Louisburg freshman Colin Brown (pictured above) along with teammates Andrew Jamison, Brayton Brueggen and Colton Prettyman qualified for state in the 400-yard freestyle relay last week at Bonner Springs.

BONNER SPRINGS — For most of the season, coach Mary Argeropoulos has been trying to figure out why the Louisburg 400-yard relay hasn’t earned state qualifying time yet.

“All year, I’ve been encouraging our relays, that according to their individual swim times, they should be able to post a qualifying time in the 400 Free relay easily,” Argeropoulos said. “On paper, they should have been able to swim a 3:44 time which would have qualified the relay, but we had just not been able to put it together at the end of a meet in competition.”

Whatever happened last Tuesday at the Bonner Springs Invitational, did the trick.

The relay team of Brayton Brueggen, Colton Prettyman, Colin Brown and Andrew Jamison blew their season best time out of the water in 3 minutes and 39.72 seconds to not only finish first, but earned that elusive state qualification bid.

The Louisburg quartet has now qualified for state in two relays, along with the 200 medley. In the 200 free relay, the group also finished first at Bonner in 1:40.41.

“It was a really great moment,” Argeropoulos said. “They knew they had swam well, but hadn’t realized that they qualified until they returned to the team area. It was so cool.”

The Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg team put together a strong performance as well. The Miami County group of just eight swimmers, finished second overall with 333 points, behind Topeka-Seaman which won with 470.

Brown also added another state qualification time of own. He earned a state bid in his third event this season after he recorded a time of 1:54.09 in the 200 freestyle and took second overall.

The Louisburg freshman has now qualified for state in three individual events to go along with the two relays.

Osawatomie’s Luke Hebert earned a state qualifying time for the team as he was second in the 100 butterfly in 57.50 seconds, knocking three seconds off his time.

The Miami County team will now send six of its eight swimmers to the state meet later this month.

Prettyman had a good day individually at Bonner Springs as he took second in the 50 freestyle and 100 breaststroke. Jamison was also third in the 100 and 200 freestyle.

Brueggen took second in the individual medley and fifth in the 100 backstroke, while Brown also earned a state consideration time in the 100 breaststroke as he took third.

Paola’s Landen Terflinger took second in the 100 backstroke and posted a state consideration time and was fourth in the 50 freestyle.

Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg will return to their home waters this Wednesday as they will host the Independent League Championship. Events begin at 4 p.m at the Ozone in Osawatomie.

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

ANDREW JAMISON, FRESHMAN, BOYS SWIMMING

Louisburg freshman Andrew Jamison is off to fast start to high school swim career. Jamison helped the Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg swim team to a second place finish at the Blue Valley Northwest triangular. Jamison won the 200 individual medley in 2:15.60 and finished second in the breaststroke in 1:08.61. He later helped the 400 free relay to a second place finish as well in 3:51.96.

The week prior, Jamison also punched his ticket for the state meet. The Louisburg freshman earned a state qualifying time in the 100 breaststroke in 1:06.64 after earning a state spot in a relay earlier in the year.

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

Louisburg freshman Andrew Jamison qualified for state in the 100-yard breaststroke Wednesday during the team’s home meet in Osawatomie.

OSAWATOMIE — The Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg boys swim team had an impressive showing in its first meet of the new year.

The Miami County swim team qualified for state in two more events and put together several state consideration times in its meet victory Wednesday at the Ozone in Osawatomie.

Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg won the five-team meet with 301 points to go along with eight first place finishes and six runner-up performances.

“This home meet was a great showing for our team,” coach Mary Argeropoulos said. “Everyone swam really well and everyone got new personal best times. The first place finish was icing on the cake.”

Louisburg freshman Andrew Jamison qualified for state in his first individual event as he recorded a time of a 1 minute and 6.64 seconds in the 100-yard breaststroke and he won the event.

His teammate, Paola’s Landen Terflinger, also earned a state bid in the 500 freestyle in 5:28.78 with a victory Wednesday.

“We are simply over the moon about our state qualifiers,” Argeropoulos said. “It really is a fantastic accomplishment to consider or qualify for the state swim meet and we are proud that as of right now, 5 of our 8 swimmers will be representing OzPaLou at state in February.”

