Louisburg’s Dana Mattison swims the freestyle leg of the 200-yard medley relay earlier this season. Cadence Weichert, Sabra Brueggen, Janie Harth and Mattison qualified for state in the medley and freestyle relays.

OSAWATOMIE — Louisburg sophomore Sabra Brueggen has already qualified for state in several events this season.

Now her Louisburg teammates will get to experience that with her.

Brueggen, along with Janie Harth, Cadence Weichert and Dana Mattison, qualified for state in the 200-yard medley relay on May 3 during the Osawatomie Invitational. The Wildcat quartet took second and they qualified for their second relay on May 10 during the Independent League Championships. 

Harth, Brueggen, Weichert and Mattison finished second at the ILC meet in the 200 freestyle relay in a time of 1:54.37, which earned them spot at the state meet.

“It was absolutely thrilling to slide both relays into the state line-up,” coach Mary Argeropoulos said “The girls work hard in practice and it’s so nice to see the results of that hard work.”

The Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg team finished third overall in the league competition with 270 points. Fort Scott won the league crown with 431.

The team had plenty of highlights from the meet, including a second place finish in the 200 medley relay, and league championship finish for Brueggen in the 50 freestyle in 26.29 seconds.

Brueggen also went on to finish second in the 100 freestyle in 57.07 seconds, while Mattison was second in the 500 freestyle in 6:46. Weichert was third in the 200 freestyle in 2:33.

Now the team will split off for the Class 5-1A Kansas State Swim and Dive Championships this Friday and Saturday in Topeka.

Along with the two relay spots, Brueggen qualified for state in six events, but is only allowed to compete in two. She chose to compete in the 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke.

Those were the same two events she competed last year, where she came home with a medal. She medaled fifth the 100 backstroke a year ago, and just missed a medal by one spot in the 50 freestyle.

“We didn’t know how this season would go for Sabra coming off injury, so we are so proud of all her hard work both in and out of the pool to return to state with such a big statement,” Argeropoulos said. “She qualified in six events this season and had her pick for state. We feel she has chosen wisely and put herself in a great position to take the medal stand on Saturday.”

The Class 5-1A state meet will begin at 4 p.m. on Friday at the Capitol Federal Natatorium at Hummer Sports Park in Topeka. Prelims will take place on Friday, with the finals starting at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Louisburg senior Dana Mattison swims the freestyle during a meet earlier this season.

OVERLAND PARK — Competition ramped up for the Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg girls swim team this past week as it competed in three different meets.

For Louisburg, it gave its swimmers an opportunity to qualify for state in more events and continue to chip away at those state consideration times.

At the Blue Valley Southwest Invitational on Saturday, sophomore Sabra Brueggen added to her list of state qualifying events. Already qualified in two, Brueggen earned the needed marks in the 500-yard freestyle and 50 freestyle.

Brueggen finished second in the 50 freestyle with time of 26.66 seconds and later was second in the 500 freestyle in 5 minutes and 51.43 seconds.

The 200 freestyle relay of Brueggen, Janie Harth, Cadence Weichert and Dana Mattison also shaved two seconds off their previous state consideration time in 1:55.37 and finished seventh.

The same Louisburg four swimmers also went on to finish second in the 200 medley relay in 2:09.71. Harth also took ninth in the 100 breaststroke in 1:28.

The Miami County team went on to finish sixth out of 11 teams with 84 points, despite only have six swimmers compete.

On Wednesday at the Topeka-Hayden Invitational, Brueggen earned another state qualification time and improved on another.

Brueggen qualified in the 200 freestyle in 2:10 and took second overall. She later won the 100 backstroke in 1:04.62, to improve her previous season best. Brueggen has qualified for state in four events so far this season.

In all, the team earned 10 personal best swims and took fourth overall with 272 points.

Harth went on to finish second in the 50 freestyle in 28.83 seconds, while Paola’s Addie Stuebner was second in the 100 freestyle in 1:04.52. She also took third in the 200 IM.

Mattison took fifth in the 100 butterfly and 200 freestyle, while Weichert was seventh in both the 500 freestyle and seventh in the backstroke.

With only five healthy swimmers, the team competed at the Turner Invitational and had nine personal best times. 

Mattison won the 500 freestyle in 6:55, while Harth took third in the 200 IM. Stuebner was second in the 100 butterfly, while Weichert was fourth in the 100 backstroke and fifth in the 200 freestyle.

Louisburg boys basketball coach Ty Pfannenstiel will take over the school’s activities director role next school year. He also resigned his basketball position after coaching the Wildcats for the last six years.

