OSAWATOMIE — The Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg-Spring Hill girls swim team put on a strong showing in its home opener on April 2 in Osawatomie.

The Miami County team cruised to a first place finish with 402 points in the 5-team meet. Piper finished second with 256 points and Fort Scott was third with 249.

It didn’t stop there when it came to success, especially on the Louisburg side. The Wildcats earned a handful of state qualification and consideration times in what was their second meet of the season.

Louisburg senior Sabra Brueggen recorded state qualification times in three events and earned three first place finishes on the day.

Brueggen won the 100-yard freestyle in a state qualifying time of 56.85 seconds. She took second in the 200 freestyle in 2:04.41, which was also good for another state time. She earned a state mark in the 50 freestyle based on her split in a relay.

That success continued in the 400 freestyle relay as Brueggen, Janie Harth, Cadence Weichert and Ella Bockelman won in a state consideration time of 4:19.60.

Makayla Ellis joined Brueggen, Harth and Weichert to win the 200 freestyle relay in 1:55.62.

In other individual races, Harth earned a state consideration time in the 50 freestyle. Harth took second in 27.94 seconds, just behind Fort Scott’s Avery Stewart, who won in 27.86. Harth also went on to take third in the 500 freestyle in 7:19.

Ellis took home top honors in the 200 individual medley in a time of 2:49.14, while Weichert was second in 2:54. Weichert also took second in the 100 freestyle in 1:07 and Ellis was fourth in the 100 butterfly in 1:21.

Bockelman finished runner-up in the 100 backstroke in 1:14 and seventh in the 50 freestyle. Talen McMurray took fifth in the 100 breaststroke and sixth in the 50 freestyle.

The Miami County team is back in action on April 15 when they travel to Blue Valley Northwest. Events begin at 4 p.m.

LANSING — The season for the Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg-Spring Hill girls swim team so far has gone — well — swimmingly, especially on the Louisburg side.

On Saturday at the Lansing Relays, Louisburg kicked off its season in impressive fashion as the Wildcats qualified their first relay for state and the team took fifth overall with 87 points, the team’s highest ever finish at the Lansing meet.

“We were proud of all the swimmers Saturday,” coach Mary Argeropoulos said. “There were a ton of best times and all our new swimmers were a smashing success in the pool. They had fun and didn’t freeze to death in the cold water, as the pool heater was broken, so all in all it was a success.”

In what was a crowded field in the 200-yard medley relay, four Wildcats got off to a great start. Sabra Brueggen, Cadence Weichert, Janie Harth and Ella Bockelman took sixth, but earned a state qualifying time of 2 minutes and 8.17 seconds.

The Wildcats didn’t stop there. In the 200 freestyle relay, the same four swimmers finished second in 1:53.88 and earned a state consideration time in the process.

“Louisburg has now laid down the baseline for the medley and 200 free relays this season and now we get to work improving each leg of each relay looking for a better seed at state,” Argeropoulos said. “It’s always nice to qualify but that’s just where the work starts.”

The Miami County team continued its success as it won the 200 backstroke relay. Louisburg’s Talen McMurray, Makayla Ellis, Brueggen and Spring Hill’s Alivia Hagar won in 2:12.64.

Weichert, Hagar, Harth and Brueggen finished third in the 4×100 individual medley relay in 4:49. Bockelman, Ellis, Weichert and Paola’s Meg Johnson also took third in the 200 butterfly relay in 2:11.

The swim team is back in action Tuesday for its home opener. Events begin at 4 p.m. at the OZone in Osawatomie.

For the Louisburg girls swim team, the 2024 season was a memorable one. 

Sabra Brueggen swam at state in two individual events and medaled in one. The Wildcats qualified for state in all three relays and made the consolation finals in two.

Janie Harth also qualified for state in an event and the Wildcats had their best season in the young history of their program.

As good as that year was, Louisburg is hoping for bigger and better things in 2025. The Wildcats had five state qualifiers a season ago and all five are back and are led by three seniors in Sabra Brueggen, Janie Harth and Cadence Weichert.

As for the Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg-Spring Hill team itself, it has seen a big jump in numbers. The team has 27 members out this season, including 13 new athletes.

