Girls swim team compete at state championships

The Pattonville High School girls swimming and diving team competed at the MSHSAA Class 2 state championships at the City of St. Peter Rec-Plex. The Pirates placed 22nd in the final team rankings with 21 points.
 
Freshman Jenna Ridings medaled at the competition placing sixth in the championship final of the 100 yard butterfly race with a time of 57.99 seconds. Ridings reached the consolation finals in the 200 yard freestyle and placed 10th, breaking her own school record with a time of 1:56.90. Sophomore Emma Eiswirth broke her own school record in the 100 yard breaststroke with a time of 1:08.75 in the preliminary round and placed 16th in the consolation final. 
 
The 200 yard medley relay team broke a 41-year-old school record during the preliminary round at the state championships. Junior Christina Bae (backstroke), Eiswirth (breaststroke), Ridings (butterfly) and junior Tehya Cox-Potter (freestyle) finished in 17th place with a time of 1:55.83. That was 2.93 seconds faster than the 1982 team of Wilson, Richardson, Skillington and Stokes (1:58.76). 
 
Other competitors at the state championships were Eiswirth who finished 18th in the 200 yard individual medley with a personal best of 2:15.47; Bae, Eiswirth, Cox-Potter and Ridings that placed 27th in the 200 freestyle relay with a season best time of 1:48.11; and the 400 freestyle relay of Bae, junior Emma Whitley, senior Madison Leckrone and Cox-Potter that finished 27th with a time of 4:10.74. 
 
Freshman Mackenzie Newell was an alternate at this year’s state championships.
 
This season, the team broke one school relay record and six individual school records this season when coached by Anna Braswell and assistants Ashley Haar and Madeline Marren.