Beginning next school year, Louisburg High School activities will have a little different look to it — especially at the top.

Ty Pfannenstiel will serve as the school’s new activities director and will take over for current AD, Michael Pickman, who will focus on his assistant principal duties and curriculum. 

Pfannenstiel, who has been the boys basketball coach for the last six years, resigned his post to take on the activities director position. He also stepped down as an assistant football coach.

Currently the weight room instructor, Pfannenstiel will spend half his day teaching and the other half in the AD role.

All of the moves were approved during Monday’s meeting of the USD 416 Board of Education.

“This is very exciting for me,” Pfannenstiel said. “It’s definitely going to be a change. I have been a teacher and a coach for 18 years. I still get to be a teacher half-time, and now I get to step into a new role as an administrator. It is going to be all sports and activities and I am looking forward to the new direction.”

As for Pickman, he gets the opportunity to focus more on the academic side as a full-time assistant principal. He was hired as an assistant principal/ activities director in April of 2020.

“I am very excited to commit more fully to the assistant principal role as education and curriculum have always been my true passion,” Pickman said. “Being able to support the teachers, students, and administrative staff by providing data, feedback, and assessing teaching and learning goals and initiatives in the building and district aligns with that passion and the opportunity arose to allow for that. I hope to enable and promote continued growth in the various curriculums and initiatives and structures that make Louisburg a fantastic district in a supportive community.

“Ty has experience and is passionate about athletics and activities. As it is where his passion is, I have every confidence he will do a fantastic job in his new role and look forward to witnessing where he takes our programs moving forward.”

Pickman took over LHS activities at a difficult time as the school was coming back from COVID-19 and the all challenges it presented. As tough as that situation was, he appreciated the relationships he built.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my role as activities director and was presented a fantastic growth opportunity and am grateful for being given it,” Pickman said. “I had a goal of being present for athletes and coaches and for the patrons, so I hope people saw that presence. I was blessed to have great leadership in place in our coaches and sponsors, and tried to support them best by advocating for their needs and supporting them to do their job of being great role models and passing on their passion and knowledge to students.

“Ultimately, I am most proud of our student athletes and activity participants and being part of their journey. I believe that sports are an extension of the classroom and I wanted to help ensure that character and sportsmanship were just as important and success, and I am overjoyed to have a wealth of memories where our fans, students, participants, and coaches and sponsors proved that to be true of LHS.”

While taking on the challenge of being a new administrator is one he is looking forward to, leaving his coaching roots behind was a difficult decision for Pfannenstiel.

In 2021, Pfannenstiel led the Wildcat boys basketball team to the Class 4A state championship game and finished as the state runner-up.

“That was definitely the biggest thing that was holding me back,” Pfannenstiel said. “I love basketball and the kids that I have worked with. There is a group coming up that I really enjoy coaching, and leaving that behind was one of the biggest challenges for me. Whoever takes over the program, I think it will be good transition for them because they will have a great group of kids to work with.

“Originally, I was going to be allowed to coach a sport and they didn’t want to take coaching away from me. The more I thought about it, if I want to do a good job at this, I need to focus on being the AD and that will be something that will benefit me and all the other activities.”

Pfannenstiel believes the move is a good one for the school in general as it will allow Pickman and principal Amy VanRheen to focus more on the academic side of things.

“This is something that is definitely needed,” Pfannenstiel said. “Our administrators are so busy with all the stuff they do during the school day, but they are also going to all the activities as well. Hopefully this will be a big help for Mrs. VanRheen and Mr. Pickman.”

Although he won’t official start his new position till next school year, Pfannenstiel is already starting to transition into his new role — one that is looking forward to.

“My job in the weight room and coaching has all been about sports,” he said. “That is what entices me about this job is that I am still going to be all about sports and activities. I just want to be a support for our coaches and our athletes and be advocate for our students.” 

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week two of the spring sports season, sponsored by Edward Jones-Craig Holtzen.

SABRA BRUEGGEN, SOPHOMORE, GIRLS SWIM

Louisburg sophomore Sabra Brueggen opened her 2023 swim season strong as she earned state qualification times in two events during last week’s home opener in Osawatomie. Brueggen won the 100 freestyle in a state qualifying time of 58.80 seconds. She later finished third in the 100 backstroke in what was a competitive field and qualified for state in 1:07.06.

Brueggen also helped a pair of relays to state consideration times. She joined Dana Mattison, Cadence Weichert and Janie Harth as they finished first in both the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays. The 200 medley won in 2:11.08 and the 200 freestyle in 1:57.62.

