Mackenzie Johnson capped a busy week with a memorable showing in the Platte County Invitational.
Platte County senior Chloe Pegler swims in the 100-yard freestyle race during a triangular Wednesday at Platte County Community Center North.
One of two standout sophomores, Johnson posted a pair of Class 1 MSHSAA Swimming and Diving Championships consideration times in the 500-yard freestyle and 200-yard individual medley at Platte County Community Center North. That gives her three state qualifying cuts total in addition to helping the Pirates lower a season-best in the 400 freestyle.
Platte County finished third out of 13 teams in the final standings with 322 points. Park Hill won the meet with 402 with Pembroke Hill second at 345 1/2.
Hoping to make an individual state debut this season, Johnson posted a career-best in the 500 freestyle, finishing second in 5 minutes, 59.63 seconds. She added a fourth-place showing in the 200 IM (2:29.25) and now sits in Class 1’s top 35 for both events at this point in the season.
Individuals can only swim at state in two individual races with 32 entrants in each event.
Platte County junior Erin Anderson swims in the 500-yard freestyle race during a triangular Wednesday at Platte County Community Center North.
Platte County junior Ashleigh Cruce continued a strong start with the Pirates’ lone win, which came in the 100 breaststroke. She posted a state cut of 1:15.86, currently No. 19 in Class 1, to come in nearly 2 full seconds in front of runnerup Colbie Hyde of Pembroke Hill.
Cruce also already posted a consideration cut in the 100 butterfly and swam at state in that event and the 100 breaststroke as a sophomore.
Platte County’s 200 freestyle relay of Cruce, senior Chloe Pegler, junior Erin Anderson and sophomore Ronnie Benford finished third (1:55.48) while the Pirates’ were fourth in the 400 freestyle relay. Anderson, Johnson, Benford and sophomore Alex Yurko set a season-best of 4:18.72 to improve the state cut in that event.
Benford, the other half of Platte County’s standout sophomore duo, finished third in the 200 freestyle (2:17.05).
Platte County Triangular
Johnson posted an impressive state cut in the 200 freestyle Wednesday at Platte County Community Center North in one of four event victories for Platte County during a triangular with Kearney and Belton.
Platte County sophomore Ronnie Benford swims in the 100-yard breaststroke during a triangular Wednesday at Platte County Community Center North.
In addition to a pair of relays, Platte County received first-place finishes from Johnson (200 freestyle, 2:12.73) and Cruce (100 freestyle, 1:02.01; 50 freestyle, 27.98). Cruce bested Kearney’s Ava Gable by a little more than a quarter of a second in the 100 and led a 1-2-3 sweep of the 50 for Platte County that also included Pegler (28.63) and senior Ireland Shank (29.16).
Platte County’s 200 freestyle relay team of Pegler, Cruce, Johnson and Benford finished first and posted a season-best and the current No. 17 time in Class 1 at 1:52.37. The Pirates also won the 400 freestyle relay with Shank, Pegler, Cruce and Anderson coming in at 4:24.40.
Anderson added a second-place finish in the 500 freestyle (6:34.41), while Benford (1:22.41) and Shank (1:25.20) came in back-to-back in second and third in the 100 breaststroke.
Independence Invitational
Platte County finished with 441 team points and won the meet championship over second-place Pembroke Hill (307) last Saturday at Gladstone Community Center.
Platte County senior Ireland Shank swims in the 100-yard breaststroke during a triangular Wednesday at Platte County Community Center North.
Importantly, Platte County finished first in two of the three relays with Pembroke Hill second in both instances. The Raiders won the 400 freestyle relay to reverse the order of finish from the 200 medley and 200 freestyle races.
In the 200 freestyle final, Platte County’s team of Shank, Pegler, Cruce and Johnson finished in 2:05.01 to beat Pembroke Hill by a little more than a quarter of a second. The Pirates dominated the 200 freestyle relay with Shank, Cruce, Anderson and Benford (1:58.12).
Johnson (200 IM, 2:30.60) and Cruce (100 butterfly, 1:04.81; 100 breaststroke, 1:17.55) both recorded individual wins for Platte County. Benford came in second to Johnson in the 200 IM and added a runnerup finish in the 500 freestyle (6:23.74).
Pegler also claimed second in the 500 freestyle at 27.93.
Platte County’s 400 freestyle relay of Anderson, Johnson, Yurko and Benford finished in 4:22.44 but came in well back of Pembroke Hill (4:05.19). The Pirates’ top-three placements also included Johnson in the 100 backstroke (1:11.38).