The team also earned state consideration times in four other events.

Louisburg sophomore Colton Prettyman earned state consideration times in the 100 freestyle and 100 breaststroke. Prettyman took second in the 100 freestyle with a time of 54.02 seconds and was second in the breaststroke in 1:09.38.

Freshman Colin Brown, another Louisburg swimmer, earned a state consideration time in the 100 freestyle. Brown won the event in 53.17 seconds and he also won the 200 individual medley in 2:12.50, improving on his state qualification time earlier in the year.

Terflinger recorded a state consideration time in the 200 IM in 2:16.09 as he took second. Osawatomie’s Luke Hebert won the 100 butterfly in 1:00.64 and earned a state consideration time as well.

Louisburg’s relay group of Brayton Brueggen, Jamison, Brown and Prettyman also swam well. The team took first in the 200 medley relay in 1:51.48, improving on their state time from earlier in the year.

The group also won the 200 freestyle relay in 1:39.65, just missing out on a state qualification time. Brueggen also won the 100 backstroke in 1:07.18 and was second in the 200 freestyle in 2:14.37.

Jamison finished second in the 50 freestyle in 25.34 seconds.

The OZ-PAO-Louisburg team returns to action Tuesday at Blue Valley Northwest. The meet is set to begin at 5 p.m.

It was a successful, and eventful, 2022 for Louisburg High School athletics and for those who are connected to the Wildcat program. 

This past year created a lot of school history for LHS and a few programs brought back state hardware.

Below are the top stories from 2022, along with a brief explanation of each. Included in the writeup is the link to the actual story from the event.

When putting the list together, I took a lot of things into account – whether it was team vs. individual, popularity of the sport, historical achievements and the interest it drew on the web site.

This year was a blast to cover and I am looking forward to seeing what 2023 will bring. Thank you to everyone for their support and can’t wait for it all to begin again.

10. Louisburg golf qualifies for state

FORT SCOTT — As the scores were rolling in, the Louisburg golf team was a little worried.

The Wildcats were in jeopardy of not qualifying for state after a few of the golfers didn’t have the scores they were hoping for in the Class 4A regional tournament in Fort Scott.

Chanute and Independence had already assured themselves of a spot, but the third place team was up in the air as the top three teams automatically qualify for state.

As it turned out, the Wildcats had nothing to worry about as they edged Paola by four strokes to finish in third with a 357 to secure their third consecutive spot in the 4A state tournament.

Seniors A.J. Arriola, Sam Wheeler, Ian Kirkpatrick, Johnny Thompson, along with juniors Jackson Olson and Nick Lancaster, advanced to the state tournament. 

Arriola carded a 78 and finished as a regional runner-up, as he was just two strokes behind regional champion Drayton Cleaver of Chanute.

As for Olson, the Louisburg junior set a personal record by six strokes to shoot an 81 and took fourth overall. Those personal bests were enough to get the Wildcats into that third place spot.

At state, Arriola and  Wheeler finished as the team’s top two golfers. Arriola carded a 97 to take 59th overall, while Wheeler finished with a 98 and came in 66th.

9. Brueggen’s earns school’s first state swim medal

LENEXA — Even though she is just a freshman, Sabra Brueggen is already putting a stamp on her high school swim career at Louisburg High School.

It all came to a rousing end on May 21 as Brueggen earned her first state medal at the Class 5-1A Kansas State Swim and Diving Championships at the Shawnee Mission School District Aquatic Center.

Brueggen became the first swimmer in school history to earn a state medal as she finished fifth in the 100-yard backstroke in 1:00.58.

On the day before in the preliminaries, Brueggen also took fifth in a season-best time of 1:00.15.

“Medaling as freshman means the world to me, and it proves to me that all of my hard work for all of these years, has paid off,” Brueggen said. “I feel like I performed my absolute best at state, and I was very happy with the results. It gives me confidence that I will have a bright future representing OzPaLou at the state swim meets.”

She nearly had a second medal in the 50 freestyle. Brueggen put together a season-best time of 25.26 seconds, but finished ninth overall. It was the same finish she had the in the preliminaries.

The top eight in each event earn a state medal as she was just .06 away from earning another spot on the medal stand.

