Wildcat swimmers rack up more state qualification times

OSAWATOMIE — The Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg-Spring Hill boys swim team has had good start to its season and that continued in the beginning of 2024.

The Louisburg swimmers racked up more state qualification and personal best times in their last two meets, including a team victory at home Wednesday in Osawatomie.

The Miami County team won the six-team meet going away with 457 points and Fort Scott was second with 290.

Louisburg sophomore Colin Brown continued to improve his state meet resume as he qualified for another event. Brown won the 50-yard freestyle in 23.22 seconds and punched his ticket for state.

Brown also improved his state qualification time in the 100 backstroke as he won with a time of 58.87 seconds. He has now qualified in seven of the eight individual events. Brown has will also be a part of a couple relays as well.

Junior Colton Prettyman won the 100 freestyle in 53.14 seconds, which improved his previous state consideration time. 

Sophomore Andrew Jamison won the 100 breaststroke in 1:04.70 and Prettyman was second at 1:08. Jamison also took third in the 50 freestyle.

Freshman Brock Delmez also scored points for Louisburg as he finished fourth in the 100 backstroke. 

The Miami County team also won three relays. Brown, Jamison, Prettyman and Paola’s Landen Terflinger took first in the 200 medley relay.

Jamison, Prettyman, Spring Hill’s Dylan Mabe and Osawatomie’s Luke Hebert won the 200 freestyle relay, while Hebert, Terflinger, Mabe and Brown took first in the 400 freestyle relay.

Hebert also went on to win the 200 individual medley and 100 butterfly.

To begin 2024, the Miami County team traveled to Olathe Northwest on Jan. 11 for a quad with Blue Valley Southwest and Olathe West.

The team left with 28 new personal best times and earned state qualification times in three events.

Prettyman qualified for state in the 100 breaststroke as he won the event in 1:08.23. 

Brown joined him as he punched his ticket for state in the 100 freestyle as he took second with a qualifying time of 51.71.

A mixed 200 freestyle relay of Terflinger, Jamison, Prettyman and Brown won in 1 minute and 36 seconds to also produce a state time.

Jamison went on to finish second in the 100 backstroke and third in the 100 freestyle and he earned state consideration times in both events. Prettyman also had a fourth place finish in the 50 freestyle. 

Osawatomie’s Hebert earned a state consideration time in the 100 backstroke after his third place finish.