Platte County junior Ashleigh Cruce swims during a home quad last Thursday at Platte County Community Center North. TODD NUGENT/PC Preps Extra

Cruce leads individual finishers, sophomores show progression at Holiday Invitational

Platte County junior posts 1st individual state cut this season, while Benford, Johnson add top-10 showings.

Ashleigh Cruce posted the first individual state consideration qualifying time of the season for Platte County in this past weekend’s Winnetonka Holiday Invitational at Gladstone Community Center. The Pirates junior standout finished fourth in the 100-yard butterfly at 1 minutes, 4.43 seconds in just the second competition of the season.

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Platte County sophomore Mackenzie Johnson swims the backstroke during a home quad last Thursday at Platte County Community Center North.

A crowded and competitive field provided a challenge for a Platte County roster looking to rebuild after losing back-to-back standout senior classes. Team scores were not available.

Cruce, who went to state as a sophomore in both the 100 butterfly and breaststroke, came in less than a second off of a career-best to post Platte County’s best individual placement. Ronnie Benford and Mackenzie Johnson, a pair of sophomores, were just off of qualifying cuts in top-10 finishes.

Benford and Johnson both swam on state relays as freshmen.

Putting a bigger focus on long-distance events, Benford placed third in the 500 freestyle at 6:10.12 and needs to cut less than 10 seconds to post a consideration time. Johnson rounded out the top 10 in the 200 IM at 2:34.20, about 4 seconds off of a potential state time.

Platte County’s 200-yard medley relay of Cruce, Johnson and seniors Ireland Shank and Chloe Pegler finished fourth in 2:04.65, just .02 off of a season-best and state qualifying time posted in an opening quad last Thursday. The Pirates have posted consideration state cuts in all three relays after the opening week of the season.

The top 32 in each event eventually make the field for the Class 1 MSHSAA Swimming and Diving Championships. However, swimmers can compete in a maximum of two individual events, giving eligibility to anyone who posts a time under the qualifying marks.

Platte County Quad

Competing against Savannah, Smithville and Summit Christian, Platte County took first in seven of 12 events in the season-opening quad Thursday at Platte County Community Center North. Benford and Johnson combined for four individual victories, and two of the Pirates’ three relays also recorded wins.

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Platte County junior Erin Anderson swims the freestyle during a home quad last Thursday at Platte County Community Center North.

Benford led 1-2 showings for Platte County in both the 200 freestyle (2:20.72) and 500 freestyle (6:19.12). She finished in front of junior teammate Erin Anderson (2:29.34) in the shorter of the two races, while Shank (6:40.53) came in second in the longer one. Johnson (1:01.44) edged Savannah’s Ally Pottebaum by just 0.15 of a second in the 100 freestyle and then went 1:10.46 in the 100 backstroke with sophomore teammate Alex Yurko (1:20.29) in second.

Shank, Pegler, Cruce and Johnson posted Platte County’s season-best of 2:04.63 in the 200 medley relay in a competitive race with Savannah (2:06.22). The Pirates current state consideration time in the 400 freestyle relay came from Shank, Johnson, Benford and Yurko (4:22.50).

Platte County’s team of Anderson, senior Sarah Howe, sophomore Vivienne Sayre and freshman Penelope Thompson finished second in the 400 freestyle. The Pirates’ top team of Pegler, Cruce, Anderson and Benford placed second in the 200 freestyle relay at 1:53.65 but still posted a state time.

Savannah won the 200 freestyle relay race by just more than a quarter of a second.

Platte County also received a first-place finish from sophomore Thais Thompson in 1-meter diving, while Cruce placed second in the 100 breaststroke at 1:18.82. That leaves her just 0.33 of a second off of adding a second individual state cut.

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