8. Harding takes over as Wildcat football coach

The Louisburg football program had  a different leader on the sidelines this past season.

The USD 416 Board of Education approved the hire of LHS assistant coach Drew Harding to be the team’s new head coach in January after the district decided not to renew the contact of former coach Robert Ebenstein.

Harding spent the last five seasons as a Wildcat assistant coach, including time as a defensive coordinator. He is a 2010 Louisburg graduate and was a big part of the Wildcat program during his time as a student-athlete at Louisburg High School.

However, Harding didn’t see himself be a head coach of any sport coming out of college.

“It means a lot,” Harding said. “When I got out of school, I didn’t get into education right away and started somewhere else. I decided to get into education because of the impact my former coaches at Louisburg had on me. To come full circle and to be in the position that I am in now, is pretty surreal. I am really excited for the opportunity and hopefully I can have the same type of impact on student athletes as they come through the program.”

Ebenstein has the been the head coach the last five seasons and helped the Wildcats to a 30-18 record during that time, including a Frontier League and regional title in 2018. He had a winning record three of those five seasons.

He was also named the KFCA Coach of the Year during that season and was selected to be an assistant coach for the Kansas Shrine Bowl. He was an assistant coach for the Wildcat program for five years before earning the head coaching job.

7. Conley resigns a Louisburg head boys and girls soccer coach

Louisburg High School head boys and girls soccer coach Kyle Conley stepped down from his position after seven years.

He was recently hired to lead the boys and girls soccer programs at Blue Valley West, where he will serve as the head coach of both teams.

Conley, who also taught social studies at LHS, informed the players and parents of his decision on May 4. The Blue Valley Board of Education approved his hire on May 9.

“Making the decision to leave Louisburg was extremely difficult,” Conley said. “The players and parents, both past and present, made this decision tough. No parents or players caused this decision. I am very thankful to Mr. (Dave) Tappan and Mr. (Darin) Gagnebin for giving me this opportunity to coach and teach at Louisburg. The amount of support that my teams, my family and I received from Louisburg soccer parents and the community was incredible.”

Bobby Bovaird was hired as the new boys head coach, while Ben York returned to the program as the new assistant. York was also named the girls head coach after serving 13 years as the boys head coach previous to Conley.

Conley has the been head girls coach at Louisburg since its inception in 2016 and has led that program to four consecutive state final fours. 

Twice, the Wildcats made the state championship game and finished runner-up on both occasions. He has guided the program to an 82-34-3 record.

Conley took over the boys program in 2016 and finished with a 77-32-3 record. He led the Wildcats to two state final fours during that span, including a third place finish in 2020.

“I am so proud of the things that our student athletes in the soccer programs have accomplished both on and off the soccer field,” Conley said. “I will always cherish the memories that we have made here with the Louisburg soccer programs.”

6. Girls cross country qualifies for state, Vohs earns state medal

WAMEGO — For the second consecutive season, Emma Vohs left the Class 4A state cross country meet with more than was she arrived with.

Vohs earned her second state medal at Wamego Country Club as she finished 10th overall with a time of 20 minutes and 51 seconds. The Louisburg junior did what she set out to accomplish.

“I was so excited to win another state medal this season and couldn’t be happier that I reached my goal for that race, which was placing top 10,” Vohs said. “The race was a tougher course, as was the competition this year, but I am blessed to run with such talented girls that push me to do better each race.”

Vohs led the Lady Cat team that qualified for state for the sixth consecutive season. As a team, Louisburg finished eighth overall with 208 points.

A week earlier at regionals, the team of Vohs, Maddy Rhamy, Lola Edwards, Nova Ptacek, Bree Gassman, Erin Apple and Madison Huggins finished third to punch their ticket to state

“It never gets old seeing the joy in the team’s eyes when they hear they qualified for state,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “The girls work hard to accomplish this goal each year, and because of their dedication to their sport, they achieve great things even if they might not make it, but they did. 

“The program has built itself and I’m just glad to be a part of it. Yes, we put together a training plan to accomplish great things at the end of the season, but the runners do the work to get there. It takes self discipline, motivation and guts to be there at the end of the season.”

