Central swimmers to host 13-team meet

The best that Southeast Missouri girls swimming has to offer will compete against a quartet of Springfield and St. Louis-area squads today when the annual City of Roses Invitational gets under way at Central Municipal Pool.

Diving will begin at 9 a.m., with swimming events set to start at 1 p.m.

Central will once again host the event, which will feature 13 schools. Area squads Notre Dame, St. Vincent, Saxony Lutheran and Poplar Bluff will join the Tigers. Other schools include Springfield Glendale, Springfield Central, Nixa, Hillcrest, Eureka, Lindbergh, Timberland and Fort Zumwalt West.

"Really my goal is to get 16 teams, and we just about made it," Central coach Dayna Powell said.

Two teams which normally make the trip down, Columbia Hickman and Rock Bridge, were unable to come this season due to spring break conflicts.

"We'll miss the speed of the Hickman and Rock Bridge girls, but it should be a good meet," Powell said.

The Tigers have already competed in a pair of home meets this week. Thursday the Central 200 medley relay finished just seconds off a state cut, something the Tigers will be gunning for today.

"We want to make our medley relay cut and the 400 relay cut," Powell said. "That will be things we're focusing on."

Central junior Hannah Kinder highlights the individuals to watch. Kinder finished third in the 50 and 100 free at the state meet last year. Notre Dame freshman Brittany Menz has also made an impression in her rookie season, making the state cut in five events so far.

Another honor for Bogan

Bell City junior Will Bogan was named a Prime Time Player by Prepcasts.com for his performance in the state tournament.

Bogan averaged 20 points and 15.5 rebounds in Columbia as Bell City finished runner-up in Class 1. Charleston junior Justin Clark and Poplar Bluff senior Ben Hansbrough were the only other Southeast Missouri players to earn the honor.

College notes

• Kansas State sophomore Loren Groves put up Midwest Regional qualifying marks in the hammer throw and discus in the Wildcats' opening outdoor meet March 16. Groves, a Scott City graduate and two-time Missouri state-champion in the discus, had a hammer throw of 181 feet, 5 inches and a discus throw of 156 feet, 9 inches.

* Jackson graduate Stuart McIntosh, a junior at Lindenwood University, finished tied for fifth in the pole vault at the NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championships on March 9 to 11 at the Memorial Center "Mini Dome" in Johnson City, Tenn. McIntosh finished with a vault of 16 feet and three-quarter inches. Lindenwood won the championship on the men's side, finishing more than 13 points ahead of the second-place school. Lindenwood's coach is Jackson graduate Lane Lohr, a former world-class pole vaulter.

* Central graduate Travis Cox was named to the all-Midwest Classic Conference academic team. Cox recently finished his junior season for the William Penn basketball team.