Introducing the 2021 Wichita Eagle high school girls swimming All-Metro team
The Wichita area featured some of the best high school swimmers in Kansas this season and that star power is highlighted on The Wichita Eagle’s 2021 All-Metro girls swimming and diving team.
The All-Metro squad consists of eight of the top swimmers, a top diver, a top coach and three top relay teams from Sedgwick, Butler and Harvey counties, based heavily on performances at the state meet and also area coaches’ feedback.
Kapaun Mt. Carmel senior Claire Conover earned the nod for Swimmer of the Year honors on the All-Metro team after winning three golds and a silver at the Class 5-1A state meet. Below are the full All-Metro selections:
Rachel Bailey, Bishop Carroll senior
The fastest area 500-yard freestyle swimmer at the state meet, Bailey, the City League champion in the event, finished runner-up in Class 5-1A with a season-best time of 5:23.89. She also notched a fourth-place finish at state in the 200 free, while also swimming a leg on Carroll’s state championship 400 free relay team and on the runner-up 200 medley relay team. Bailey finished her career as a four-time individual state medalist.
Cindy Broadrick, Heights senior
One of the state’s best butterfly swimmers over the course of her career, Broadrick finished fourth in the 100-yard butterfly in Class 6A and finally cracked the 1-minute barrier (59.24) at the state meet. She finished in the top four at the state meet in the butterfly all three years and finished her career at Heights as a six-time state medalist in the backstroke and butterfly.
Natalee Clark, Bishop Carroll senior
If there was a most improved swimmer award, Clark would be the favorite. After failing to qualify for the fast heat in the finals in her first two trips to the state meet, Clark ended her career finishing second at the Class 5-1A state meet in the 100-yard butterfly (59.77) and sixth in the 200-yard individual medley (2:19.18) on top of helping Bishop Carroll’s 200-yard freestyle relay team win the state title.
Claire Conover, Kapaun Mt. Carmel senior
It was a satisfying ending to a high school career for one of the area’s top swimmers, as Conover became a first-time individual state champion by winning gold in both of her events in her senior season. Not only that, but Conover was dominant in the 200-yard individual medley (winning by three seconds in 2:04.76) and the 100-yard breaststroke (winning by two seconds in 1:03.79). It was a PR for Conover in the 200 IM, which was the third-fastest time this season in Kansas, while she just missed her PR (1:03.62) in the breaststroke, which stood as the fastest time in the state this season. She also won gold on Kapaun’s 200-yard medley relay and a silver on Kapaun’s 400-yard freestyle relay. Conover, the City League champion in both of her individual events, finished her career with four state titles and a total of six top-five finishes in her individual events at the state meet.
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Ariana Dirkzwager, East junior
After contending for state titles as a freshman in distance races, Dirkzwager completed her transformation into the fastest swimmer in the state with Class 6A titles in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard freestyle. After winning four City League titles, Dirkzwager posted the fastest time in Kansas this season in the 50 free (23.72) and the 100 free (51.52) on top of helping East’s 200-yard freestyle relay team win the gold medal. In just two state meets, Dirkzwager is already a four-time state champion with one more year left.
Mikaela Meyer, Kapaun Mt. Carmel senior
In her third straight trip to the state meet, Meyer collected her highest state medal in the diving competition with a fifth-place finish at the Class 5-1A meet. The senior, who won the City League championship, notched a finals score of 321.15 points.
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Natalie Neugent, Andover junior
It was time for Neugent to ascend to the top of the podium after finishing runner-up in both of her sprints as a freshman. Neugent won the Class 5-1A state championships this season in the 50-yard freestyle (23.87) and the 100-yard freestyle (52.55) — both times were the second-fastest in Kansas this season. In a display of her versatility, Neugent actually won league titles in the 200-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly before switching to her preferred races at the state meet. Neugent also anchored Andover’s second-place 200-yard freestyle relay team and helped its 200-yard medley relay team to a sixth-place medal.
Karis Reynaga, Bishop Carroll sophomore
It was quite the debut at the state meet for Reynaga, who swam a leg on both of Bishop Carroll’s state championship relay teams in the 200-yard freestyle relay and the 400-yard freestyle relay. In her individual events, Reynaga finished second in the 200-yard freestyle (1:56.59) and third in the 100-yard freestyle (53.29). She also won the City League title in the 200 free this season.
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Zoe Winter, Bishop Carroll junior
After winning four golds at her first state meet as a freshman, Winter was able to add two more state championships — plus another team trophy — as a junior. She won the 100-yard butterfly (57.23) with the second-fastest time in Kansas this season and also swam a leg on Bishop Carroll’s title-winning 400-yard freestyle relay team. She also picked up a silver medal in the 200-yard individual medley (2:07.88) and on Carroll’s 200-yard medley relay team. Winter was also a two-time individual City League champion this season, winning the butterfly and backstroke.
Kapaun Mt. Carmel’s 200-yard medley relay
After being edged out by Bishop Carroll for the title at the City League meet, Kapaun would not be denied again at the Class 5-1A championships. This time it was the Crusaders team of junior Sydney Le, senior Claire Conover, senior Lily Valentas and freshman Sydney Turner who won the relay in a season-best time of 1:51.38 — four-tenths of a second faster than second-place Carroll. Kapaun shaved nearly a second off its fastest time at state and finished with the third-fastest time in Kansas this season.
East’s 200-yard freestyle relay
For the third state meet in a row, East took home the Class 6A championship in the 200 free relay. While their winning time of 1:38.79 was just off the 2018 East relay that broke the state record, the Blue Aces’ combination of senior Baylor McPherson, junior Sophia Randle, freshman Abby Jones and junior Ariana Dirkzwager kept the winning tradition going with the second-fastest time in Kansas this season. The same group also won the City League title this season.
Bishop Carroll’s 400-yard freestyle relay
Bishop Carroll was able to successfully defend its Class 5-1A championship in the 400 yard freestyle relay with only anchor Zoe Winter, a junior, back from the 2019 title-winning team. This time the Golden Eagles were able to get the job done with the second-fastest time in Kansas this season in 3:39.79 with sophomore Karis Reynaga, junior Alex Bailey and senior Rachel Bailey teaming up with Winter. The same group finished runner-up at City League, then cut nearly three seconds off their season-best time at the state meet.
Spencer Shellhammer, Bishop Carroll coach
After leading Bishop Carroll to its first state championship in girls swimming and diving in 2019, Shellhammer proved the Golden Eagles are here to stay with another season to remember in 2021. Carroll was able to dethrone East as City League champions, then hold off Kapaun Mt. Carmel at the state meet to win its second straight Class 5-1A state championship.
All-Metro second team
Brooklyn Blasdel, Maize senior
Madison Horton, Newton sophomore
Abby Jones, East freshman
Ivie Kierl, Heights senior
Sydney Le, Kapaun Mt. Carmel junior
Grace Martin, Independent junior
Baylor McPherson, East senior
Olivia Orth, Kapaun Mt. Carmel junior
Sayler Roberts, Campus sophomore
Bishop Carroll’s 200-yard medley relay
Bishop Carroll’s 200-yard freestyle relay
East’s 400-yard freestyle relay
Haley Knapp, Kapaun Mt. Carmel coach
This story was originally published June 14, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
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