WEST PLAINS, Mo. — The West Plains High School boys swim team held its end of season awards banquet on Thursday, December 12, at the home of Joe and Heidi Kammerer.
Head Coach Ryan Smith said of the season, “This team saw so many goals achieved and successes.” In dual meets, the Zizzers were 9-1. They finished in 9th place at the Ozarks Invitational meet, 2nd place at the Monett Invitational meet, 19th at the Kansas City Classic, 11th at the Springfield Invitational, 2nd at the Ozark Conference Championships, 4th at the Southwest Missouri (SWMO) Championships, and 28th at the MSHSAA Class 1 State Championships.
Overall, the team had ten individual and two relay All-Conference Honors with six individual and one relay All-Conference, Honorable Mention Honors. The Zizzers had 12 individual events and all three relays advance to SWMO finals. Four of those individual events and two of those relays advanced to the ‘A’ Final. The 400-yard Free Relay won bronze, earning the first ever relay medal at SWMO for West Plains. The team had 17 individual and three relay state qualifying times with two being automatic cuts. The team had five individual swims and three relay swims qualify for the MSHSAA Class 1 State Championships. Two relays advanced to the state finals and received All-State, Honorable Mention Honors for their 15th and 16th place finishes. Finally, the Zizzers set 9 of the 12 school records this season. As for miles swam this year, Coach Smith said the boys team reached about 1,350.
The Most Improved Award is based on time improvements during the current season. With a total of 91 seconds dropped this season, the Most Improved First-Year Swimmer Award was presented to freshman Ethan Squires. With 41 seconds dropped this season, the Most Improved Returning Swimmer Award was presented to Jake Newberry.
The Relay Swim of the Year was awarded to the first ever Automatic Cut by a relay for the West Plains swim program–the 200-yard Freestyle Relay at the Springfield Invitational swam by J. Bramwell, Wood, Jolliff, and Sparks in a time of 1:34.15.
This season’s Swim of the Year was awarded to the athlete that was the first West Plains swimmer to ever break the 24 and then, more impressively, the 23 barrier in the 50-yard freestyle (both in relays)–Jaxson Wood with a time of 22.88 on the relay leg of the 200-yard Medley Relay at the State Championship Preliminaries.
The High Point Award, based on total points earned over the course of the season, was presented to Sparks.
The Captains’ Award is a special award presented by the team captains to a teammate and peer. Co-captains N. Bramwell and Sparks presented the Captains’ Award to Wood for his perseverance and attitude throughout the season.
Swimmers earning All-State, Honorable Mention Honors included: Jake Bramwell, Nate Bramwell, Kyle Jolliff, Dakota Sparks, and Jaxson Wood.
Parents and swimmers thanked both Coach Smith and Coach Sparks for their continued commitment to the successes of the individual swimmers, for the remarkable achievements this season, and the overall advancement of the Zizzer Swim program in the three years they have coached the program.
