gold, first winning the 200 freestyle in 1:53.37, just off the 1:53.09 she posted in prelims, and the 100 backstroke in 55.84, also just off the 55.65 she posted in prelims. In the 200 free, Kobs was the only swimmer under 1:54, and in the 100 back, Kobs was the only swimmer under 59 and one of only two swimmers to break the 1-minute barrier. Kobs also led off Lansing’s champion 200 medley relay in a 26.10, the fastest split in the field by over two seconds, and was joined by Katelyn Johannes (31.16), Mary Archambault (26.71), and Avila Veroza (24.76), combining for a 1:48.73. Kobs also contributed a 52.48 anchor split on Lansing’s 400 freestyle relay, which placed second alongside teammates Kylee Walter (57.15), Archambault (55.58), and Makaila Hayes (54.33). Lansing also won the 200 freestyle relay, where the quartet of Avila (25.21), Johannes (26.11), Archambault (25.15), and Hayes (25.04) posted a 1:41.51.

Hayes and Johannes placed second and fourth, respectively, in the 100 breaststroke, recording times of 1:08.85 and 1:10.38. Hayes (4th, 59.59), Archambault (6th, 1:00.76), and Caylee Ford (8th, 1:03.32) brought in another 39 points in the championship final of the 100 butterfly.

Willow Weninger, a senior from Blue Valley Southwest, who committed to play volleyball at Georgia Tech in the fall, also doubled with victories in the 200 IM, recording a time of 2:07.82, the only performance under 2:10, and the 100 breaststroke in 1:06.23, making her the only swimmer under 1:08. Weninger also contributed a 51.58 split on Blue Valley Southwest’s champion 400 freestyle relay where the team of Kameryn Ross (55.77), Sophia Sponseller (53.36), Molly Hartweger (57.92), and Weninger (51.58) put up a 3:38.63 to win by nearly three seconds. Weninger also split a 29.27 on the medley relay, making her the only swimmer under 31-seconds in the field, in which Blue Valley Southwest’s team of Ross (28.42), Weninger (29.27), Sponseller (25.89), and Hartweger (26.24) placed second. Sponseller collected individual silver and bronze medals in the 100 butterfly (57.74) and 200 freestyle (1:58.59), respectively.

Lauryn Vogt, a senior representing Hillsboro, who is committed to swim at the University of Kansas in the fall, won the 50 freestyle in 23.83, about a half-second off her 2025 State Record of 23.39. Vogt also won the 100 butterfly in 55.36, more than two seconds ahead of runner-up Sophia Sponseller of Blue Valley Southwest, who recorded a time of 57.74. Sponseller will be swimming at the Savannah College of Art and Design in the fall.

Leavenworth senior Elisabeth Howell won the 100 freestyle in 51.82, 1.75 seconds faster than her time at the 2026 Region VIII Speedo Sectionals in March, and recorded a third-place finish behind Vogt and St. Thomas Aquinas sophomore Lucy Hanna (24.12) in the 50 freestyle in 24.30. Senior Jadyn Bruch of Basehor-Linwood won the 500 freestyle with a 5:09.15, more than five seconds ahead of runner-up Genevieve Wilhite of Bishop Carroll, who stopped the clock in 5:14.56. Bruch, who holds a lifetime best of 5:05.88 from March, will swim at the University of New Mexico in the fall. Bruch also placed second in the 200 freestyle in 1:54.38, just off her best of 1:53.85 from this meet one year ago.

Aislynn Weiss of Emporia won the diving with 469.65 points, just edging out Maize South’s Sydney Schumaker, who took second with 460.10 points.

Top-10 Teams

1. Lansing – 290 points
2. Blue Valley Southwest – 279 points
3. Andover – 242 points
4. Kapaun Mt Carmel – 139 points
5. TIE: St Thomas Aquinas / Andover Centra – 127 points
6. —
7. Hillsboro – 125 points
8. St James Academy – 107 points
9. Leavenworth – 104 points
10. Bishop Carroll – 97 points