With the addition of five club swimmers, three from Springfield Aquatics and two from Missouri State Aquatics, to the Central High School girls swim team, the girls have qualified a record number to state.

“Last year people freaked out when Central took one relay to state, and this year we have three relays going,” said freshman Amy Allen, one of the club swimmers from SPA.

The club swimmers, however, are not the only team members who have increased their efforts in order to put together this kind of season.

“The whole team has done a phenomenal job for stepping it up, increasing intensity and increasing skill level,” said Central swim coach Wendy Shepard.

The team’s hard work showed when they took fourth place at the Columbia Invitational where they only placed behind Glendale, Rockhurst and Hanibal with a total score of 144.

“I’ve only been swimming competitively for three years and at first it was tough. I just had to work to get the times,” said freshman Jordyn Johnson, another SPA swimmer.

Also, in the Central vs. Nixa meet, Central hammered Nixa by winning every event.

The event to watch, however, was the 200 yard freestyle where Amy Allen and freshman Sara Swango, another one of the SPA swimmers, finished less than one second apart from each other taking both first and second place over Nixa.

With a 4-2 record at dual meets for the girls already, and a lot of season still ahead, “We’re focused more on our invitational swim meets where we’ll face higher caliber teams like Blue Springs, Kickapoo and Glendale,” said Shepard.