STATE SPLASH! CENTRAL'S YOUNGHOUSE WINS TWO TITLES

COLUMBIA -- Cape Girardeau Central High swimmer Jonathan Younghouse claimed state championships in two events and was named co-most valuable swimmer at the Missouri state swim meet Saturday.

Younghouse won the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:44.71 and the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:41.83. The Cape Central junior, who shared the most valuable swimmer award with a competitor from Country Day, is the first state swimming champion in school history.

"John really stepped up to the pressure and did a great job today," said Central swimming coach Dayna Powell.

Younghouse was also a part of two Central relay teams that placed fourth.

As a team, Cape Central placed seventh, which ties its team-high finish three years ago.

Taking the championship, as predicted, was LaFayette with 207 points, followed by Parkway West in second with 135 points and Parkway Central in third with 101 points.

Completing the top 10 teams in the 54-team field: 4. Lee's Summit 99, 5. Country Day 96, 6. Blue Springs 95, 7. Cape Central 88, 8. Parkway South 77, 9. Raytown South 60, 10. Columbia-Hickman 58.

The Central relay teams consisting of Dax Tobin, Marshall Marietta, Younghouse and Aaron Dombrowski timed 130.14 in the 200-yard freestyle and 3:18.45 in the 400-yard freestyle.

"These four guys go as hard as they can go," Powell said. "Other teams have six or seven of these guys so we have to rely on them a great deal."

Tobin also made it to the finals in two events as an individual: the 200-yard intermediate in which he finished fourth with a time of 2:00.58, and the 100-yard backstroke, in which he placed 11th with a time of 57.24.

In his three years of high school competition, Younghouse has now qualified for the finals at state, and therefore earned all-state swimmer honors, in eight events.

"I do not know of many athletes in high school who can say that as a junior," Powell said.