Thank you and hope to see you there!

Thank you and hope to see you there!

We placed 12th, which is down a little from last year, but still our second best finish in history.  There were 69 teams competing at the meet.  To place this high again says a lot about our team.  Even more impressive than that was our ability to come back the second day and swim faster.  The four girls who competed on Saturday did a great job and really stepped up. 

On Friday, the 200 Medley Relay started off the day with a good relay.  They went 2:05, but unfortunately got DQ’ed.  Even though the relay was DQ’ed, it was a great way to finish off a great career for Dixie, Jess and Molly - they all had great splits.  Katie was the flyer on the relay and did a great job as well. 

Jenna started off the individual swims with a 5 second best time in the 200 free and breaking the 2 minute barrier for the first time.  Merideth made the bottom 8 in the event with a 1:58.  This event continues to get faster every year.  It is a tough event.  Next year I look for both girls to be competing for spots in the top 8. 

Hallie had a best time in the 50 free with a 25.90.  Julie looked good and swam well, but wasn’t able to get into the top 16 this year. 

Merideth went a best time in the fly and made it into the top 16 once again.  She went a season best 1:01.3. 

The 100 freestyles were solid.  Jenna, Julie & Hallie weren’t able to get into the top 16.  They all had pretty good times, but not quite what they were hoping to get. 

We then had a very solid 200 free relay and qualified 5th for finals.  We finished off the day with an ok 400 free relay and fortunately qualified 7th.

Merideth Swain finished 15th in the 200 free and 16th in the 100 fly and earned All - State Honorable Mention honors. 

Merideth Swain, Jenna Harmison, Hallie Roach and Julie Wiskur placed 5th in the 200 Free Relay and 4th in the 400 Free Relay (new school record).  The finishes earned the girls All - State honors.  Julie anchored the relays with a 24. and 54.  The 4th place finish is the highest relay finish for us since I have been coaching and maybe ever.  A fitting way to finish a banner season. 

Congratulations to the girls on a great season!

The following girls placed top 6 and medaled -

Merideth Swain - 2nd place in 200 free and 100 fly.  200 free time (1:58.32) broke a 4 year old school record. 
Jenna Harmison - 2nd the 200 IM (new State qualifying time) and tied for 5th in the 100 free. 
Julie Wiskur - 3rd in the 50 free and 4th in the 100 free.
Katie Wiskur - 5th in the 200 IM and 6th in the 500 free. 
Jess Avey - 5th in the 100 breast. 
Molly Greene - 6th in the 200 IM.
Megan Manes - 2nd in diving.
Sheri Owens - 6th in diving.
Dixie Curtis - 6th in the 100 back.
200 Medley Relay - Dixie Curtis, Jess Avey, Merideth Swain and Julie Wiskur - 3rd
200 Free Relay - Hallie Roach, Jess Avey, Jenna Harmison, Julie Wiskur - 2nd
400 Free Relay - Hallie Roach, Jenna Harmison, Molly Greene, Merideth Swain - 2nd

The following girls placed 7th - 12th in their events and scored points

Hallie Roach - 7th in 50 & 100 free
Dixie Curtis - 12th in 200 free
Heidi Schmitz - 10th in 200 free and 9th in the 500 free
Megan Miller - 7th in 100 breast
Kayla Chambers - 9th in 100 fly
Sarah Leitvala - 9th in diving
Megan Imhof - 12th in 500 free

The following girls placed 13th - 18th and swam again on Saturday

Brittany Behnen - 100 free and 100 back
Caitlin Carney - 100 back
Natasha Smith - 100 breast
Megan Miller - 100 fly
Kayla Chambers - 200 IM

Hannah, Tyler, Kasey, Morgan, Jerri combined together to swim relays on Friday and all 5 girls had best splits for the season.  Way to go girls!

MSHSAA State Championships are this next weekend in St. Peter’s.  The following girls will be representing Kickapoo at the meet -
Merideth Swain, Jenna Harmison, Julie Wiskur, Hallie Roach, Dixie Curtis, Jess Avey, Kayla Chambers, Molly Greene, Katie Wiskur, Heidi Schmitz, Megan Miller and Megan Manes.

It was the first time since 1990 the girls have won this meet.  They defeated Glendale by 85 points to take the title.  Every girl who competed at the meet scored points.  It was a complete team effort.  A couple interesting points of interest - we didn’t win a single event during the night, but were able to win but a large margin.  It was fun to watch the awards stand packed with Chiefs.  We had multiple girls on every awards stand.  We had the largest section of parents and fans in the stands.  We were one team with one goal and one focus.  It was a fun night and I couldnt be more proud of the girls and the girls who have come before who I know were behind us tonight.  I have had the chance to brag to a few alums already, as well as former Kickapoo coaches and good friends. 

