Who are some of the top area boys swimmers to watch heading into this season? Find our top 10 below.
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*This list is in alphabetical order.
Andrew Atwood, Rogersville, Junior
Atwood was the state runner-up in the 100-yard butterfly last season with a time of 52.64. He will be the favorite in the event in 2018 after last year’s winner graduated. He also swam legs on Rogersville’s third-place finishing 200-yard freestyle relay and fifth-place 400-yard freestyle relay at the Class 1 state meet. The Rogersville junior qualified in the 200-yard freestyle as well, but failed to make the finals.
Sam Beatty, Glendale, Senior
Beatty earned two all-state finishes last year as a junior. He was sixth in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 48.58. He finished seventh in the 50-yard freestyle in 22.43. His best finish came as a part of Glendale’s third-place-finishing 400-yard freestyle relay. The Glendale senior swam the anchor leg on the Falcons’ fourth-place 200-yard medley relay at state.
Brayden Cole, Carthage, Junior
Cole was a relay warrior for the Carthage Tigers at state last year by swimming legs on three state-qualifying relays. He was the second-leg swimmer on the fifth-place-finishing 200-yard medley relay. Carthage earned an eighth-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle relay where Cole again was the second leg. The 400-freestyle relay finished in 17th place. As an individual, Cole was 14th in the 100-yard breaststroke in a time of 1:03.09.
Cole Earl, Glendale, Senior
Earl has been a factor on the area’s diving scene since his freshman year. His junior season last year was his best yet with a second-place finish at state. The now-senior was consistent throughout the meet sitting in second with 241.30 points after preliminaries. He maintained that position after the semifinals with 362.55 points before finishing state runner-up in Class 1 with 498.85 points.
Ben Hines, Nevada, Sophomore
Hines was one of the top individuals in the area last season as a freshman. The now-sophomore posted two top-3 finishes as an individual in 2017. He was state runner-up in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 21.49. He backed that up with a third-place finish in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 47.37. He also was a part of Nevada’s state-qualifying 200-yard medley and 200-yard freestyle relays.
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Jason Huckaby, Webb City, Sophomore
Diving has been on the rise in southwest Missouri over the last several years, and Webb City’s Jason Huckaby appears poised to be one of the next great divers. Last year as freshman, Huckaby scored 343.15 points to finish seventh overall in Class 1. He maintained his seventh-place standing throughout the competition with a 161.15 score after prelims and a 250.75 mark after the semifinals.
Colin McNew, Glendale, Sophomore
McNew proved to be one of the area’s best long-distance swimmers after he posted a 15th-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle at the state meet last year for the Falcons. He posted a season-best time of 5:08.63 to earn that placement. He also qualified for state as an individual in the 200-yard freestyle.
Avery Oehlschlager, Joplin, Senior
Oehlschlager was one of the few area swimmers to find success at the Class 2 state swim meet in 2017. He earned an all-state finish in the 100-yard breaststroke by swimming a time of 1:00.68 to finish in eighth place. The senior also posted a 14th-place finish in the 100-yard butterfly in a time of 54.75. Oehlschlager also was part of Joplin’s state-qualifying 400-yard freestyle relay.
Jude Rosebaugh, Monett, Senior
Rosebaugh’s greatest successes at the state meet last year came in the relays. He swam the second leg on the sixth-place-finishing 200-yard medley relay before holding down the first leg on the eighth-place-finishing 200-yard freestyle relay for the Cubs. Individually, Rosebaugh qualified in the 100-yard breaststroke where he finished 15th overall in a time of 1:03.20.
Joseph Tetlow, Central, Junior
Tetlow finished his sophomore season last year with a 10th-place finish in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:01.74. He also qualified as an individual in the 100-yard breaststroke. The now-junior also was a key piece on Central’s state-qualifying 200-yard medley and 200-yard freestyle relays. Three of the four legs on each of those relays should return for Central this year.
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