By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Topeka High senior diving star Jaxon Cowdin has been playing a little bit of catchup while working through a lingering ankle injury he suffered last summer.
Topeka High senior Jaxon Cowdin won the diving title in Tuesday's Topeka High Invitational. [File photo/TSN]
But with his bid for a fourth straight city title coming up on Thursday, followed by Centennial League and Class 6A state competition, Cowdin served notice in Tuesday's Topeka High Invitational at the Capitol Federal Natatorium that he's rounding into form just in time for his stretch run.
In his first 11-dive competition of the season, Cowdin bested the field of nine divers with a score of 394.00, while Free State's Gavin McIntosh was second with a score of 351.75.
"It's more like a test of for one, stamina, and two, consistency, and three, who's got all their stuff put together,'' Cowdin said. "You see a lot of dudes crash and burn on 11 dives. I felt pretty decent, but there's still a lot to clean up.''
Cowdin hurt his ankle back on July 3rd, but his recovery from that injury has last a lot longer than he ever expected.
"It was not healing and it was bad for like a couple of months and then I finally started doing stuff on it, rehabbing it and everything like that and it's almost back to 100 percent now,'' Cowdin said.
Cowdin felt like he was a little bit behind at the start of the season, but is feeling good about where he is now.
"I think (the injury) definitely played a factor, but now that I'm starting to really kind of get into my groove of things, everything's getting better,'' he said.
Nex up is Thursday's city meet and Cowdin's shot at a perfect four for four city run.
"I really try not to think about it a whole lot,'' Cowdin said. "I try not to psych myself up or make myself nervous and I don't think I'm going to be nervous going into it at all.
"We're going to see what happens and obviously I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure I don't get beat, but if I do, hopefully it's by one of my teammates.''
Topeka High's Dawson Blankenship posted a win in the 100-yard butterfly in Tuesday's 12-school Topeka High Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Topeka High also got a win from Dawson Blankenship in the 100-yard butterfly in 59.04 seconds while Blankenship posted a third-place finish in the 200 individual medley (2:25.96).
Lawrence Free State won the team championship by a 538-339 win over Lawrence, with Seaman third with 243 points.
Peyton Holmes anchors Seaman's 200-yard free relay to a win in Tuesday's Topeka High Invitational. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Seaman's foursome of Kinser Barbosa, Jeremiah Moylan, Theron Carlson and Peyton Holmes posted a win in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:36.03 while Barbosa finished third in the 100 freestyle (51.96) and third in the 100 backstroke (1:03.33).
Hayden finished sixth as a team, one point ahead of Topeka High (188-187).
Palmer Heskett finished fourth for the Wildcats in the 200 IM (2:29.52) while Ryan Carson was fourth in the 100 butterfly (1:03.79).
Thursday's city meet at Cap Fed will get under way at 1:30 p.m.with the diving competition, followed by swimming competition at 5 p.m.
TOPEKA HIGH INVITATIONAL
At Capitol Federal Natatorium
Team scores
Lawrence Free State 538, Lawrence 339, Seaman 243, Junction City 225, Hays 189, Hayden 188, Topeka High 187, Olathe South 150, Salina Central 113, Great Bend 45, Salina South 37, Bennington 21.
Individual results
200 medley relay -- 1. Free State (Campbell, Mattes, Iversen, Bateman), 1:46.68; 2. Seaman (Barbosa, Moylan, Holmes, Carlson), 1:51.53; 3. Olathe South, 1:52.98.
200 freestyle -- 1. Carnagey, Free State, 1:55.13; 2. Fearn, Free State, 1:59.36; 3. Cowardin, Lawrence, 2:02.62.
200 individual medley -- 1. Iversen, Free State, 2:14.93; 2. Zelvy, Free State, 2:17.53; 3. Blankenship, Topeka High, 2:25.96.
50 freestyle -- 1. Lane, Lawrence, 22.13; 2. Sook, Hays, 23.11; 3. Mattes, Free State, 23.34.
One meter diving -- 1. Cowdin, Topeka High, 394.00; 2. McIntosh, Free State, 351.85; 3. Heard, Olathe South, 312.70.
100 butterfly -- 1. Blankenship, Topeka High, 59.04; 2. Oral, Lawrence, 59.24; 3. Mattes, Free State, 59.26.
100 freestyle -- 1. Lane, Lawrence, 49.27; 2. Bateman, Free State, 50.09; 3. Barbosa, Seaman, 51.96.
500 freestyle -- 1. Flachsbarth, Free State, 5:10.45; 2. Cowardin, Lawrence, 5:35.77; 3. Iversen, Free State, 5:42.07.
200 free relay -- 1. Seaman (Barbosa, Moylan, Carlson, Holmes), 1:36.03; 2. Lawrence (Bierschbach, Adams, Oral, Lane), 1:37.53; 3. Olathe South (Helm, Knaebel, Good, Brammell), 1:38.58.
100 backstroke -- 1. Campbell, Free State, 1:02.88; 2. Adams, Lawrence, 1:03.19; 3. Barbosa, Seaman, 1:03.33.
100 breastroke -- 1. Zelvy, Free State, 1:07.60; 2. Fortner, Junction City, 1:08.30; 3. Oral, Lawrence, 1:11.34.
400 free relay -- 1. Free State (Bateman, Kempf, Fearn, Carnagey), 3:28.71; 2. Lawrence (Cowardin, Adams, Oral, Lane), 3:35.15; 3. Hays (Zadina, Durr, Flaska, Sook), 3:41.51.