The following girls were top 6 medalists -

Jenna Harmison - 200 and 500 free - 2nd in both
Merideth Swain - 50 free and 100 fly - 2nd in both
Hallie Roach - 3rd in 50 free & 2nd in 100 free (new State qualifying time!)
Julie Wiskur - 4th in 50 free and 3rd in 100 free
Molly Greene - 3rd in 200 IM & 4th in 500 free
Heidi Schmitz - 4th in 200 free and 5th in 500 free
Jess Avey - 3rd in 100 breast
Megan Miller - 4th in 100 breast
Brittany Behnen - 6th in 100 breast
Dixie Curtis - 6th in 200 free and 4th in 100 back
Kayla Chambers - 6th in 200 IM and 5th in 100 fly
Katie Wiskur - 3rd in 500 free and 4th in 200 IM
Megan Manes - 2nd in diving
Sheri Owens - 5th in diving

The following girls scored in the top 12 -

Natasha Smith - breast
Liza Truex - breast
Sarah Anderson - 100 fly and 100 back
Sarah Leituala - diving
Caitlin Carney - 100 free and 100 back
Megan Imhof - 200 IM and 100 free

We also placed 2nd in the medley, 200 free and 400 free relays.  I don’t really know how to end this (and I don’t really want to), but this is a great way to go into the final 2 weeks of the season.  We still have work to be done and plenty of momentum to build on.  GO POO!!!

Read the Springfield New-Leader article:

http://www.news-leader.com/article/20100205/SPORTS01/2050379/1002/SPORTS/Kickapoo-ends-drought-at-All-City-Championships

The meet started as planned, finishing 2nd & 3rd in the Medley Relay.  Then, we got a 2nd, 3rd and 4th out of Jenna, Katie & Heidi (5 second drop) in the 200 free. Then, Merideth (3 second drop) got the first surprise victory by winning the 200 IM.  Molly (1 second drop) & Kayla (3 second drop) followed with 3rd and 5th place.  In the 50 we went 3 - 4 - 5 with Hallie - Jess and Dixie, all with solid times.  Megan, Sheri and Sarah finished 1st, 2nd and 4th in diving putting us up by 9 points at the break.  The fly went as planned - 2nd, 3rd and 4th by Kayla, Megan Miller (4 second drop) and Megan Imhof.  Then Hallie held on in the 100 free for a 2nd place finish, followed by Molly for 4th and Brittany in 5th.  Then came the 500 and Jenna almost pulled off another upset.  She was outlasted, but made a State qualifying time. She was followed closely behind by Katie and Heidi for 3rd and 4th.  Next up was the 200 free relay and we finished 1st and 3rd putting us up by about 15 points. 

I knew it would be tough to catch us with what we had left.  Merideth won the back - Dixie & Brittany followed up with 3rd and 4th place.  Jess placed 2nd in the breast, splitting up Glendale’s top 2 breaststrokers.  Megan Miller finished a close 4th and Natasha finished strong in 5th.  Then we capped off the night with a 2 - 3 finish in the 400 free relay.  In the end, we won by 19 points for our first victory over Glendale 102 - 83. 

The girls were ready to go and all did exactly what we needed them to do to get the win.  It was a great night and I am very proud of the girls and their efforts, not only with their times, but in how they supported each other and came together as a team.  This was a total team effort, from top to bottom and including the parents, alumni and classmates who showed up.  This is a win I know I will remember for awhile.  I know the girls, especially the seniors, will cherish this victory as well.  Four years ago we set out to accomplish this task.  It was great to see it happen and have so much fun doing it.  GO POO!!!

The girls enjoyed a great after the meet meal at Five Guys Hamburgers (did anyone have 2 burgers?) and then a big thank you to the Harmisons for treating the girls to Icee’s in Clinton.  It is fun to get to be the coach of a group of girls that has this much fun doing something that takes so much hard work and dedication. 

Hallie, Molly & Jerri - 200 Free
Katie, Heidi & Liza - 200 IM
Hannah, Tyler, Sean, Merideth, Dixie - 50 free
Kasey. Megan Miller & Kayla - 100 fly
Jenna - 100 free
Katie & Liza - 500 free
Dixie, Caitlin & Megan I. - 100 back
Merideth - 100 breast

Jenna’s time in the 100 free was a State qualifying time.  Merideth Swain’s 50 free was also a State qualifying time.  Merideth has qualified for State in every event except the 100 breast.

On Saturday, we went to Carthage with 13 girls.  The small squad came home with a first place plaque to proudly display in our trophy case at school.  We placed 4th in the medley relay, 2nd in the 200 free and 1st in the 400 free relay.  Placing top 6 for the team were Merideth Swain, Heidi Schmitz, Molly Greene, Jenna Harmison, Dixie Curtis, Megan Miller and Megan Imhoff.  We once again had several best times on the day and left feeling some great success as a group. 

Up next is the KC Classic in Independence.  The girls who have qualified for the meet will leave on Friday morning. 

There were some big time drops by a few girls as well.  Heidi Schmitz dropped almost 15 seconds in her 500 free and Molly Greene dropped 5 seconds in her 200 IM. 

On Saturday, we competed in the Ozarks Invitational and placed 3rd overall and got team hardware (a plaque) to go in our trophy case at school.  Every girl got to swim at least once.  We placed 2nd in the 200 medley and 200 free relays and 3rd in the 400 free.  Top 6 medalists for the team were Jenna, Julie, Merideth, Megan Manes, Jess Avey, Molly Greene and Hallie Roach. 