“These ladies have been working hard in practice already this season and preliminary time trials show we are picking up right where we left off at state last season,” coach Mary Argeropoulos said. 

Brueggen is a returning state medalist for the Wildcats after she took fourth in the 200-yard individual medley and also qualified for state in the 100 backstroke. She has medaled at state the past three seasons and is looking to bring home more hardware for her final campaign.

“Sabra has performed so well for herself in high school competition,” Argeropoulos said. “This season we are looking for new best times, pushing the limits of her athleticism, and having the most enjoyment possible for this final high school swim moment.  She should once again, have her choice of individual events at state and she’ll lead her relays to state success as well.”

Harth and Weichert also return as they both bring back a lot of experience. The two Wildcat seniors competed in all three relays at state, while Harth earned a spot in the 50 freestyle.

“These two seniors have put the work in both out of season and in season,” Argeropoulos said. “They continue to improve each year, and we expect this year to bring more individual best times, hopefully with a return individually to state, and big contributions as the backbone to their relays. Janie swam the 50 free last year at state but was super close in several other events and Cadence has always been knocking on the door of individual events for state as well.”

Sophomores Ella Bockelman and Talen McMurray played big roles on the team last season as freshmen as both swam on state relays. They will be joined by foreign exchange student, Makayla Ellis, who also brings some swim experience. 

“We anticipate returning all three relays to state prelims and are looking to improve our finals standings,” Argeropoulos said. “We will focus meet to meet on the task at hand and will be hunting down those qualification times. 

“Sabra, Janie and Cadence lead the charge, but the position of that final spot will be interesting this season. Ella filled those shoes last season, but Talen was always hot on her heels. Australian foreign exchange student Makayla Ellis adds tons of swimming experience to our team this year and has potential for individual as well as relay contributions.”

Louisburg will open its season Saturday when it travels to Lansing. Its first home meet is Tuesday, April 2 at the Ozone in Osawatomie. 

LENEXA — Colin Brown was all about making school history Saturday at the Class 5-1A Kansas State Swim and Dive Championships.

Brown became the first Louisburg swimmer in school history to win a state title and did so by winning the 100-yard butterfly. Some athletes would have been content with just the one, but not Brown.

The Louisburg junior took to the water again in the 100 backstroke and won his second state title in a matter of minutes. It was also his fourth state medal of the day, which included a pair of relays.

“It was a surreal experience and an incredible honor,” Brown said. “It was really cool to see all of the hard work and countless hours pay off. It also gave me a sense of pride knowing that I was representing the school while doing so.”

That was the some of the success the Louisburg swim team had at the Shawnee Mission School District Aquatic Center. The Wildcats medaled in six events and finished seventh in the team standings with just four swimmers. 

Louisburg junior Andrew Jamison also tallied four medals as made his way to the state podium in the 200 individual medley, 100 breaststroke and two relays. Senior Colton Prettyman and sophomore Noah Sharp joined the other Wildcats as state medalists in the relays.

The Wildcats also broke seven school records in the process, whether in the finals or in the prelims on Friday.

For Brown, his best swims came on Saturday as he dominated the field in the 100 butterfly. Brown won the state championship by more than two seconds with a school record time of 51.08.

It was another dominating performance in the 100 backstroke as Brown won in another school record time of 53.26 seconds to find his way atop the state podium once again.

“My expectations going into the season were to win the 100 fly and medal in the 100 back,” Brown said. “If you were to tell me in August that I had the times I had, and placed first in both events, I would’ve laughed at you. But as I got closer to state I started to gain more confidence in myself, and I believe that also a big factor in the success I had this season.”

As for Jamison, he medaled third in the 200 individual medley in 2:02.09 and set the school record the day before in the prelims in 2:01.55.

In the 100 breaststroke, Jamison had another great outing as he took fourth in 1:01.60. He also broke the school record the day before in the prelims in 1:01.49.

“It felt pretty good to move up in the placement and medal again just like last year,” Jamison said “I felt my prelims swims were better than my finals swims, but overall I am pleased.

“This year has been a little tough with my times. I wasn’t able to go any personal bests during the regular season but going best times at state made it all worth it. I am looking forward to next season hopefully placing even higher on the podium and lowering the school records even more.”

