By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
After winning a Class 5A-1A state swimming title as a sophomore in 2022, Seaman junior star Avery Walz obviously would have loved to have added a second championship on Saturday at the Capitol Federal Natatorium.
Seaman junior Avery Walz was a first-team All-State pick after posting four top-five finishes in the Class 5A -1A swimming and diving meet Saturday at the Capitol Federal Natatorium. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
But although she fell just short of that goal, Walz and her Viking teammates were still all smiles after Grace posted four top-five finishes, including a second and a third individually, to help lead Seaman to a top-five team finish for the third straight season.
"We're real excited,'' Avery Walz said. "We came in with high expectations and to swim well and I think we did. We swam amazing, so I'm real proud of our whole team.''
Avery Walz posted a second-place finish in the 200-yard individual medley in 2 minutes, 04.22 seconds and a third in the 100 freestyle in 52.77 and teamed with her junior twin sister Tauren Walz, junior Avery Samuelson and sophomore Joslynn Grace for a third-place finish in the 200 free relay (1:44.65) and with the same three swimmers for a fifth-place finish in the meet-opening 200 medley relay (1:44.23).
Avery said she was pleased with her day after helping Seaman finish fifth as a team after fifth and fourth-place finishes in '21 and '22.
"I swam pretty welI,'' she said. "I was really close to both of my best times in the 200 IM and the 100 free and in the 200 freestyle relay I went 23.7 on the end and that was my best time in that so I'm really happy.''
Seaman junior Tauren Walz earned second-team All-State recognition after earning four medals in Saturday's Class 5A-1A swimming and diving championships. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Sophomore Joslynn Grace earned second-team All-State honors after helping Seaman finish fifth in the Class 5A-1A state swimming and diving championships. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Tauren Walz posted a fifth-place finish in the 100 breaststroke (1:09.13) and a sixth in the 100 butterfly (59.89) while Grace finished fifth in the 200-yard IM (2:16.78).
Avery Walz earned first-team All-State honors while Tauren Walz and Grace were second-team picks.
And wiith all four of Seaman's point-scorers returning next season. Avery Walz said she's already excited about 2024.
"Me, Tauren and Avery Samuelson will be seniors and Joslynn Grace will be a junior and that's our relay, so we're super excited,'' she said.
Blue Valley Southwest won the team championship by a 270-217 margin over St. James Academy while Andover rounded out the top three with 212 points.
Bishop Carroll used a third-place finish in the meet-ending 400 free relay to push past Seaman for fourth place by a 167-145 margin.
Hayden sophomore Kaylee Gregg finished 10th in Class 5A-1A in one-meter diving Saturday at the Capitol Federal Natatorium. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
• Hayden sophomore Kaylee Gregg advanced to Saturday's one-meter diving final and posted a 10th-place finish with a score of 336.60.
Andover senior Emma Todd won the event with a score of 400.70.
Shawnee Heights sophomore Ashtynn Landry competed in a pair of 'B' finals in Saturday's Class 5A-1A state tournament. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
• Shawnee Heights sophomore Ashtynn Landry made it to a pair of 'B' finals, finishing 12th in the 200-yard freestyle (2:07.24) and 14th in the 100 free (58.50)