5. Wildcat wrestling medals 3 at state

Louisburg wrestling has had its fair share of state medalists in its long history, but what the Wildcats accomplished in February at the Tony’s Pizza Events Center in Salina was something the program had never seen before.

The Wildcats left the Class 4A state tournament with three state medalists, the most for one year in program history. 

Aiden Barker (195 pounds), Kaven Bartlett (126) and Elijah Eslinger (285) each finished in the top six in their respective weight classes and put together their best performances of the season. It was also the first time each of them earned a state medal.

“This season was the most state placers we’ve had in a single year in program history,” Louisburg coach Bobby Bovaird said. “Prior to 1992, KSHSAA only medaled the top 4 in each weight. In both 1988 and 1989, we had two top-4 placers and one top-6 placer, but this really shows how the program is progressing and developing. We nearly had four medalists, too.”

Barker, a senior, was a favorite for a medal heading into Salina and finished fifth overall with a 13-1 major decision over Ottawa’s Jared Ferguson in the fifth-place match.

Bartlett and Eslinger also left lasting impressions on the Wildcat program as each medaled sixth overall after both nearly turned their brackets upside down as they advanced to the semifinals on Friday. They both guaranteed themselves a medal on the first day.

4. Louisburg cheer earns state runner-up performance

TOPEKA — It has almost become commonplace to see the Louisburg High School cheer squad in the finals of the Class 4A Gameday Spirit Showcase.

However, that doesn’t mean the cheerleaders are any less excited about it.

For the second straight season, the Wildcats finished as the state runner-up in the Class 4A competition at the Stormont-Vail Events Center. They finished with a score of 79.45 and were one point behind champion Paola.

It is the fourth straight season that the Wildcats have finished in the top three, which included a state championship in 2019.

“I am so unbelievably and incredibly proud of this team,” Louisburg coach Marissa Morrow said. “This positivity and attitude that these girls have shown this year have been the key to our success. I had no doubt that the material and performances we brought on Saturday had the potential to do well, but it was the girls who made it possible to pull it together. They were all such competitors and left it all out on the mat, and I couldn’t ask for more. We also could not have done it without the support of our amazing cheer families.”

Members of the team are Sydney Dudzik, Bella Feikert, Zoe Cutshaw, Caroline Dugger, Elizabeth George, Addison Drake, Brooklyn Harmon, Adison Vargo, Maddy Carpenter-Ross, Sienna Finch, Alayna Stohs, Alaina Dudzik, Maddie O’Keefe, Liz Willming, Kayleigh Ramsey, Taryn Osborn, Anna Brizendine and Jocelyn Burk.

3. LHS football secures Frontier League title

With just over a minute left in regulation, Louisburg was staring at the possibility of their first league loss and was watching an outright Frontier League title slip away.

Spring Hill scored a touchdown and took a four-point lead with 1 minute and 12 seconds left. Things were looking bleak for the Wildcats.

As it turned out, 52 seconds was all the Wildcats needed to pull off one of the season’s most memorable moments. Louisburg quarterback Declan Battle found junior Caden Caplinger in the endzone on an 18-yard touchdown pass with 20 seconds remaining to give the Wildcats a 20-17 victory.

The win was the Wildcats’ seventh straight on the season and clinched the team’s first Frontier League championship since 2018.

“There weren’t a lot of people who thought we could be league champions,” Louisburg coach Drew Harding said. “I don’t think it was anything that people expected out of us, and the Frontier League is really good. For this group to come to work, get better every day and to see success is pretty sweet.”

The win was extra special for 16 Louisburg seniors as they were also able to celebrate that league title on Senior Night.

Jackson Kush, Nathan Apple, Carson Wade, Isaiah Whitley, Riley Van Eaton, J.R. Rooney, Will Hutsell, Brayton Brueggen, Christian Golladay, Nathan Vincent, Jase Hovey, Mack Newell, Hunter Moore, Mason Dobbins, Corbin Hamman and Layne Ryals all got to end their final regular season home game with a win.

“The Frontier League title means so much to me and this team,” Rooney said. “As a team before the season, the seniors wrote down our goals, and league champs was on everyone’s list. To clinch it on senior night was amazing. Going undefeated at home, to win it on our field in front of our town — it was an indescribable feeling.”