The Wildcats nearly had a third state title to their resume as Brown, Jamison, Prettyman and Sharp swam the 200 medley relay and finished as a state runner-up in the event. The broke their school record time of 1:39.17 to take second, just behind Wichita Collegiate who was first in 1:38.82.

The Louisburg quartet were involved in another tight race, this time in the 200 freestyle relay. The Wildcats finished in a tie for third with Kapaun Mt. Carmel in a new school record time of 1:30.36.

“It was pretty exciting medaling in both relays this year, proving our progress,” Jamison said. “Being up there with the best of the best was also very exciting and getting to represent Louisburg at such a high level is also a big honor.”

Prettyman swam in a pair of consolation finals and broke a school record in one of them. The Louisburg senior took in 12th in the 500 freestyle in a new school best of 5:19.20.

He also competed in the 100 butterfly and finished 12th in 56.87 seconds.

Sharp qualified for the consolation finals in the 100 freestyle in 51.96 seconds.

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week 10 of the winter sports season, sponsored by Landmark National Bank.

COLTON PRETTYMAN, SENIOR, BOYS SWIM

Louisburg senior Colton Prettyman went out in style in his final meet as a Wildcat swimmer. Prettyman left the Class 5-1A state meet Saturday with a pair of state medals as he helped two relays reach the podium. Prettyman, along with Colin Brown, Andrew Jamison and Noah Sharp, finished as the state runner-up in the 200-yard medley relay in a new school record time of 1:39.17. In the 200 freestyle relay, the same four swimmers finished in a tie for third to earn a state medal in another school record time of 1:30.36.

Individually, Prettyman made the state consolation finals in both the 100 butterfly and 500 freestyle. In the freestyle, Prettyman finished 12th overall but set a new school record time of 5:19.20. He also took 12th in the butterfly in 56.87 seconds.

The athlete of the week award is announced every Wednesday morning during the winter season and the winner is selected by Louisburg Sports Zone with the help of nominations from coaches.

Previous winners:

Week 1: Gavin Lohse

Week 2: Colin Brown

Week 3: Jay McCaskill

Week 4: Brayden Yoder

Week 5: Andrew Jamison

Week 6: Ashlyn Kuhlman

Week 7: Ashton Moore

Week 8: Brooklyn DeWeese

Week 9: Leola Eslinger

OSAWATOMIE — The Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg-Spring Hill boys swim team has already had a memorable 2024-25 season with several state qualifications and meet victories.

The Miami County team added to its list of accomplishments Friday as it hosted the Independent League meet. The team took care of business as it earned its third consecutive league championship.

In the 6-team meet, Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg-Spring Hill cruised to the title with 482 points. Independence was second with 353 points and Fort Scott was third with 319.

It also served as Senior Night for the Miami County team as it honored its four seniors — Louisburg’s Colton Prettyman and Nathaniel Phillis and Osawatomie’s Eric Zhang and Spring Hill’s Hayden Thomason.

On the Louisburg side, the Wildcats earned six individual league championships thanks to Prettyman, Colin Brown and Andrew Jamison. 

Prettyman won the 50-yard freestyle in 23.48 seconds and later took first the 500 freestyle in 5 minutes and 24.85 seconds.

As for Brown, he won the league title in the 100 butterfly in 54.44 seconds and finished first in the 100 backstroke in 56.35 seconds.

Jamison also won a pair of league crowns. His first came in the 200 individual medley where he won in a season-best time of 2:05.87. Jamison later took the gold in the 100 breaststroke in 1:04.66.

Louisburg sophomore Brock Delmez earned a pair of runner-up finishes in the 200 individual medley and 500 freestyle. Sophomore Noah Sharp medaled third in the 100 freestyle and third in the 100 backstroke.

Wildcat freshman Bennett Mendez medaled second in the 200 freestyle and fifth in the 100 butterfly.

In the relays, the Wildcats were a part of winning league titles in all three races. 

Brown, Jamison, Thomason and Paola’s Landen Terflinger won the 200 medley relay going away in 1:48.31. Jamison, Prettyman, Terflinger and Spring Hill’s Tag Solberg took first in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:38.14. 

Prettyman, Delmez, Sharp and Brown ended the meet with a victory in the 400 freestyle relay in 4:01.

