Platte County ended up fifth place out of six teams in the final standings of the Suburban Conference White Division Championships this past weekend at Henley Aquatic Center in Lee’s Summit but still competed well despite a limited roster. The Pirates weren’t far away from third and still earned plenty of individual honors.
The top showings predictably came from junior Beau Jonkman, the conference champion in the 100-yard backstroke and runnerup in the 50-yard freestyle.
Now, the wait begins to see if Platte County earns any bids to the Class 1 MSHSAA Swimming and Diving Championships. Jonkman set three new individual consideration cuts over the past week and now looks like a likely participant at state in the 100 backstroke.
At conference, Jonkman posted a winning time of 1 minute, 0.65 seconds then bettered that at Wednesday’s Last Chance Meet with a career-best of 59.53. He now ranks No. 38 in Class 1 with the top 32 in each event making the state field.
Jonkman’s path comes from a rule limiting each swimmer to a maximum of two individual events so once choices are made multiple spots could open up for those outside the top 32.
In addition to the breakout showings in the backstroke, Jonkman posted a season-best of 23.52 (69th in Class 1) and then a 52.52 split as the opening leg of Platte County 400-meter freestyle. He sits 66th for that event.
Platte County’s 400-meter freestyle of Jonkman, sophomore Owen Rowles and freshmen Ethan Morton and Jacob Stone posted a season-best of 3:58.56 to finish third. That mark sits 46th, while the Pirates’ 200 medley relay of senior Silas Macumber, Jonkman, Stone and Morton now ranks 52nd after placing fourth in the White Division with their fastest time of the season.
Rowles (500 freestyle), Morton (100 freestyle) and freshman Gavin Lister (100 backstroke) all added fifth-place finishes, while Stone came in sixth in the 100 butterfly. Jonkman and Rowles (eighth, 200 freestyle) were the only Platte County swimmers to finish top-eight in both individual events. Gabe Rasmussen, a sophomore, came in eighth in the 50 freestyle.
The state fields will not be finalized until next week.
Jonkman owns Platte County’s only prior state experience, having advanced on multiple relays over the past two seasons. He hopes to make an individual debut as a junior.
