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.

It was a successful, and eventful, 2023 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 2023, 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 2024 will bring. Thank you to everyone for their support and can’t wait for it all to begin again.

10. Brings Plenty earns first state cross country medal

WAMEGO — Jerynce Brings Plenty had being eyeing this race since the beginning of the season.

After missing out on the opportunity to run at the Class 4A Kansas State Cross Country Championships in 2022 due to an injury, Brings Plenty was itching at the chance to run against the state’s best.

He got that opportunity at the Wamego Country Club and he took full advantage.

Brings Plenty earned his first state cross country medal as he took 12th overall in a time of 16 minutes and 57 seconds. It has been a long time coming for the Louisburg junior.

“Getting 12th place and a state medal meant everything to me,” Brings Plenty said. “All season my main focus was to place as high as I could at state, especially since I had only placed 51st as a freshman and didn’t race my sophomore year.”

The 2023 season was a successful one for Brings Plenty as he earned a medal in every race he finished. He also moved up the school’s all-time leaderboard and currently holds the second fastest time.

9. Brueggen wins two state swim medals; Brown earns first boys state medal

Sabra Brueggen and Colin Brown put together a pair of historic seasons for their respective swim teams in 2023.

Brueggen doubled her medal count back in May at the state meet at the Capitol Federal Natatorium in Topeka. The Louisburg sophomore earned state medals in both the 100-yard backstroke and 50 freestyle.

After earning the one medal as a freshman a year ago, Brueggen was happy to find the medal stand in both races this season.

However, it has been a long road for Brueggen to get back to the state meet. After suffering a knee injury last summer, she had to work hard to get back in time for this go-round in a recovery that lasted nine months.

“Going into high school swim this season, I only had one personal goal in mind, making it back to finals at state,” Brueggen said. “Little did I know that I was going to make it back to the ‘A’ final in both my events, allowing me to medal. This truly meant the world to me because this past year has been one of the toughest ones yet. Overcoming this nine month long recovery, and accomplishing this at state, was an indescribable feeling.”

As for Brown, the Wildcat freshman earned the school’s first state medal in boys swimming back in February 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 to garner a spot in the finals.

“Colin’s swim in the medal finals 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.

8. Cheer takes fourth at state

TOPEKA — Louisburg cheer has been no stranger to the big stage when it comes to the state competition.

The Wildcats have become a mainstay in the Class 4A Game Day Spirit Showcase in the last several years that has included a state championship and a pair of state runner-up finishes.

Louisburg found itself in position for another state plaque in November at the Stormont-Vail Events Center in Topeka. The Wildcats qualified for the finals with an impressive performance, but came up just short of another state plaque as they took fourth overall in Class 4A.

“I am so proud,” Louisburg coach Breanna Kostroske said. “This team had to welcome not one, but two new coaches and has worked so hard since May on their competition material and it truly showed on the floor Saturday. Being a new coach you are automatically stressed that you haven’t given enough to all aspects of a game day routine, but we put our faith in the team and they showed up and truly represented themselves in a huge way.”

Members of the Louisburg cheer team are: Elizabeth George, Brooklyn Harmon, Addison Drake, Maddie O’Keefe, Maddy Carpenter-Ross, Caroline Dugger, Anna Brizendine, Reece Jones, Addie Vargo, Laney Stohs, Taryn Osborn, Kayleigh Ramsey, Will Leach, Brooklyn Roney, Harper Boyle, Kimmie Powls, Reece Younggren and Reese Anderson. The Wildcats are coached by Breanna Kostroske and Heather Brummel.

7. Pfannenstiel takes AD position, Wildcat basketball hires new coach Ben Doll

The 2023-24 school year for Louisburg High School activities had little different look to it — especially at the top.

Ty Pfannenstiel was hired as the school’s new activities director and took over for 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.

“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.”

Louisburg then hired Ben Doll to replace Pfannenstiel as the new Wildcat boys basketball coach. Doll has patrolled the sidelines as an assistant for two state championship teams and has coached in numerous state tournaments over his 24 year career.

This is Doll’s first head coaching position after spending time as an assistant at St. Thomas Aquinas, Johnson County Community College, Lansing and Blue Valley North.

