Kinder takes two titles

ST. PETERS -- Central girls swimming coach Dayna Powell had an extra responsibility this year at the MSHSAA state meet.

And it is something she has been looking forward to for 11 years. Powell awarded the medals to the top eight swimmers in both the 100-yard freestyle and 200-yard freestyle.

That duty belongs to the coach of the individual champion, and Central senior Hannah Kinder stood on the top of the podium at the Rec-Plex in St. Peters for the first -- and second -- time in her career Saturday.

Kinder capped her amazing high school career with two individual state championships as well as one outright state record and another mark that she tied.

Those accomplishments were not the biggest of the day for Kinder, who had finished third in two events as a sophomore and second in a pair of events last year. She defeated Tarin Corwin of Blue Springs in the 100-yard freestyle. Corwin was a two-time state champion in the event and was the swimmer who kept Kinder off the top of the podium twice last year.

Central senior Hannah Kinder won both the 100- and 200-yard freestyle events Saturday at the MSHSAA swimming championships in St. Peters. (RICK GRAEFE ~ Special to the Southeast Missourian)

"It's great to say you are a state champion and nice to be in the record book," said Kinder, who will swim for nationally ranked Texas A&M University next year. "But for me personally, the biggest thrill of the day was finally beating her [Corwin]. I had never beaten her on a short course head-to-head."

Kinder finished the event in 50.94 seconds -- just off the state mark of 50.59 -- while Corwin finished in 51.37.

Powell tried to stay composed, but she had a tear in her eye when she gave Kinder the first-place medal after she broke the record in the 200 yard freestyle for her first state title.

"I was OK until the girl from Webster [Jillienne Schilling] told me that Hannah was so deserving of the title when I presented her medal," Powell said. "I couldn't keep my emotion in. Coaches who are here year-in and year-out realize how close Hannah had gotten the past two years with her two third-place and two second-place finishes. I think everybody was secretly pulling for her.

"Hannah is an unassuming and quiet kid who doesn't like the limelight. But she deserves this so much."

Kinder had some emotions of her own, flashing a wide smile when she saw the time of 1:50.37 after the 200 freestyle. That signaled a new state record, breaking the mark of 1:50.40 set last year by Jenna Harris of Webster Groves.

"I wanted to be a state champ so that was the big thing," said Kinder, who won by more than 2 seconds. "The record was kind of icing on the cake."

The other big highlight for Kinder came in the prelims Friday, as she tied the record in 50 yard freestyle as she swam a leg of 23.39, which ironically tied the mark set by Corwin in the state finals last year.

Kinder becomes the first Central girl to win a state title since 1996. Erinn Schermann, Heather Jedan, Laura Dombrowski and Grace Freeman won that year in the 200 freestyle relay. Erin Vogt was the only other Central girl to win an individual title. She won the 100 butterfly (in record time) and the 200 individual medley that year.

Kinder's effort Saturday helped Central to a 12th-place finish as a team.

Kinder, sophomores Jessie Baker and Annie Wolpers and freshman Mary Catherine Ford finished 12th in both the 200 freestyle relay (1:44.91), while Kinder, Baker, Wolpers and freshman Susan Beth Scott were 12th in the 400 freestyle relay (3:48.85).

Scott also was 12th in the 500 freestyle, finishing in 5:22.44.

The team finish was the highest for Central since 1999.

Powell also was honored with the Walter H. Lundt Award, a service award given by the state swimming coaches association.

Notre Dame sophomore Brittany Menz finished 11th in the 100 yard freestyle (54.79) and 15th in the 50 yard freestyle (25.60).

The Bulldogs' 400 free relay team of Menz, freshman Lauren Castleman, senior Ashley Nenninger and freshman Audrey Glover finished 14th in 3:50.03.

Lafayette won the team title with 294 points. Blue Springs, which had won the title the previous two years, was second with 235 points.