Margo O’Meara Breaks State 1-Meter Record as Parkway West Claims Missouri Girls Class 1 Title

Photo Courtesy: Longhorn Athletics Twitter (@PWestAthletics)

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The 2020 Missouri Girls Class 1 State Swimming and Diving Championships took place on Friday, Feb. 21 at the St. Peters Rec-Plex in St. Peters, Mo.

The highlight of the meet came from Westminster Christian’s Margo O’Meara who broke the Class 1 and overall Missouri state record on the 1-meter diving board with a final score of 636.50, besting the old mark by over 100 points set back in 1991.

Nerinx Hall’s Brooke Punnewaert set a new Class 1 mark in the 200 IM with a time of 2:07.43 while Logan Rogersville’s Cabrini Johnson lowered her own Class 1 record in the 100 breast in 1:03.23.

After finishing fourth last year, Parkway West used their impressive depth to clinch a narrow victory over Parkway Central (168.5). It was a tight team race overall as only 27 points separated the top five programs.

Click HERE for full results and team scores.

Top 5 Team Scores:

1. Parkway West – 171
2. Parkway Central – 168.5
3. Ladue Horton Watkins – 166
4. Nerinx Hall – 157.5
5. Webster Groves – 144

Central Cape Girardeau’s Ava Duncan (28.15), Bella Dennis (30.45), Lauren Lamar (27.28) and Grace Sanders (25.03) began the meet by winning the opening 4×50 medley relay 1:50.91, just ahead of Parkway West (1:51337) and Parkway Central (1:51.33).

Incarnate Word Academy’s Ellie Wehrmann cruised to first in the 200 free, stopping the clock in 1:52.05 – about a second off her own Class 1 record of 1:51.01 set in 2018. Father Tolton Catholic’s Lauren Hervey was second in 1:53.77 while Savannah’s Makenzie Kurre finished third in 1:54.77.

Punnewaert took the top spot in the 200 IM, stopping the clock in 2:08.46 en route to breaking Parkway West’s Lauren Beard’s Class 1 mark of 2:08.46 set last season. Kansas-bound Wehrmann took a very close second in 2:07.45, first breaking the record during prelims, while MICDS’ Anna Scott Baur was right behind in 2:07.85 for third.

After placing second in the 50 free last season, Summit Prep’s Maggie Moore found herself on top of the podium this year after splashing-and-dashing her way to the title in 23.57. VIZ’s Emily O’Connell splashed-and-dashed to second in 24.10 while 24.44 was fast enough for Westminster Christian’s Margo O’Meara to take third.

Also talented on the boards like she is in the pool, O’Meara dove to first on the 1-meter board for the third year in a row, bettering her own Class 1 record of 520.25 with a final score of 636.50, as well as breaking the state record set back in 1991 by more than 100 points. Notre Dame de Sion’s Caroline Knopke was second with 432.40 points and Parkway West’s Claure Lynn dove to third with a score of 403.90.

Shortly after taking second in the 50 free, O’Connell was back in the water to claim victory in the 100 fly with a final time of 56.30. Parkway Central’s Abigail Levine finished second in 57.35 while St. Pius X’s Noelle DeFabio rounded out the top three in a time of 58.96.

Kurre, who took third in the 200 free, swam away with the gold medal in the 100 free after clocking in with a quick time of 52.55 for the first state title of her career. Right behind her was Webster Groves’ Parker Hagemann in 52.69 for second while Parkway Central’s Juliette Phillips took third in 53.41.

Father Tolton Catholic freshman Lindsey Hervey cruised to first in the 500 free, posting a time of 5:01.39 for state title. She took down her older sister Lauren Hervey, who finished a close second in 5:02.72. The sisters were well ahead of the field as Punnewaert was a distant third in 5:12.02.

Villa Duchesne’s Madelyn Schoedel (25.01), Caroline Roderick (25.32), Hattie McNulty (25.78) and Carly Fesler (24.90) combined to win the 4×50 free relay in 1:41.01. Incarnate Word Academy (1:41.71) and Parkway Central (1:41.90) rounded out the top three podium finishers.

Moore’s second individual gold medal of the weekend came in the 100 back, where she powered home in a speedy 55.74 to win the event for the second-straight year. St. Joseph Academy teammates Katie Kostecki (58.23) and Sarah Donohue (59.10) finished second and third, respectively.

Johnson successfully defended her state title in the 100 breast, getting her hands to the wall in 1:03.23 to take down her own Class 1 record of 1:04.09 she set in 2019. Parkway Central’s Abigail Levine was the runner-up in 1:04.88 and bronze went to Clayton’s Kellen Motti in 1:05.55.

Webster Groves’ Elizabeth Seitz (55.81), Lilijana Gregov (55.18), Elizabeth Ragan (55.17) and Hagemann (52.60) concluded the meet with a bang by winning the 4×100 free relay in 3:38.76. Second went to Parkway West (3:42.11) and third belonged to Ladue Horton Watkins (3:43.74).

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Jenoa Olson

4 years ago

A few corrections: The 200 IM record was broken at prelims by Ellie Wehrmann before being broken by Brooke Punnewaert at finals. Tolton Junior Lindsey Hervey was not the defending champion in the 500 Free as it is Father Tolton’s first year as a MSHSAA member school.