“I am really excited to get going,” Doll said. “It has been a long time coming. I have a lot of great experiences and I am ready to apply those things I have learned into this job. I am ready to put my own stamp on some stuff as well.”

6. Wrestling qualifies six for state, Eslinger medals

SALINA —  Just like a year ago, Elijah Eslinger found himself one win away from a spot in the state championship match.

Eslinger, who has been ranked in Class 4A at different times throughout the season, has had a long road as a Wildcat heavyweight. One that included a rough freshman year, to progressively getting better.

With a spot in the semifinals at the Class 4A Kansas State Wrestling Championships already wrapped up, he had already secured his second state medal in Salina. Although he didn’t make that championship match, Eslinger still left Salina with some hardware.

“To make the semifinals was exciting, especially since it was the closest match I had,” Eslinger said. “It was probably close to the hardest match that I had over the weekend. I feel like I could have done better looking at my matches in hindsight.”

The Wildcats nearly had two more wresters earn spots on the medal stand. Junior J’Lee Collins (126 pounds) and sophomore Ashton Moore (175) both made their way to the blood round and needed a win to secure a state medal.

The Wildcats also experienced some heartbreak as senior Kaven Bartlett fell short of his goal of earning another state medal. At 138 pounds, Bartlett finished the state tournament with a 1-2 record.

Senior Trace Eslinger (215) and sophomore Jay McCaskill (157) also represented the Wildcats at the state tournament, but finished with an 0-2 record.

5. Lohse wins three state medals, Lady Cats sixth at state

WICHITA — Emma Lohse blazed the track for the Louisburg girls track and field team all season, and the Class 4A Kansas State Track and Field Championships was no different.

Lohse picked up three medals and helped the 4×100-meter relay to another school record at Wichita State’s Cessna Stadium. In all, the Lady Cats medaled in five events and finished sixth in the team standings with 29 points.

“Coming back from Wichita with three state medals was something I had to work for and was happy about the outcome,” Lohse said. “Leaving Cessna Stadium one last time, I was very proud of the way I competed and proud of what I came home with.”

Lohse was just inches away from winning a state championship in the 100-meter dash. At the finish line, the Louisburg senior was step-for-step with Rose Hill’s Kate Dare.

As the two leaned for the finish line, Dare edged Lohse for first as Lohse ran a time of 12.46 seconds. Dare ran a 12.44.

Later in the 200-meter dash, Lohse earned another state medal as she took seventh in 26.77 seconds.

Sandwiched in between those two races, Lohse helped the 4×100-meter relay of Mackenzie Rooney, Suzanna Dansel and Kendall Crossley to a medal of their own.

The Lady Cat relay finished third overall with a time of 49.70 seconds. Andale won in 49.24 and McPherson was second at 49.67.

However, in the preliminaries on Friday, the team broke their own school record for the fourth consecutive time in 49.26 seconds and had the fastest time going into the finals.

Another Lady Cat to find the medal stand was Emma Prettyman. The Louisburg senior put together a strong showing in the discus.

Prettyman earned her first state medal as she finished sixth in the event with a throw of 115 feet, 9 inches.

4. Wildcat pole vaulters dominate 4A state meet

WICHITA — Maddy Carpenter-Ross, Caden Caplinger and Cooper Wingfield had been considered as some of the top pole vaulters in Class 4A for most of the season.

All three had finished at, or toward the top of each of their meets this year, and all of them had high hopes going into state meet at Wichita State.

Carpenter-Ross and Caplinger reached the highest summit Class 4A had to offer as both were crowned state champions following their respective events.

Caplinger became a two-time state champion first as he cleared 15 feet to win the 4A boys pole vault. Wingfield finished as the state runner-up.

“It means a lot and I am just blessed to have the opportunity to be here and win the title, especially with Cooper right on my tail,” Caplinger said. 

Carpenter-Ross thrived under the pressure in the girls competition as she, not only looked for her second consecutive state medal, but her first state championship. 

The Louisburg junior captured her first state title after she cleared 11 feet, which tied a personal best. This coming off a season where she medaled fifth at state a year ago.

“I think it is fantastic,” Carpenter-Ross said. “Going to 11 feet, I was tied with the one girl and I was hoping that I would get it on my first try. Then when I did, it was just an amazing feeling. 