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

Previous winners:

Week 1: Rowan Yows

Louisburg sophomore Sabra Brueggen qualified for state in two events Wednesday during the team’s season opener in Osawatomie.

OSAWATOMIE — The Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg girls swim team couldn’t have asked for a better start to its season.

The team racked up two state qualifying times and two state consideration times as the Miami County squad finished second in the team standings in its home opener with 353 points.

Topeka-Hayden won the six-team meet with 443 points and Piper was second with 321.

“The girls really came out strong,” coach Mary Argeropoulos said. “They had 20 new personal best times and all swimmers scored relay and individual points toward the team total.”

Louisburg sophomore Sabra Brueggen had a strong showing in her first competition back recovering from a knee injury. Brueggen, who medaled a state a year ago, earned her first two state qualifying times of the year.

Brueggen won the 100-yard freestyle in in 58.80 seconds, to her earn first state bid of the day. Then in the 100 backstroke, she took third in a state qualifying time of 1:07.06.

Louisburg also earned a pair of state consideration times in two relays. Brueggen, along with Janie Harth, Dana Mattison and Cadence Weichert, won the 200 medley relay in 2:11.08.

In the 200 freestyle relay, the Louisburg quartet also earned a state consideration time as they won the event in 1:57.62.

Mattison also had a pair of top two individual finishes. She went on to win the 200 individual medley and was second in the 500 freestyle.

As for Weichert, she won the 200 freestyle and later took third in the 100 breaststroke. Harth picked up a victory in the 100 breaststroke and also took third in the 50 freestyle.

Freshman Grace Morrison finished sixth in the 100 breaststroke and 10th in the 50 freestyle.

Paola junior Addie Stuebner also had a pair of top 10 finishes as she took fourth in the 100 butterfly and sixth in the 100 backstroke.

The Miami County team also participated in the Lansing Relays on Saturday and had four top 10 finishes.

Mattison, Weichert, Stuebner and Harth took fifth in the 500 Descending Relay, while the same group was sixth in the 4×100 individual medley relay and eighth in the 200 breaststroke relay.

Mattison, Stuebner, Ashlynn Willard and Elsie Blackmore took eighth in the 200 backstroke relay.

Louisburg sophomore Sabra Brueggen returns to lead Louisburg swim after she earned a state medal in the 100 backstroke a season ago.

Sabra Brueggen made history last season as she became the first Louisburg swimmer to earn a state medal — and did so as a freshman.

In fact, she nearly earned two during the state meet last spring. Now as a sophomore, Brueggen is hoping for more medals as she leads the Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg team in 2023.

Brueggen hasn’t had the easiest road following last season. She suffered a knee injury over the summer and had to do months of rehab to get ready for the year.

She doesn’t plan on letting that slow her down when the Miami County team opens its season today at home.

“Sabra has finally been cleared to fully participate in sports,” coach Mary Argeropoulos said. “We look forward to seeing where she is at our first competition today. She worked extremely hard to get back to participation standards in physical therapy and we can’t wait to see her work pay off. She has set lofty goals for herself again this season and I wouldn’t count her out for another podium appearance.”

Four other Louisburg swimmers will join Brueggen on the Wildcat side as senior Dana Mattison and sophomores Cadence Weichert and Janie Harth return for the upcoming year. The Wildcats will also add freshman Grace Morrison to the mix as well.

“All four of our returning Louisburg swimmers are looking great for this point in the season,” Argeropoulos said. “They’ve returned stronger, faster and more confident. They are all taking on leadership roles with younger swimmers and the season is shaping up nicely. With the addition of Grace as a freshman, we have more options for relays and believe we can put down some competitive times.”

Paola’a Addie Stuebner also returns to the team and will be focusing on the butterfly, IM and backstroke. In all, the team will feature eight swimmers that includes Paola freshman Elsie Blackmore and Osawatomie’s Ashlynn Williard. 

“We’ve hit the water hard so far this season and the team is getting to know each other and working hard to begin the season off right,” Argeropoulos said. “All the swim ladies have some sort of competitive experience and we look forward to putting together a small, but mighty crew this season.”

Louisburg freshman Colin Brown finished eighth in the 100-yard butterfly Saturday at the Class 5-1A state swim meet in Lenexa. Brown became the school’s first state medalist in boys swim.

LENEXA — For the first time in its four years of existence, Louisburg found its way up to the podium of the Class 5-1A state boys swim meet.

Wildcat freshman Colin Brown earned the school’s first state medal in boys swimming Saturday at the Shawnee Mission School District Aquatic Center in Lenexa. 

