After four full years of fighting, the SLUH swimming elders have claimed victory in their final duel, and look to soon walk home from their last war in triumph. The squad dominated at the John Burroughs Invitational last Saturday, securing first place while leaving the second place team with a 196-point deficit. On Monday, the seniors got their last hurrah at the last dual meet of their high school careers, this time against Chaminade. The boys in blue blew the Red Devils away, winning 134-50. 

“We had a great week of competitions,” said head coach Lindsey Ehret. “The boys dominated the other six teams at the JBS Invite on Saturday with a score of 397, which was 196 points more than the second place team. (There were also) a lot of time drops.”

The John Burroughs Invite provided the long-awaited opportunity to swim at a good pool, complete with wedges on the blocks, as well as constant warmup lanes. As the remaining number of meets before State drops to three, each swim at the invite was instrumental in bolstering the team’s standings in Missouri. Freshman Greyson Mueller (152.16) and Jaden Yarbrough (152.48) astonished in the 200 free. With a nearly four second time drop, Mueller slid into 32nd in the State, right on the cutoff line for State qualification. After a two second improvement, Yarbrough is currently at 35th, sitting just outside of qualification, but leaving it well within reach at the final few meets.

“If I had to choose a favorite race to watch, I would say the 200-yard freestyle,” said senior Brody Nester. “That was an event where people were pretty far from qualifying for state, then Greyson and Jaden both did insanely well to drop (a lot of time).”

Moving to the 50 freestyle, sophomore Henry Unger pierced through the pool with the speed and efficiency of an electric eel, shocking all his competition. Shaving off 0.27 seconds, Unger broke the 23 second barrier, swimming a 22.87, and seating him at 32nd in the State. Furthermore, senior Jonas Hostetler and junior Jason Cabra snagged first and third, respectively, at the meet, asserting SLUH’s sprinting superiority.

In the 200-yard individual medley, seniors Cooper Scharff (gold) and Ned Mehmeti (bronze) mounted the podium. Additionally, junior Gavin Baldes rocketed into the wall just over two seconds faster than he ever had before, earning a 6th place ribbon. 

The 100 breaststroke was one of the team’s strongest events of the meet, seeing all four entrants finish in the top six. Freshman Evan Zimmerman had the largest time drop, shattering his previous best by over two seconds, and making him the youngest Jr. Bill to take home a medal, earning third place. Following just behind were sophomores Aidan Brawer (4th place) and Christian Lawrence (6th place). Senior Brody Nester glided into the wall as gracefully as a water bug on a lake top, claiming the silver in second place.

“Everyone did very well,” said Nester. “We now have four swimmers in a row (on the State rankings). We are 34th, 35th, 36th, and 37th, meaning if we can all drop a bit of time we may have all four breastrokers swim at state.”

Overall, the John Burroughs Invitational displayed both how far the SLUH swimmers have come as a team, and showcased the individual work of many, and though John Burroughs may have been the more significant meet to the team, Monday’s meet against Chaminade was the seniors’ time to shine. Having experienced two State Championship wins while on the team, this year’s seniors know the taste of success, and know what it takes to achieve it. 

The meet itself saw a shakeup in events people were swimming, as the seniors got the opportunity to choose what events they swam. Some used it as a chance to try out certain races they hadn’t ever swum before, while others wanted to end their high school dual meet career on their signature events.

Just as fire ants unite their strength to slide across water, the swim team seniors merged their speed to become unstoppable in their relays. The first stupendous senior squad was utilized in the 200 yard medley relay, and consisted of Scharff on backstroke, Hostetler on breaststroke, Mehmeti on butterfly, and Nester on freestyle. Even while having three-fourths of their relay swim irregular strokes, the team of elders still claimed first place. The other star-studded senior exclusive relay squad consisted of Hostetler, Scharff, Nester, and Alex Wentz. The team nearly evaporated the pool away with their sheer speed, easily earning first place.

The fourth year swimmers performed similarly well in individual events. Senior Cooper Scharff walked away with only first place finishes at this meet, swimming the 50 free and 100 back as well as two relays. Senior Dennis McDaniel shaved off 0.59 seconds from his 100 breaststroke time, and contributed an impressive split in the 200 yard freestyle relay. 

Meanwhile, Mehmeti used the meet as an opportunity to flex his skills in some events that he does not regularly swim. In the 100 free, Mehmeti obliterated his previous best by three seconds, going a 51.26. Furthermore, he revealed his 100 breaststroke prowess, getting third place with a 1:06.76. Nester further cemented his butterfly and breaststroke skills, earning second in both the 100 fly and 100 breast, his two main individual events. 

In the end, the Jr. Bills vanquished Chaminade 134-50, affirming the team’s dual meet dominance. As the season wanes to leave only two substantial meets before State, the MICDS Invite tomorrow and the Varsity MCC Meet next Tuesday, the boys in blue are carefully working to hone their skills.