“It was just awesome for me, plus to see my family’s faces up in the stands was really cool too. Being a state champion is awesome and I plan to do it again.”

3. Wildcat football wins back-to-back Frontier League titles

SPRING HILL — It had been 16 years since the Louisburg football team last repeated as back-to-back Frontier League champions.

That drought ended on an October night in Spring Hill.

In a battle of undefeated league teams, Louisburg proved its was the best. The Wildcats scored 21 unanswered points, and shutout the Broncos in the first half, as they cruised to a 35-21 victory.

Louisburg earned back-to-back league crowns for the first time since the 2006 and 2007 campaigns. The Wildcats also finished the regular season with an 8-0 record.

“It is pretty exciting,” Louisburg coach Drew Harding said. “We talked to the guys before the game about how long it is has been since we have won back-to-back league titles and it has only been done four times in our school’s history. So to chalk another one up there feels pretty good.”

The Wildcats advanced to the regional round of the state playoffs in early November, but lost a heartbreaker to Basehor-Linwood, 22-20, and ended a nine game winning streak.

“This season was a lot of fun,” Harding said. “It is a great group of kids and they worked incredibly hard. They were loose and made it fun every single day. I can’t say enough about how good of kids they are and how hard they work. We hoped to still be moving on, but this loss doesn’t take away from what these kids did all year.”

2. Wildcat volleyball takes fourth at state for second straight year

HUTCHINSON — For the second time in as many years, Louisburg is leaving the state volleyball tournament with some hardware.

The Wildcats, for the second straight season, finished fourth Saturday at the Class 4A Kansas State Volleyball Championships in Hutchinson. It marked the 20th appearance for the Wildcats in the tournament.

Getting that hardware and making it to Saturday was certainly a battle for the Wildcats, who had to fight through adversity during pool play on Friday. Louisburg had to deal with injuries and had its fate rest in another team’s hands. 

Despite all that, Louisburg left with a fourth place medal following a tough 23-25, 25-8 and 25-16 loss to Andale in the third-place match Saturday at Hutchinson Sports Arena.

“We are very proud of this team for making it back to the state tournament and finishing in the final four again,” Louisburg coach Leanna Willer said. “We, of course, will always strive for higher finishes until we reach that ultimate goal of state champions, but we are proud of where we finished the season and were happy with the success of this team.”

Members of the Louisburg volleyball team are (from left) Adelyn Moore, Caileigh Kilgore, McKenna Lohse, Delaney Nelsen, Aspen Coulter, Evyn Richardson, Ashlyn Berck, Katie Elpers, Izzy Moreland, Megan Quinn, Hailey Sword, Madie Williams and head coach Leanna Willer.

1. Wildcat boys track finishes as state runner-up; Dobbins wins state title in high jump as team medals in 13 events

WICHITA — The Louisburg boys track and field team had the resume of a state champion. 

The Wildcats racked up 87 points during the Class 4A Kansas State Track and Field Championships at Wichita State. 

Louisburg medaled in all 13 events it competed and the Wildcats finished the meet with two individual state champions. The ending was supposed to feature the Wildcats holding up a state championship plaque.

“If you would have told me at the beginning of the year we would score 87 points at state and not win a championship, I would have just ignored you and said ‘Whatever,’” Louisburg coach Andy Wright said. “No way that would happen.”

As it turned out, the Wildcats found themselves on the outside looking in for a team state title. Andale finished first with 87.5 points. Louisburg had 87.

It was an emotional letdown for the Wildcats as they were so close to that team goal.

“To beat Andale, we had to score 88 and that is just a testament to how good they are,” Wright said. “They have really good athletes, especially in the throws. At the same time, I couldn’t be more proud of my guys and how they competed. It was just so much fun to watch them lay it all out there. They really did have a great season.”

Mason Dobbins reached new heights at the Class 4A Kansas State Track and Field Championship.

Ok, well maybe not literally.

Dobbins who broke a school record in the high jump earlier this year, didn’t reach that height at the state meet — but he didn’t need to. The Louisburg senior cleared 6 feet, 6 inches to win the Class 4A high jump title.

It was the first of four state medals that Dobbins would win on the day as he helped lead the Wildcats to the Class 4A state runner-up plaque.