2. Wildcat volleyball finishes fourth at state

HUTCHINSON — The state tournament ended the way it started for the Louisburg volleyball team — with a loss to Towanda-Circle.

Still, it was everything that happened in between that made for a lot of lasting memories for the Wildcat players.

Louisburg went 2-1 in pool play at the Hutchinson Sports Arena, which included a revenge win over Tonganoxie in the final match of the day. That gave the Lady Cats a spot in the state semifinals Saturday, where they finished fourth in Class 4A.

The Wildcats suffered a 2-0 loss to both Bishop Miege and Circle, but they still ended their season as one of the state’s top teams.

“I am extremely proud of this team,” Louisburg coach Leanna Willer said. “Looking at how we started this season, and our ups and downs along the way, it is a huge accomplishment for them to have come together as a team at the end of the season and play our best volleyball yet. It was apparent in the last couple of weeks that they really started playing for each other and capitalizing on the strong team bonds they built throughout the year.”

It was all thanks to an upset the previous week. Louisburg defeated the state’s No. 1 seed, Baldwin, in the sub-state championship match to earn the state berth.

The Wildcats, the No. 9 seed, knocked off No. 1 seed Baldwin, 25-18 and 25-19, at Baldwin High School in the finals of the Class 4A sub-state tournament. That win puts Louisburg in the state tournament for the first time since 2019.

Members of the team are Emma Prettyman, Adyson Ross, Claire Brown, Allie Kennedy, Ashlyn Berck, Delaney Nelson, Izzy Moreland, Bronwynn Williams, Caileigh Kilgore, Megan Quinn, Hailey Sword and Madelyn Williams.

1. Wildcat boys take third at state track; Koontz, Caplinger win state titles; Lady Cats medal nine

WICHITA — For the second consecutive season, the Louisburg boys track and field team brought home hardware from the Class 4A state meet.

After winning the state championship in 2021, the Wildcats once again found their way to the podium in Wichita as they finished third overall with 67 points.

Andale won the state championship with 101 points and Chanute was the state runner-up with 71.

Louisburg got points from a lot of different areas as the Wildcats medaled in 10 events and had 12 medalists overall, including all three of their relays.

Louisburg senior Tom Koontz won a pair of state titles in the hurdles, while sophomore Caden Caplinger captured the gold medal in the pole vault.

“I am not going to complain at all,” Koontz said. “I believe we came here with less people than we did last year and everyone did their best. Even though we didn’t get exactly what we wanted, third place is still a great achievement.”

What he couldn’t believe was he had just won his first state title in the 300 hurdles and Koontz did so by breaking a 14-year-old school record. Koontz ran a time of 38.98 seconds to break R.J. Saunders’ record of 39.16 set in 2008 to earn the gold.

It turned out to be his second state title of the day as he also earned the gold medal in the 110-meter high hurdles with a time of 14.61 seconds. Koontz won the state in that event last season as well.

Caplinger cleared a lot of his marks in the pole vault and did so in convincing fashion as he was able to win a state title in just his second year with the program.

Last season at state, Caplinger medaled eighth after he cleared 12-6. A year later, the Louisburg sophomore improved his mark by two feet and is a state champion.

It was an impressive showing from Caplinger as he didn’t miss an attempt until he tried for 15 feet at the end. He entered the competition at 12-6 and had five straight successful clearances. 

“At first I was really nervous, but then it just kind of turned into a routine thing,” Caplinger said. “I started going over heights consistently and the rest just kind of fell into place. I cleared 14-6 earlier this week twice in a row, so I knew I could do it. I was still a little nervous though.”

As for the Lady Cats, Delaney Wright left the state meet with three medals. Wright, who has been coming back from a severe injury for most of the season, finished as the state runner-up in the 400-meter dash, third place in the 200 dash and fifth in the long jump.

A season ago, Wright was the state champion in all three events, but couldn’t get the repeat she was hoping for.

“Going into state I knew I still wasn’t where I want to be due to my injury a couple months ago,” Wright said. “But I wanted to attack it still and give it all I had. I am blessed I was there to compete and earn three medals cause in the beginning I didn’t even know if I was going to compete my senior year.”