Up next we have Hillcrest, Parkview, Ozark and Nixa this Friday and then off to Carthage on Saturday. 

On Saturday, Kickapoo finished 5th overall out of 13 teams with 203 points. Leading the way was Merideth Swain who won the 100 fly and finished 5th in the 500 free. Julie Wiskur, Hallie Roach, Jess Avey, Megan Manes, Kayla Chambers, Megan Miller, Katie Wiskur, Molly Greene, Dixie Curtis, Heidi Schmitz and Jenna Harmison all placed in the top 16 and scored points for Kickapoo.  We had best times from Julie Wiskur & Molly Greene in the 200 free, Merideth Swain & Sarah Anderson in the 100 fly, Julie Wiskur & Hallie Roach in the 100 free, Jenna Harmison & Heidi Schmitz in the 500 free, Sarah Anderson & Sean Greer in the back, Megan Miller & Liza Truex in the breast.  We finished the weekend in style by dropping over 6 seconds in the 400 free relay - J. Wiskur, Roach, Harmison & Swain went 3:48. 

The next 2 weeks can make or break our season. We are coming off a strong week of competition and practices.  We need to have maximum attendance over the winter break.  If you are in town, your daughter should be at practice.  If you are unsure about practice times, please check the calendar.  Most days are 9:30 - noon except Christmas day (no practice), Monday, Dec. 28 is 4 - 6:30 PM and New Years Day is 3:30 - 6 PM.  We will have practice on Saturday, January 2nd as well (9:30 - noon).  Divers need to talk to Richard about practice times.  Monday & Tuesday (December 21 & 22) are from 3:30 - 6 at the NAT. 

We compete again on January 8th against Lee’s Summit West.  It will be a good meet for us.  We should match up pretty well against them.  They have a few strong swimmers and decent depth.  Our relays look a little faster than theirs, but you never know until you actually have the meet. 

Jason

Event winners for Kickapoo were:

200 Medley Relay - Julie Wiskur, Jenna Harmison, Merideth Swain, Hallie Roach
200 Free - Julie Wiskur
Diving - Meg Manes
100 Fly - Kayla Chambers
200 Free Relay - Jess Avey, Kayla Chambers, Molly Greene, Katie Wiskur
100 Back - Merideth Swain
400 Free Relay - Jenna Harmison, Hallie Roach, Julie Wiskur, Merideth Swain

We saw a lot of great swims last night.  Most girls swam individual events for the first time last night so it is tough to see who had best times, etc.  But we were impressed with what we saw.  Everyone is doing legal turns and strokes which is good.  I think the girls are competing and having a good time doing it. 

The team is off to St. Louis this Friday to face off against powerhouse MICDS & then Saturday they compete at the Lindbergh Invitational.  Friday & Saturday should be a good test.  Last year we placed 2nd at the Lindbergh Invitational just 1 - 2 points in front of Lindbergh and about 20 - 30 points behind MICDS.  MICDS was 4th place at State last year. 

On another good note, we are currently ranked 1st in the State in the 200 free relay, a full 2 seconds ahead of the 2nd place team.  You can check out how our Stat equalifying girls are doing at http://www.directathletics.com.  When you get to the site, find performance lists (upper right hand corner) and then MSHSAA Girls Swimming & Diving.

We have completed the first 2 meets of our season and we are looking pretty good.  Tuesday was the All - Relays Meet and Friday we defeated Ozark.

At the All - Relays meet every girl had a chance to swim at least one event.  One of the biggest accomplishments for the team was no disqualifications in any of the relays.  We ended up winning the 200 and 300 free relays which is always fun, but not the purpose of the meet as far as I am concerned.  We did however qualify for State in the 200 free relay which is a big bonus.  Merideth Swain also made her State cut in the 100 free. 

On Friday, we defeated Ozark and most girls had the chance to swim at least 2 events, some as many as 4. We qualified our 200 Medley Relay (Hallie Roach, Jess Avey, Merideth Swain & Julie Wiskur) and our 400 Free Relay (Merideth Swain, Hallie Roach, Jenna Harmison & Julie Wiskur) for State. I wanted to have all 3 relays qualified for State by the end of the week.  We have done that and can now move on to individual cuts.  Merideth Swain qualified in the 100 fly.  We had several girls that came very close.  Jenna Harmison missed the 200 free by about half a second.  Merideth Swain missed the IM by half a second.  Hallie Roach and Julie Wiskur barely missed the 50 free cut.  Julie also barely missed her 100 free cut.  All of these will come as the year goes on, but it is nice to knock them out early.  We saw some great things from a lot of girls, especially the newcomers.  Megan Miller, Megan Imhof, Morgan Kohls, Sarah Anderson and Caitlin Carney all got to swim individual events and did well.  We saw strong improvements from some of the returning girls as well.  Our Seniors and Juniors will give us some great leadership and our Sophomores add some solid depth. 

This next week we travel to Webb City on Tuesday and then part of the team will go to St. Louis on Friday & Saturday.  I will let the girls know on Monday who is going to St. Louis. 

If you have any questions about the meets, please let me know. 

Thanks - Jason