“It meant everything to be a state champion and to be able to medal in all of my events this year since I didn’t last year,” Dobbins said. “Our team trains so hard, and to be able to be runner up by .5 points, is incredible.”

Dobbins nearly earned his second state title in the 110-meter hurdles as he found himself in a battle with Rose Hill’s Teagan Cobb. The two were stride-for-stride going into he final hurdle, but Cobb nipped Dobbins at the finish line.

Later on, he joined Caden Caplinger, Colyer Wingfield and Ethan Ptacek in the 4×100-meter relay and the team medaled third in 43.38 seconds. Ptacek had to run for Ashton Moore, who was injured during the preliminaries.

Then toward the end of the meet, Dobbins, who was sitting seventh in the 200-meter dash after the preliminaries, battled to keep his team in the state championship race and medaled third in 23.07.

Louisburg senior Nathan Vincent got his team a lot of points in the throwing events as he medaled in the javelin, discus and shot put — with the latter being his best event of the weekend.

Vincent, who just started doing shot put this year, put together his best performance of the season. He recorded a personal best throw of 51-8 in the finals to take third overall. He also went on to take fifth in the discus and sixth in the javelin.

Sophomore Jerynce Brings Plenty also came away with three state medals in the distance events, but none was more precious to him than the 3,200-meter run.

Brings Plenty broke the school record in the event as he medaled third in 9 minutes and 49.41 seconds. He surpassed the old mark of 9:50.60 that was set by Jason Rose in 2007.

He continued his medal streak for the Wildcats as he joined Hunter Heinrich, Blaise Vohs and Colton Blue to medal seventh in the 4×800-meter relay.

Later in the day, Brings Plenty competed in the 1,600 run and took sixth in 4:34.42.

Louisburg senior Nathan Apple left his final state meet with a pair of medals in both hurdle events. Apple finished fourth in the 110-meter hurdles in 15.29 seconds on Saturday.

Apple also went on to take fourth in the 300 hurdles in 40.55 seconds as he ended his Wildcat track career on a positive note.

The Wildcats ended the state meet with the 4×400-meter relay as the team of Heinrich, Vohs, Colyer Wingfield and Ptacek needed a third place finish or better to win the state title. Unfortunately, the Wildcats came up just short as they took fourth in 3:23.98.

Louisburg set a new personal record by three seconds and was .25 seconds away from tying the school record. The Wildcats also scored points in all three relay events.

Louisburg sophomore Andrew Jamison earned a state qualification time in the 200-yard freestyle Saturday at Blue Valley Southwest.

OVERLAND PARK — In its final meet before the holidays, the Miami County swim team — Louisburg more specifically — added to its list of state qualification times. 

Sophomores Colin Brown and Andrew Jamison each qualified for state in more events Saturday at the Blue Valley Southwest Invitational. 

Brown added to his already long list of events as he recorded state qualification times in the 200-yard freestyle and 100 backstroke. As for Jamison, he also earned a state qualification in the 200 freestyle.

As a team, the Osawatomie-Paola-Louisburg-Spring Hill squad finished second in the team standings, just 46 points behind Blue Valley Southwest.

“We have a great core group of experienced swimmers that are performing beyond expectations this season and a big crop of new swimmers that are improving exponentially day by day,” Louisburg coach Mary Argeropoulos said. “Being able to post those qualifying and considering times this early in the season really makes for a relaxed atmosphere at meets where the boys can really enjoy this sport and the camaraderie of the team. We are thrilled about the future.”

Brown finished second in the 200 freestyle with a state qualifying time 1 minute and 56.91 seconds and Jamison was right behind him in third with a state time of his own in 1:57.80.

Brown later won the 100 backstroke in a state time qualifying time of 59.14 seconds.

Jamison, Brown, Osawatomie’s Luke Hebert and Spring Hill’s Dylan Mabe also had a state qualification time in the 200 medley relay in 1:45.39.

Mabe, Louisburg junior Colton Prettyman, Hebert and Paola’s Landen Terflinger were third in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:36.80 and also earned a state time.

Brown, Prettyman, Nic Terblance and Jamison had a state consideration time in the 400 freestyle relay in 3:54.89 and finished fifth overall.