Brown recorded a time of 56.46 seconds in the finals of the 100-yard butterfly to take eighth overall. He swam a season-best time of 55.85 in the preliminaries Friday to garner a spot in the finals.

“Colin’s swim in the medal finals on Saturday was so fun to watch,” coach Mary Argeropoulos said. “Hardware from state is not easy to earn and he did a marvelous job all season working toward that final.”

In all, Louisburg sent four swimmers to the state meet in Brown, Brayton Brueggen, Colton Prettyman and Andrew Jamison and the Wildcats turned in several times that earned spots in the consolation finals. As team, the Wildcats finished 15th overall with 44 points.

The OZ-PA-LOU team also had swimmers from Paola and Osawatomie that swam in the consolation finals in Paola’s Landen Terflinger and Osawatomie’s Luke Hebert.

“We were thrilled to represent OzPaLou at state this season,” Argeropoulos said. “The boys worked so hard and it definitely paid off. We are so proud of their season and final performances at state. Each swimmer had at least one personal best time and competed fiercely in the pool.”

The 200 medley relay of Brueggen, Brown, Jamison and Prettyman set a new personal best Friday in the prelims, only to set another one Saturday in the consolation finals.

The Wildcat quartet finished 10th overall with a time of 1:48.26 and set the tone for a successful day.

In the consolation finals of the 200 freestyle, Brown finished 13th overall in 1:52.62 seconds and Terflinger was 16th in 1:57.70. Terflinger was also 11th in the 500 freestyle in 5:20.

Jamison improved on his time in the 100 breaststroke as he took 12th overall in the consolation finals in 1:05.83. Prettyman just missed out on the finals as he took 18th in 1:06.81, while Jamison missed the finals of the 200 individual medley and finished 17th in 2:11.52

Hebert scored points for the Osawatomie side as he took 12th in the 100 butterfly in 56.37.

The 400 freestyle relay Brueggen, Jamison, Brown and Prettyman ended the meet strong. After advancing to the consolation finals Friday, the team improved their time Saturday.

Louisburg finished 12th in the event with a time of 3:33.73. It was the end to what was an historic season for Louisburg boys swim.

“There were so many fun aspects of the state meet but perhaps my favorite was watching these young men support, cheer for, console, push and encourage one another each and every practice and meet,” Argeropoulos said. “We are looking forward to the 2023-2024 season.”

Louisburg senior Brayton Brueggen will swim a pair of relays during the Class 5-1A state meet today at the Shawnee Mission School District Aquatic Center in Lenexa. Brueggen, along with Colton Prettyman, Colin Brown and Andrew Jamison will begin competition at 4 p.m.

LENEXA — Louisburg started competing in boys swimming during the 2019-20 season, and for the first time four years, the Wildcats will end their season competing against the state’s best.

After not sending anyone in the first three years of existence, the Wildcats will send four to the Class 5-1A Kansas State Swimming Championships, beginning today. 

Senior Brayton Brueggen, sophomore Colton Prettyman, along with freshmen Andrew Jamison and Colin Brown, will hit the pool at the Shawnee Mission School District Aquatic Center starting at 4 p.m. for preliminaries.

Between the four swimmers, the Wildcats will compete in five individual events to go along with two relays. It has been a long time coming, especially for Brueggen, who has been with the program since its inception.

“It means a lot to compete at state, as that was the primary goal the whole season,” Brueggen said. “The past couple of years we were so close to competing at the state level as we were just off by a couple milliseconds. I am looking forward to competing.”

Brueggen will join Brown, Jamison and Prettyman to compete in the 200-yard medley relay, along with the 400 freestyle relay. The group sits 16th in the medley and 13th in the 400 going into prelims. The top 16 finishers in the prelims earn a spot in the finals on Saturday.

“I think we will be competitive with the other teams (Friday),” Brueggen said. “We have the guys and the times to make it to finals on Saturday. We have been working together all season and should put up a good fight.”

Brown has had a big freshman season for the Wildcats to this point. He qualified for state in three individual events, but swimmers are only allowed to compete in two at the meet this weekend.

He has chosen to take part in the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly. Brown currently sits 10th in both events and the top eight will earn state medals.

“It’s truly an honor that I have been able to compete at the level I have, and to be able to qualify for this meet as a freshman,” Brown said. “Coming into the season I had high expectations for myself. I wanted to qualify in most of the events I swam, but the relays were my favorite to qualify. To be able to be a part of the first Louisburg relay to ever qualify for state, while only having four LHS swimmers was very exciting for me, and the other swimmers.