In all, the Lady Cats put together a strong state performance as they medaled in nine events and finished with 40 team points and took sixth overall. They were just eight points away from the third place spot, and a plaque.

“Once again the state qualifiers did an amazing job,” Louisburg girls coach John Reece said. “They all performed well and most beyond expectations. To leave the meet finishing in sixth place was outstanding. We left with lots of medals and great memories.”

Louisburg freshman Andrew Jamison swims the freestyle on Dec. 12 during the team’s home meet in Osawatomie. Jamison posted state consideration times in the 200 and 500 freestyle.

OSAWATOMIE — For the first time this season, the Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg boys swim team had a chance to hit their home waters on Dec. 12 and it didn’t disappoint.

Despite several having to leave early for a musical event, the Miami County team swam strong when it was in the pool as it finished second overall. OZ-PAO-LOU competed against Hayden, Fort Scott, Coffeyville-Field Kindley, Bonner Springs and Independence.

Three swimmers also posted state consideration times as well. Andrew Jamison (200-yard freestyle, 500 freestyle), Colin Brown (200 individual medley) and Landen Terflinger (50 freestyle) all got a little closer to to earning that state qualification time.

“It’s always nice to have that ‘home pool advantage,’” coach Mary Argeropoulos said. “The boys did a great job being flexible with the event schedule and had some really great swims. Our multi-talented student athletes were able to show off their swimming and musical abilities last Monday.”

Jamison led the Louisburg side with first place finishes in the 200 freestyle (1:59.31) and 500 freestyle (5:33.05). Jamison, along with Brown, Colton Prettyman and Brayton Brueggen also won the 200 freestyle relay in 1:42.57.

Brown won the 200 individual medley in 2:18.75, while Prettyman was second in the 200 freestyle and third in the 50 freestyle. Brueggen, Prettyman, Luke Hebert and Terflinger also won the 200 medley relay in 1:54.41.

Terflinger won the 100 breaststroke in 1:13.77 and was second in the 50 freestyle in 24.40. Hebert took first in the 100 butterfly (1:05.32) and third in the 200 IM (2:39.72).

In its final competition before the holidays, the Miami County team traveled to Blue Valley Southwest on Saturday and placed fourth out of 10 teams.

Terflinger, Jamison, Hebert and Prettyman posted a state qualifying time in the 200 medley relay, however the group will not be able to compete together at state as they are from different schools. 

“The posting time is still a great accomplishment,” Argeropoulos said. 

The same group also posted a state consideration time in the 400 freestyle relay. Jamison had another strong outing as he was second in the 100 breaststroke and seventh in the 100 freestyle.

Terflinger was second in the 100 backstroke and fourth in the 100 butterfly.

The swimmers return to action on Jan. 18 when it hosts another home meet in Osawatomie.

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

COLIN BROWN, FRESHMAN, BOYS SWIMMING

Louisburg freshman Colin Brown didn’t waste much time putting himself in the history books. Brown became the first Louisburg boys swimmer in school history to qualify for state in an individual event. During the Dec. 7 meet in Topeka, Brown won the 100-yard butterfly and earned a state qualification time of 56.50 seconds.

Just days earlier, he was a member of the 200 medley relay at Lansing that became the first relay to qualify for state in school history. Brown, along with Brayton Brueggen, Andrew Jamison and Colton Prettyman, took fourth at the Lansing Relays — but more importantly — earned a state qualifying time of 1:52.12.

To add to his resume, Brown has state consideration times in the 100 backstroke and 200 IM. Brown, Brueggen, Jamison and Prettyman also have state consideration times in the 200 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

TOPEKA — It has been quite the first week for the Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg boys swim team — especially for the four Wildcat swimmers.

In a five-day span, Louisburg has qualified for the state meet in two different events already and the Wildcats have also earned several state consideration times.

It all started Saturday at the Lansing Relays. The Louisburg relay team of Brayton Brueggen, Andrew Jamison, Colin Brown and Colton Prettyman qualified for state in the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1 minute and 52.12 seconds.