Jamison went on to finish second in the 100 breaststroke in 1:03, while Prettyman was fourth in 1:09. Prettyman was also fifth in the 50 freestyle and Hebert was second in the 100 butterfly.

The Miami County team will be back in action on Jan. 17 when it hosts its home invitational in Osawatomie.

Louisburg sophomore Colin Brown has earned three individual, and two relay state qualifying times in the past week.

Just a couple meets into the season, the Louisburg boys swimmers are already positioning themselves for what they hope is a special postseason.

The Wildcats have already racked up several state qualification times as junior Colton Prettyman, sophomores Colin Brown and Andrew Jamison, and freshman Noah Sharp have already cemented a spot for themselves at the state meet.

It all started on Dec. 6 when the Wildcats traveled to the Topeka-Hayden Invitational along with their Osawatomie, Paola and Spring Hill teammates. The team finished second overall and recorded several state qualifications.

Jamison won the 100-yard breaststroke in a personal best time of 1 minute and 3.70 seconds. He also qualified for state and took second in the 200 individual medley in another personal best time of 2:10.66.

As for Brown, a returning state medalist, he also qualified for state in two events. He won the 100 butterfly in a new personal best of 56.04 seconds and later took third in the 500 freestyle in 5:21, which was a personal record by more than 11 seconds.

Louisburg also qualified a pair of relays. Jamison, Brown, Prettyman and Sharp were second in the 200 medley relay in 1:48.

The same quartet also took second in the 200 freestyle relay in a state qualification time of 1:38. Osawatomie senior Luke Hebert also earned a spot at state as he was second in the 100 butterfly in 59 seconds.

Prettyman also had a strong meet as he earned a state consideration time in the 100 freestyle after he took fourth with a personal best time of 53.85 seconds.

The Miami County team then hosted its home invitational Monday at the OZone in Osawatomie. It ran away with a first place finish with 325 points in the 8-team meet.

Brown posted another state qualifying time, the newest one coming in the 200 individual medley in 2:10.51, which is a personal best time. 

Prettyman, who finished in second in the 200 IM, also posted a state consideration time in the event and in the 100 freestyle, where he took first in 53.21.

Brown also won the 100 breaststroke and posted a state consideration time. Jamison won both the 100 butterfly and 500 freestyle and Jamison posted a state consideration time in the 100 butterfly.

Brown, Jamison, Hebert and Prettyman finished first in both the 200 medley and freestyle relays. Louisburg’s Noah Sharp and Brock Delmez, also joined Dylan Mabe and Landon Terflinger, to take second in the 400 freestyle relay.

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

ANDREW JAMISON, SOPHOMORE, SWIMMING

Louisburg sophomore Andrew Jamison had an impressive start to his swim season on Dec. 6 at the Topeka-Hayden Invitational. Jamison earned state qualification times in four events, including two relays. He won the 100-yard breaststroke in 1 minute and 3.70 seconds, which was a personal best time.

Jamison continued his success in the 200 individual medley as he took second with a personal best time of 2:10.66. Jamison also joined Colin Brown, Colton Prettyman and Noah Sharp to earn state qualification times in both the 200 medley and freestyle relays. The Wildcats finished runner-up in both events.

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: Myles Vohs

Louisburg sophomore Andrew Jamison is one of three returning state qualifiers for the Wildcat boys swim team this season.

The Louisburg boys swim team put together its most memorable season last year and the Wildcats are hoping the 2023-24 campaign is just as unforgettable.

Louisburg qualified four swimmers for the state meet a year ago and competed in five events and put together its best season in its short history.

Sophomores Colin Brown, Andrew Jamison and junior Colton Prettyman all return from that group as they try to take an even bigger jump this season.

“We are seeing that our state returners are starting off the season with times practically identical to where they left off at the end of last season,” coach Mary Argeropoulos said. “This bodes extremely well for our development this year. We anticipate a strong return of individual swims to state competition this season.  Colin, Andrew, and Colton from Louisburg, along with Luke (Hebert) from Osawatomie and Landen (Terflinger) from Paola are stronger and faster than this time last year and we can’t wait to see them excel in the pool this season.”

As a freshman, Brown returned home with hardware from last year’s state meet as he medaled eighth in the 100-yard butterfly. 