“My goals for this weekend are to swim swim strong, drop time and represent LHS with pride.”

Jamison also qualified in a pair of events for Louisburg. He will compete in the 100 breaststroke, where he currently has the 13th best time and the 200 individual medley, where he is 18th.

“To compete at state as a freshman means a lot to me because it’s a memory I’m going to have for a long time,” Jamison said. “It really shows that all the hard work that not just me, but the whole team has put in, has paid off.

“I had high expectations for myself coming into the season including qualifying for state, but there is always a little bit of ‘Wow, I just did that!’ after every great race. You would need to add words to the dictionary to describe how excited I am. And as for goals, I just want to get a personal best and have loads of fun.”

As for Prettyman, he qualified in the 100 breaststroke in his final meet of the season last week at the ILC meet. He currently sits with the 12th fastest time.

The state finals will be held at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week nine of the winter sports season, sponsored by Vohs Pharmacy.

COLTON PRETTYMAN, SOPHOMORE, BOYS SWIMMING

Louisburg sophomore Colton Prettyman had a big day for the Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg boys swim team last week at the Independent League Championship. Prettyman won the league title 100-yard breaststroke and earned a state qualification time in the process. He also went on to finish second in the 50 freestyle and help the team to a league title.

Prettyman was also a part of a pair of relays that won league championships. He joined Brayton Brueggen, Colin Brown and Andrew Jamison as they won the 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle relays. Prettyman will compete at the state meet this Friday and Saturday as he swims the 100 breaststroke, along with the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays.

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: Adyson Ross

Week 2: Colin Brown

Week 3: Colyer Wingfield

Week 4: Kaven Bartlett

Week 5: Trace Eslinger

Week 6: Jay McCaskill

Week 7: Andrew Jamison

Week 8: Brianne Kuhlman

Louisburg sophomore Colton Prettyman won the 100 breaststroke title Wednesday during the ILC in Osawatomie. Prettyman also earned a state qualification in the event. He was also a part of two league champion relays.

OSAWATOMIE — The Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg boys swim team took the pool with just eight swimmers, but that didn’t stop it from achieving something great Wednesday in its home pool.

The Miami County team won the Independent League Championship at the Ozone in Osawatomie with 342 points. Bonner Springs was the next closest in the 8-team meet with 264. 

On top of the championship, the group won seven individual league titles and earned four more state qualification times.

“These eight gentlemen have worked so hard this season top to bottom,” coach Mary Argeropoulos said. “They are a well rounded team that supports, pushes, and cheers for one another and it’s so great to see all that pay off with a league championship.”

Louisburg freshman Colin Brown led the way as he won two individual league titles, and two more as part of a relay, to go along with his third state qualification time of the season. 

Brown won the 200-yard freestyle in 1:53.16 and the 100 butterfly in 56.45 seconds. Brown, along with Brayton Brueggen, Colton Prettyman and Andrew Jamison won the 200 free relay in 1:36.14 and the 400 free relay in 3:40.28.

His leg in the 400 free relay was also fast enough to earn a state qualification time in the 100 freestyle.

Prettyman also had a big night as he was the league champion in the 100 breaststroke in 1:06.24, which was also a state qualification time. He also finished second in the 50 freestyle in 23.74 seconds.

“The atmosphere at the pool was special and it’s no surprise that those swimmers stepped up and laid down great races,” Argeropoulos said. “They’ve been inching closer and closer all season and they should be extremely proud of their swims at league. 

“Colton Prettyman has been consistently dropping crazy amounts of times across the board this season. His relay legs have been a constant strong point for the team and it’s gratifying to see his individual success come through for him.”

Jamison also had a strong performance as he was the league champion in the 200 individual medley in 2:13.12, which was also a state qualification time — his second of the season. He also took second in the 100 breaststroke in 1:08.32.

Brueggen took runner-up honors in both of his races. The Louisburg senior was second in the 200 IM in 2:29.45 and second in the 100 backstroke in 1:05.78.

Paola’s Landen Terflinger finished second in the both the 100 and 200 freestyle, and also earned a state qualification time in the 200 freestyle in 1:55.39.

Osawatomie’s Luke Hebert was the league champion in the 500 freestyle in 6:21. He also took second in the 100 butterfly.

Now, the team will prepare for the Class 5-1A state meet that begins this Friday in Lenexa. The event will run through Saturday.

“State should be so much fun for our boys,” Argeropoulos said. “We are focusing on putting out the best swims possible and enjoying the ride.  We expected to be there from the beginning of the season and we can’t wait to see it all play out.”