Cape Central girls swimming coasts to Rec Center Relays title

Monday was just another day in the office for Cape Central girls swimming.

Fresh off a sixth-place finish at the touted COMO Invitational in Columbia this past weekend, the Lady Tigers won six events to finish with 84 total points for a Rec Center Relays championship at Southeast Missouri State University.

Rounding out the team results were Jackson (66), Poplar Bluff (54), Notre Dame (54) and Farmington (24).

“I'm honestly really proud of my team,” reigning Class 1 Swimmer of the Year Sydney Ringwald said. “I honestly didn't think we'd win this meet in general.

“Having these big meets and, like at COMO, seeing teams that you probably won’t see until state really prepares you. So, having bigger teams to race and even a meet like today is really important for state because we know what we’re watching for.”

En route to running away with the title, Cape Central shattered two meet records that were both previously set by the program back in 2023.

Led by Ringwald, senior Bella Pattengill and freshman Karsynne McAlister, the girls broke the 600-yard medley relay with a final time of 7:11.10, besting the old record by over one second (7:12.36).

Then in the 3x100 yard backstroke relay, Ringwald, McAlister, and Sydney’s younger sister, Kennedy Ringwald, broke the meet record with an official time of 3:07.18, which was 36 seconds better than the second-fastest team in Jackson (3:43.60).

“The past teams set the old records,” said Ringwald, who signed with Florida Gulf Coast University on Dec. 16. “So, it's nice knowing that even with a smaller team we can still have enough people to break those and stuff.”

Monday was a great sign for head coach Dayna Jean Powell’s Lady Tigers, who earned a 2024 MSHSAA Class 1 state title after finishing fourth, second, and third overall in the three years prior.

With a meet at John Burroughs taking place at 4 p.m. Tuesday and the City of Roses Tournament also on the horizon, all this does is put Cape Central in a better position to repeat as state champs.

“Honestly, I think it’s our teamwork,” Ringwald said when asked about the most critical factor for her and her teammates down the stretch. “We had some problems last year in terms of not communicating as well as we should’ve, but this year it’s like a family. It doesn’t matter how fast you are, we’re all a family. Having a supportive team is one of the most important things for us.”

Jackson earns silver, Poplar Bluff and Notre Dame tie for bronze

The Lady Indian swimmers of Jackson also had a lot to cheer about Monday evening.

First-year head coach Brayden Walters’ squad placed in the top two in six events, including a 200-yard freestyle title in the opening event of the meet.

Led by Little Rock commit Ava Walters — Brayden’s younger sister — Jackson finished with an impressive time of 1:50.97 to edge Notre Dame (1:57.42) by nearly seven seconds. Junior Audrey Tuschhoff, sophomore Lynlee Lavalle and freshman Madison Tipton rounded out the event for the Lady Indians.

“I’m really happy to take a second-place finish at a meet where the whole conference is here,” coach Walters said. “We've got the biggest team Jackson's ever had as far as girls swimming goes. So, I am really pleased with that.”

Poplar Bluff and Notre Dame also captured one title apiece Monday before tying for third place at SEMO’s Rec Center.

Thanks to a big showing from junior Gabrielle Balz, junior Gracie Brown, freshman Lynn Cotrell and junior Kate Scott, the Lady Mules took home the 400-yard freestyle relay championship with a final time of 4:28.25.

Capping off the meet was Notre Dame’s first-place finish in the 200-yard medley relay, where sophomore Kyra Langenstein, freshman Martina Ressel and seniors Lydia Strohmeyer and Isabelle Seyer combined for a sharp finishing time of 2:11.86.