Brown and Jamison also competed in the consolation finals in individual races, and in a pair of relays with Prettyman.

Louisburg currently has five swimmers out this season. Along with Prettyman, Brown and Jamison, freshmen Noah Sharp and Brock Delmez have joined the group.

During the regular season, Louisburg swims on a co-op team with Osawatomie and Paola. They have since added a new school to its program in Spring Hill.

“We are in the growing process for sure,” Argeropoulos said. “Seven Spring Hill swimmers have joined, Osawatomie added three new and Louisburg has two new freshmen as well. We are merging into one great team.”

Expectations are high this season for all of the swimmers and they got their season off to a good start Saturday at the Lansing Relays as they finished seventh in the team standings.

The 200 butterfly relay of Hebert, Dylan Mabe, Terflinger and Brown finished second, as did the 200 breaststroke relay of Prettyman, Mabe, Hebert and Jamison.

The 200 freestyle relay of Prettyman, Mabe, Terflinger and Brown took third and finished two seconds under the state qualification standard.

Brown, Jamison, Hebert and Colton Prettyman took third in the 200 medley relay and were nine seconds under the state qualification mark. Mabe, Terflinger, Hebert and Brown took third in the 4×100 medley.

“We have 18 swimmers out this season and practices have started well this year,” Argeropoulos said. “It’s great to see fuller lanes of swimmers and we are picking up quickly in intensity this season. There is definitely a feeling of excitement and anticipation in the pool this season.”

Louisburg will return to action Wednesday in Topeka.

Louisburg sophomore Sabra Brueggen earned two state medals Saturday during the Class 4A Kansas State Swim and Dive Championships.

TOPEKA — Sabra Brueggen left with one less medal than she was hoping for following last season’s Kansas State Swim and Dive Championships.

Brueggen doubled her medal count Saturday at this year’s state meet at the Capitol Federal Natatorium in Topeka. The Louisburg sophomore earned state medals in both the 100-yard backstroke and 50 freestyle.

After earning the one medal as a freshman a year ago, Brueggen was happy to find the medal stand in both races this season.

However, it has been a long road for Brueggen to get back to the state meet. After suffering a knee injury last summer, she had to work hard to get back in time for this go-round in a recovery that lasted nine months.

“Going into high school swim this season, I only had one personal goal in mind, making it back to finals at state,” Brueggen said. “Little did I know that I was going to make it back to the ‘A’ final in both my events, allowing me to medal. This truly meant the world to me because this past year has been one of the toughest ones yet. Overcoming this nine month long recovery, and accomplishing this at state, was an indescribable feeling.

Brueggen had a good day in the preliminaries on Friday as she recorded a couple season-best times to help get her in the finals.

In the 50 freestyle, Brueggen recorded a new personal-best time of 25.07 in the preliminaries and finished eighth, which guaranteed her a state medal. In the finals, Brueggen again took eighth in 25.26 seconds.

She then took part in the 100 backstroke, where she swam a season-best time of 59.79 seconds to take fifth in the prelims. Brueggen then swam a time of 1:00.87 in the finals to medal sixth.

“Swimming personal best times at state this year was not something I was expecting, but nonetheless achieving those times in the events Friday night truly gave me the confidence that I needed going into finals on Saturday,” Brueggen said.

Also on Friday, Brueggen joined her teammates in a pair of relays. Brueggen, along with Janie Harth, Dana Mattison and Cadence Weichert, took 20th in the 200 freestyle relay with a season-best time of 1:52.03.

The Wildcat group also swam a good time in the 200 medley relay, but were disqualified. 

“Having my teammates by my side at state this year was amazing,” Brueggen said. “All of us having the chance to swim a relay at the state level together was a memorable experience. I can’t wait for the upcoming years and having a chance to do it again.”

With two more years remaining, Brueggen is hoping to find the medal stand once again out at state, but she still appreciates what she has able to accomplish this year.

“Understanding that I could overcome the obstacles that were thrown my way this past year, gives me so much confidence for the years to come,” Brueggen said. “The support that I have had from my family, friends, and coaches throughout this whole journey has given me so much faith and excites me for my future, as well as the future of the OzPaLou swim team.”

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.”