Brown, Jamison, Prettyman and Sharp will now prepare for the postseason as they will compete in the Class 5-1A Kansas State Swim and Diving Championships starting Friday in Lenexa.

All four swimmers will compete in multiple individual events, along with two relays. Events begin at 4 p.m. and the meet will continue into Saturday. 

BONNER SPRINGS — It was another meet and more state qualification times for the Louisburg boys swim team on Feb. 4 at the Bonner Springs Invitational.

The Wildcats added two more state times to their resume and the Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg-Spring Hill team dominated the competition with 518 points to win the 7-team meet.

Louisburg junior Andrew Jamison earned the two newest state times for the Wildcats as he is now qualified in the 500 freestyle and 100 backstroke.

Jamison took second in the 500 freestyle in 5 minutes and 31 seconds and later won the 100 backstroke in 1:01.16.

Junior Colin Brown also had a big day for the Miami County team. Brown won the 200 individual medley in 2:17 and also won the 100 freestyle in 51.21 seconds.

Senior Colton Prettyman also had a pair of top two finishes for Louisburg. Prettyman took first in the 500 freestyle in 5:20 and was second in the 50 freestyle in 23.47 seconds

Sophomore Noah Sharp had a second place finish in the 200 individual medley in 2:25 and was fourth in the 100 freestyle in 56.79.

Louisburg freshman Bennett Mendez was second in the 100 butterfly in 1:13, while sophomore Brock Delmez took fifth in the 100 freestyle (59.50) and 100 breaststroke (1:25.67). Senior Nathaniel Phillis was ninth in the 100 backstroke.

The Miami County team also fared well in the relays as they recorded three golds on the day.

Prettyman, Andrew Jamison, Mendez and Paola’s Landen Terflinger won the 200 medley relay in 1:54, while Brown, Delmez, Prettyman and Spring Hill’s Tag Solberg won the 200 freestyle relay in 1:41.

Sharp, Terflinger, Jamison and Brown took the top spot in the 400 freestyle relay in 3:49.

Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg-Spring Hill is back in action Wednesday as it hosts the Independent League meet. It will also be Senior Night and events are set to begin at 4 p.m.

OVERLAND PARK — The Louisburg boys swim team continues to thrive in the waters and racked up even more state times Saturday at the Blue Valley Southwest Invitational. 

The Wildcats added two more state times to their resume and broke a school relay record in the process. Add in some new personal best marks, and the Wildcats had one of their better days of the season.

As a group, Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg-Spring Hill finished third out of 13 teams in what was one of its bigger competitions on the year. 

“We were so happy to see our swimmers step up in this intensely competitive meet and show themselves as forces to be reckoned with,” coach Mary Argeropoulos said. “Their relay made a statement to the high school swim world that they mean business.  Each time Louisburg swimmers took to the pool, they were focused and driven towards the goal at hand.”

The Louisburg quartet of Colin Brown, Andrew Jamison, Colton Prettyman and Noah Sharp broke their own school record in the 200-yard medley relay as they won in 1 minute and 41.63 seconds, which improved their state time.

Sharp also had his best day of the year as he earned his first state qualification time. The Louisburg sophomore took third in the 100 backstroke in a qualifying time of 1:01.41 and was seventh in the 100 freestyle.

Prettyman also earned a state qualification time, with the latest coming in the 500 freestyle. The Louisburg senior was first in 5:24.

Brown also had his best performance of the season as he took first in the 100 backstroke in 55.21 seconds and first in the 100 butterfly in 53.38 seconds — both personal best times.

As for Jamison, he took second in the 100 breaststroke in 1:03.17, which also lowered his state time.

“Noah lowered his 100 free time to put himself in a much better position to be invited to state competition in that event and then dropped just under 2 seconds off his backstroke to seal his state qualification time,” Argeropoulos said. “Colin set new personal best times for himself (all-time career and high school) Saturday and Colton added a new state event to his bracket with his qualification in the 500 Freestyle.  Andrew continues to be in solid contention, dropping time in the 100 breaststroke to move a few more spots up the list in the state and make his statement as well.”

