West Plains Zizzer Swimmers finished in second place at the Ozark Conference Championships on Monday. The eleven Zizzer swimmers were bested only by powerhouse Glendale, who brought 21 swimmers to the meet.
“I am thrilled with the boys’ efforts and fighting spirit,” said Head Coach Ryan Smith. “They fought in every race to get their hand on the wall first.” Two new school records were set at the meet, eight out of the eleven Zizzers earned team points, and seven earned all-conference honors.
The 200-yard Medley Relay team of Avery Miller, backstroke (27.42), Brock Larsen, breaststroke (32.39), Elias Curtis, butterfly (25.50), and Jake Bramwell, freestyle (22.52) finished in second place with a time of 1:47.83. The relay team is currently ranked nineteenth in the state.
In the 200-yard freestyle event, Isaac Kammerer (1:53.11) finished second and Ethan Squires (2:06.95) finished ninth. In the 200-yard individual medley event, Miller (2:10.94) finished second, and Brock Larsen (2:37.59) finished eleventh. In the 50-yard freestyle race, Bramwell finished third (22.89). In the 100-yard butterfly, Curtis (56.62) finished third, Dawson Fiorino (1:00.79) finished fifth, and Peyton Wake (1:06.54) finished tenth.
In the 100-yard freestyle, Miller went head to head with Glendale’s Lucas Chadwell. Miller placed second, but just barely, in a time of 50.99 to Chadwell’s 49.04. Miller’s time broke the school record of 51.08 set by Dakota Sparks in 2019. Squires placed ninth in the same event with a time of 56.60.
In the 500-yard freestyle event, Kammerer smashed his own school record of 5:07.78 set last season with a phenomenal silver medal finish of 5:00.99, finishing just two strokes behind Glendale’s Mike Jasinkski (4:59.07).
The 200-yard freestyle relay team of Bramwell (22.92), Fiorino (24.35), Squires (24.63), and Kammerer (23.97) finished in second place with a time of 1:35.87. The relay team is currently ranked 23rd in the state.
Bramwell and Curtis battled it out stroke for stroke in the race for silver in the 100-yard backstroke. Curtis reached the wall first finishing in 1:01.85 to Bramwell’s 1:01.94. Fiorino placed sixth in the event with a 1:03.95. In the 100-yard breaststroke event, Larsen placed ninth with a 1:14.91.
The 400-yard freestyle relay team of Kammerer (52.49), Curtis (52.11), Fiorino (54.10), and Miller (50.32) finished in second place with a time of 3:29. 02. The relay team is currently ranked eleventh in the state.
Smith said, “We set personal or season best times in almost every event. This team is ready for what lies ahead and will fight for everything at SWMO [Southwest Missouri Championships] and State.”
All-Conference Second Team honors go to the 200 Medley Relay team of Miller, Larsen, Curtis, and Bramwell; Kammerer, 200 and 500 freestyle; Miller, 200 individual medley and 100 freestyle; Curtis, 100 backstroke; and the 400 Freestyle Relay team of Kammerer, Curtis, Fiorino, Miller.
All-Conference, Honorable Mention honors go to the 200 Freestyle Relay Team of Bramwell, Fiorino, Squires, and Kammerer; Bramwell, 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke; Curtis, 100 butterfly; Fiornio, 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke.
Team Photo:
Backrow (L-R): Elias Curtis, Tim Haaso, Jake Bramwell, Brock Larsen, Dawson Fiorino, Peyton Wake, Avery Miller, Ethan Squires, Isaac Kammerer; Bottom Row (L-R): Assistant Coach Sheila Sparks, James Allchin, Head Coach Ryan Smith, Matthew Mayberry