“We were so proud of our swimmers for that amazing state qualifying swim,” coach Mary Argeropoulos said. “It really was a sweet moment after working so hard for the last couple of years and not quite qualifying.  There was a lot of excitement on the pool deck. The team overall did a great job in the pool and supporting each other from the sidelines like a true team. It’s going to be a great season with these fine gentlemen.”

It was just a taste of what was to come.

On Wednesday at the Topeka-Hayden Invitational, Brown, a freshman, punched his ticket to state once again — this time as an individual. Brown won the 100-yard butterfly in 56.50 seconds, and in doing so, earned a state qualification time. 

“Colin Brown swam a fantastic 100 butterfly and really made a statement with his commanding swim,” Argeropoulos said. “He simply outswam the competition last night. We are proud to see him represent OzPaLou swim at state.”

The Miami County team also posted six state consideration times as those participants try and chip away at a state qualification mark.

Brueggen, Brown, Jamison and Prettyman earned qualification times in both the 200 and 400 freestyle relays. The team finished first in the 200 relay and later finished fourth in the 400 relay.

“We were happy to shave off more time for a better consideration time for the Louisburg 200 free relay and will continue to reach for that qualification time,” Argeropoulos said. “In the 400 free relay, they  showed true grit after a difficult schedule (they all swam the 2 events just prior to this difficult race) and laid down a great starting point to work for an automatic qualifying time in this event.”

Along with his mark in the 100 butterfly, Brown earned a state consideration time in the 100 backstroke. Jamison, a freshman, also earned consideration times in the 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke where he took second and third, respectively.

Paola freshman Landen Terflinger also earned a state consideration time in the 100 freestyle. As group, Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg took fourth in the team standings out of nine squads.

In his two individual events, Brueggen was fifth in the both the 200 IM and 100 backstrokes, while Prettyman was fifth out of 55 swimmers in the 50 freestyle and was fifth in the 100 breaststroke.

The team will compete in its home opener on Dec. 12 in Osawatomie. The meet is set to begin at 4 p.m.

Louisburg freshman Sabra Brueggen medaled fifth in the 100 backstroke at the state swim meet on May 21 in Lenexa.

LENEXA — Even though she is just a freshman, Sabra Brueggen is already putting a stamp on her high school swim career at Louisburg High School.

It all came to a rousing end on May 21 as Brueggen earned her first state medal at the Class 5-1A Kansas State Swim and Diving Championships at the Shawnee Mission School District Aquatic Center.

Brueggen became the first swimmer in school history to earn a state medal as she finished fifth in the 100-yard backstroke in 1:00.58.

On the day before in the preliminaries, Brueggen also took fifth in a season-best time of 1:00.15.

“Medaling as freshman means the world to me, and it proves to me that all of my hard work for all of these years, has paid off,” Brueggen said. “I feel like I performed my absolute best at state, and I was very happy with the results. It gives me confidence that I will have a bright future representing OzPaLou at the state swim meets.”

She nearly had a second medal in the 50 freestyle. Brueggen put together a season-best time of 25.26 seconds, but finished ninth overall. It was the same finish she had the in the preliminaries.

The top eight in each event earn a state medal as she was just .06 away from earning another spot on the medal stand.

“Placing ninth in the 50 free started a fire in me,” Brueggen said. “I’m determined to push even harder to earn a top eight finish, not in just one event, but both my events next year. However, swimming a lifetime best in the 50 free this year at state has challenged me to work even harder to accomplish my future goals.”

Brueggen had a memorable season for the Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg swim program as she became the first swimmer to qualify for state in all eight of her individual events.

Getting off to a good start in her high school career has only left Brueggen wanting more.

“I’m very excited to see what next year brings, and I’m so thankful for all of my coaches this year that have supported and encouraged me in all of my endeavors,” Brueggen said. “I’m confident that the future of the OzPaLou swim team is bright.”

Louisburg freshman Sabra Brueggen will compete in the 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke at the Class 5-1A state swim meet this weekend in Lenexa.

Sabra Brueggen made a name for herself this season in the high school swim world as she became the first Louisburg swimmer to qualify for state in all eight individual events.

Brueggen will compete against the best the state has to offer beginning Friday at the Class 5-1A Kansas State Swim Championships.