Paola’s Landen Terflinger also earned a state qualification in the 200 freestyle as he took second in 1:58.60. Terflinger, Prettyman, Sharp and Brown went on to also take third in the 400 freestyle relay.

Jamison, Terflinger, Brock Delmez and Spring Hill’s Tag Solberg took fourth in the 200 freestyle relay.

The Miami County team is back in action today as they travel to Bonner Springs. Events begin at 4 p.m.

OSAWATOMIE — For the first time in about a month, the Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg-Spring Hill boys swim team had a chance to swim in its home waters. 

The Miami County team took full advantage as it recorded 28 personal best times on its way to a first place finish in the five-team meet on Jan. 22 at the OZone in Osawatomie

The team won with 578 points and Independence was second with 472. On the Louisburg side, the Wildcats also added one new state qualifying and consideration time.

“It was certainly fun to have a great showing at our home pool last week,” coach Mary Argeropoulos said. “We are continuing to work on small details that lead to efficient and fast swims in competition as we push through to the remainder of our season.”

Louisburg junior Andrew Jamison added another state qualification time to his resume. 

Jamison secured a state time in the 100-yard butterfly with a second place finish in 58.91 seconds. He also took first in the 100 breaststroke in 1:06.

Junior Colin Brown recorded a first place finish in the 50 freestyle in 23.32 seconds and was also second in the 100 breaststroke in 1:09, which is a state consideration time.

Senior Colton Prettyman and sophomore Noah Sharp racked up a pair of first place finishes to lead the Wildcats. 

Prettyman was first in the 200 individual medley in 2:20 and later was first in the 100 butterfly in 58.63 seconds. 

As for Sharp, he took first in the 100 freestyle in 55.53 seconds and in the 100 backstroke in 1:04.52.

The Miami County team also placed first in all three relays. It all started as Brown, Jamison, Prettyman and Sharp took the top spot in the 200 medley relay in 1:45.

Prettyman, Jamison, Landen Terflinger and Brown were first in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:40, while Terflinger, Tag Solberg, Nic Terblance and Sharp won the 400 freestyle relay in 4:03.

Terflinger, a Paola swimmer, also earned a state qualifying time in the 500 freestyle.

Louisburg sophomore Brock Delmez also had a strong day as he was second in the 500 freestyle in a new personal best time of 6:22. He also took third in the 50 freestyle in a personal best time of 26.14.

Freshman Bennett Mendez also record a top two finish as he was second in the 200 freestyle in 2:32.

OLATHE — The Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg-Spring Hill boys swim didn’t waste much time getting started in 2025.

The Miami County team recorded four new state qualification times last week, and another state consideration time, as it finished second at the Olathe Northwest quad with 305 points

Olathe Northwest won the meet with 547 points, while Olathe West (257) and Blue Valley Southwest (149) took third and fourth, respectively.

Louisburg earned three new state qualification times and two came from Andrew Jamison. The Wildcat junior won the 200-yard individual medley in 2 minutes and 9 seconds to earn his first state time of the day.

Jamison also went on to take second in the 100 freestyle in 51.45 seconds to record another state qualifying time. 

Junior Colin Brown posted another state time for the Wildcats as he won the 100 butterfly in 54.87 seconds. Brown also won the 200 freestyle in 1:54.

Sophomore Noah Sharp added a state consideration time in the 100 freestyle to his resume as he was fourth in 55.05 seconds. Sharp went on to take third in the 100 backstroke in 1:06.

Sharp, Jamison, Paola’s Landen Terflinger and Spring Hill’s Tag Solberg won the 200 freestyle relay in 1:38, while Sharp, Jamison, Brown and Colton Prettyman were second in the 200 medley relay.

Prettyman, Terflinger, Brock Delmez and Brown concluded the meet with a third place finish in the 400 free relay in 3:41. Prettyman, a Louisburg senior, also went on to take third in the 100 butterfly and fourth in the 100 backstroke.

Delmez, a Louisburg sophomore, finished fifth in the 500 freestyle and sixth in the 200 freestyle.

Paola’s Landen Terflinger earned the team’s fourth state qualification time of the day as he was second in the 50 freestyle in 23.42 seconds.

The Miami County team is back in action today as it hosts its home meet. Events begin at 4 p.m. at the OZone in Osawatomie.