SLUH Caps Off Undefeated Season With State Championship

Missouri High School State Championships- Class 2

• November 15-16
• St. Peters Rec-Plex, St. Peters, MO
• MSHSSA Swimming and Diving Central
• Meet Results
• Team Scores

For the first time in 4 years, there is a new boys Class 2 state champion in Missouri. After losing by only 8 points last year, the St. Louis University High School boys team came back with a vengeance this year, winning every meet they swam. This includes the State Championships last weekend, where they defeated reigning champions Rockhurst by 34 points.

Class 2 includes the biggest high schools in Missouri with single gender enrollment taken into account

 Top 5 Teams:

1. SLUH- 328
2. Rockhurst- 294
3. Chaminade College Prep- 226.50
4. Liberty- 184
5. Rock Bridge- 161

In similar fashion to last year’s Rockhurst victory, the SLUH boys won only three events: two relays and one individual. They started the meet with a victory and a state record in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:32.18. The relay team of Benjamin Chumley (24.05), Nicholas Zimmerman (25.48), Andrew Hopkins (21.69), and Evan Zimmerman (20.96) bested the previous record of 1:32.33, set by Lee’s Summit North in 2020. 

Andrew Hopkins was the only swimmer on both champion relays. The team of Connor Dunker (46.90), Jaden Yarbrough (47.86), Hopkins (46.01), and Charles Hill (47.11) finished the meet with another victory with a time of 3:07.88 in the 400 free relay, securing their win over Rockhurst who placed second.

Junior Connor Dunker won the only individual event for the St. Louis boys, the 200 freestyle. Dunker dropped three seconds from his previous best time to go a winning time of 1:39.45. Dunker placed 3rd last year with a time of 1:42.69.

Rockhurst senior and swimmer of the meet Andrew Baklanov brought home two titles for the defending champions, one of which was a state record. Baklanov’s 200 IM winning time of 1:46.69 was almost a full second under the previous record of 1:47.55 from 2015. Baklanov also defended his 100 backstroke title with a time of 48.28. Baklanov is not committed to any college for the fall.

Lee’s Summit also won two individual events. One came from senior and Florida Atlantic commit Noah Reeves in the 50 freestyle with a finals time of 20.20. This was a Class 2 record time beating the previous record of 20.35, which was set at last year’s state meet by Ian Everett. Reeves was the runner-up when Everett set this mark last year. 

Their second event win was from another senior, Nathan Butler in the 100 fly (48.94). Butler is committed to swim at Division II school Missouri University of Science and Technology in the fall.

The last double swimming event winners were Staley High School with wins in the 500 free and 200 freestyle relay. Junior and Duke commit Samuel Hennenfent clocked a final time of 4:33.30 in the 500 to win gold. Staley then turned around and won the 200 freestyle relay with a team of Garrison Wells (21.40), Logan Lawrence (21.67), Evan Taber (21.33), and Gabriel Wells (21.14) and a time of 1:25.57. 

The other swimming event winners were Liberty sophomore Cole Tobin in the 100 free with a personal best time of 45.77, and Rock Bridge senior Trey Clervi who defended his title in the 100 breast and stopped the clock at 54.21 for over a second drop. Clervi is also uncommitted to swim in college.

Chaminade College Prep sophomore Max Van Stone won the 1-meter diving event with a finals score of 507.25. This score was 75 points ahead of second place’s 431.35.