She will also do it as a freshman, but big meets are nothing to new to Brueggen. She has swam competitively for much of her young life and has faced some big challenges along the way.

The state meet is just another one of those stops for Brueggen.

“I have swam against older swimmers my whole life, and this is no exception,” Brueggen said. “I’m a little bit nervous, because it’s important in how I represent myself with all the expectations that have been set on me. However I’m confident in my training and I will trust in myself for rising to the occasion.”

Preliminaries for the 5-1A state meet begin at 9 a.m. on Friday at the Shawnee Mission School District Aquatic Center in Lenexa. The top 16 in each race will compete in the finals beginning at 9 a.m. on Saturday.

Swimmers are only allowed to compete in two individual events at state, so Brueggen went with the ones that are most familiar to her — the 50-yard freestyle and 100 backstroke.

Going into the competition, Brueggen currently has the fifth fastest time in the 100 backstroke in 1:02.47 and is currently a favorite to get a medal in the event.

Brueggen is currently sitting 11th in the 50 freestyle in 25.86 seconds. The top eight in each event receive a state medal.

“I have always dreamed of this moment, since I was a little girl swimming for the (Louisburg) Barracudas, and now that it is here, I have a lot of expectations for myself,” Brueggen said. “My goal is to place top eight in both my events, more specifically I want to place top three in my 100 back. The first step is believing in myself, and with all the support I have around me, I know I will have a successful weekend.”

Although the state meet is quickly approaching, she knows it can’t get here fast enough and Brueggen is thankful for all the support and help she received this season competing for the Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg swim team.

“Representing Louisburg at the state meet as a freshman has been a dream of mine since I was young,” she said. “It means the world to me to have this opportunity, and I couldn’t have done it without all of the people that have helped me along the way.”

Louisburg junior Dana Mattison swims the freestyle in Osawatomie on Wednesday during the team’s final regular season meet of the season.

OSAWATOMIE — The Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg girls swim team hosted its final regular season meet of the season Wednesday as it competed in the Osawatomie Invitational.

The Miami County squad took part in the 8-team meet and ended its regular season strong with a finish in the upper-half of the team standings.

Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg took fourth overall with 310 points. Fort Scott won the meet with 447 points and Independence was second with 359.

It was also Senior Night as the team honored seniors Bri Shippy, Emma Johnson and Emma Boehm, along with their parents, for their time with the program.

However it was a freshman that led the Miami County team on Wednesday.

Louisburg freshman Sabra Brueggen finished first in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2 minutes and 24.49 seconds and won the event by 10 seconds.

Brueggen later went on to finish second in the 500-yard freestyle in 5 minutes and 48 seconds. She has already qualified for state in all eight individual events.

Ashley Branine, Janie Harth, Dana Mattison and Brueggen also finished runner-up in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:59. Branine, Cadence Weichert, Mattison and Brueggen finished third in the 400 freestyle relay in a season-best time of 4:30.

Mattison had a runner-up finish in the 200 freestyle with a season-best time of 2:28.11, while Shippy was sixth in the event in 2:41. Mattison also finished fifth in the 100 freestyle in another season-best time of 1:07 and Branine was sixth in 1:08.

Addie Stuebner led the Miami County team in the 100 butterfly as she was fourth in 1:21 and sixth in the 100 backstroke in 1:13.

Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg will now enter postseason competition as the team will host the Independent League meet Wednesday at the Ozone in Osawatomie.

Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg take sixth at Topeka West

The Miami County team made the trip to Topeka on April 26 for the Topeka West Invitational.

The meet, which featured several bigger schools, provided a lot of competition but Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg took sixth with 195 points out of 12 teams.

Freshman Sabra Brueggen led the way as she won the 100-yard backstroke in 1:03.26 and took third in the 100 freestyle in 56.91 seconds.

Addie Stuebner also had a top three finish as she took third in the 100 backstroke in 1:14.

Brueggen, Ashley Branine, Dana Mattison and Janie Harth were fourth in the 200 medley relay in 2:16 and fifth in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:59.

Mattison had a pair top 10 finishes as she took seventh in the 500 freestyle in 6:46 and ninth in the 200 individual medley in 2:59. Branine was ninth in the 50 freestyle in 29.29 seconds.