Clayton falls just short of Class 1 team championship but revels in program's best finish

ST. PETERS — Looking at the final scoring margin may be excruciating, but the Clayton girls swimming and diving team will still definitely take it.

The Greyhounds came agonizingly close to the first team championship in program history Friday but fell just 1.5 points short at the Missouri Class 1 Girls Swimming and Diving Championships at the Rec-Plex.

“I don’t think any of us were really paying much attention to the overall score during the meet because we just wanted to do our best in each of our individual events and relays,” Clayton senior Anna Stouffer said. “And I think everyone stepped up. Everyone had really good swims yesterday, which led to really good swims today.”

Clayton compiled 238.5 points, while Cape Girardeau Central had 240. Even with the narrow defeat, it was still the best showing the Greyhound girls have ever had, topping the third-place finish of the 2022 team.

“We’re ecstatic the fact that that’s our best finish ever in school history. It’s really something to be proud of,” Clayton coach Katelyn Long said. “I don’t think we anticipated winning coming into the meet, so it almost makes it harder that it was that close of a meet. But we swam out of our minds, and we had a great meet.”

The Greyhounds had 11 seniors on their roster this season to help facilitate that best-ever finish.

“It’s a great way to cap it off and just really show our mark on the whole Clayton swim team,” Clayton senior Caitlin Kuhlmann said. “From our freshman year on, so much has happened with our team, and we’ve gotten so good. It’s just so fun to cap it all off with a few more fun races. It means everything.”

Tigers earn first state title

The team championship for Cape Central was its first on the girls side after the Tigers boys won three straight titles from 2016-2018.

Cape Central had earned a trophy at each of the last three Class 1 girls meets, finishing fourth, second and third, respectively, but the Tigers were finally able to break through and take the big prize.

“We’ve been doing it for 34 years and the thing that’s cool is we’ve never had a plaque in the top four until these seniors were freshmen,” Cape Central coach Dayna Powell said. “And today these seniors got it done.”

Save the best for last

Cape Central was able to finally break through thanks to some late-meet dramatics, as the team result was still in doubt until the day’s final event, the 400-yard freestyle relay.

The Greyhounds had the second-best prelim time, but the Tigers had the best time and had a 7.5-point lead coming in.

“They had the pressure on them for sure,” Powell said. “When we went down to the relay, I thought with Clayton swimming, we might have trouble winning. But (anchor leg) Sydney Ringwald is a force of her own.”

Clayton did its part by winning the 400 free relay, but it needed a third place or lower finish by Cape Central and the Tigers didn’t oblige, taking second and taking the state title.

“Our relays really stepped up today,” said Long, whose team also won the 200 medley relay. “They were really, really excited. It was a great way to finish.”

Longhorns, Colts claim trophies

Parkway West and Parkway Central also took home trophies for a top-four team finish.

The Longhorns tallied 168 points to finish third. It was West’s seventh consecutive top-four showing, the best active streak of any girls team in the state.

“We’re not always at the top, but we bring a team that can compete in several events,” Longhorns coach Coleen Sumner said. “Relays were the main thing. We try to be pretty strategic in spreading them out and we got three in the top eight.”

The Colts had to take a different route, sweating it out until the end. Central trailed Notre Dame de Sion by two points entering the 400 free relay and was seeded one spot behind the Storm in the final event. But Central edged Notre Dame de Sion for sixth place in the 400 free relay, earning two more points and the fourth-place tie at 134 points.

“I thought we were gonna be somewhere around sixth,” Colts coach Stephanie Seidel said. “I knew that it (a top-four finish) was a possibility, but my girls had to make moves today and they definitely did.”

Villa duo shines bright

Villa Duchesne coach Rob Hill tied Powell for the most trips by a coach to the podium to hand out medals.

That honor is bestowed upon the coach of the winning swimmer team or relay in each event and the Saints chalked up a trio of first-place finishes.

Junior Grace Kraeger was one of just two swimmers to win a pair of individual events when she took home gold in both the 200 free and 100 backstroke.

“It feels amazing. It’s truly everything I’ve hoped for. A few weeks ago, I wasn’t sure what events I was gonna swim. I really think it all paid off and I made the right choice,” Kraeger said. “I was racing against some of my best friends (from the Clayton-Shaw Park club team), so it’s the best feeling in the world. My mom and grandma are here. Everyone has done everything to support me and it’s great.”

Sophomore Charlotte Brown immediately followed Kraeger’s 200 free title with a win of her own in the 200 individual medley.

“We are the first Villa individual state champions, so that’s fun. I love going against my club friends. The whole heat was basically CSP,” Brown said. “I just wanted to have fun and not be scared. And I went my fastest.”

Bezzant’s big day

Despite battling congestion for several days running, Ladue senior Mary Bezzant kicked off the meet with a stirring rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner, along with Rams coach Rob Peglar and Cape Central senior Emilie Dickson.

“It’s just like a fun little thing I do now. Just like a cool little hobby, I guess,” Bezzant said. “It’s kind of a funny thing. I sang it at boys state (in November) and then people have been like, ‘Are you singing it at girls?’ And I’m like, ‘Might as well.’ And if my voice comes back a little bit, I’ll probably be singing it tomorrow as well at the Class 2 (finals).”

The BYU signee then shook off her illness to successfully defend her state title in the 100 breaststroke.

“To be honest, I’m feeling pretty under the weather today,” Bezzant said. “Not quite how I wanted to go out of high school, but it’s OK, it happens. I didn’t PR or anything today and that’s totally OK. But it felt good to go out with (the title).”

Arbeiter makes school history

After a third-place effort in the Class 1 500 free final last season, Lutheran South senior Ella Arbeiter was hoping for a move up and that’s exactly what she got.

The Rutgers signee claimed the 500 free by dropping nearly five seconds off her time from last year to winning this year by nearly seven seconds.

“It was my final race in high school, and I was really excited,” Arbeiter said. “As far as I know, I’m the first person (in girls swimming) to win state in my school, so I’m really excited to be representing them.”

Rutkowski back on top in the fly

Parkway West’s Norah Rutkowski won the Class 1 title in the 100-yard butterfly three years ago as a freshman.

After state finishes of third two years ago and second by a tenth of a second last year, the Longhorns senior was back at the top of the medal stand one last time with a winning performance Friday.

“I think I’ve improved a lot from being a freshman and it means a lot to make those improvements, so now I feel like I earned it,” Rutkowski said. “One of my issues last year was the finish, so I wanted to make sure I focused on that this year.”