Poplar Bluff sending 6 swimmers to state meet

The Poplar Bluff High School Mules swim team will send the most individual athletes to the Class 1 State Boys Swimming and Diving Tournament.

After winning their third consecutive SEMO Conference Boys Swimming championship, the Mules are flying high as they get ready to compete at the state level later this week.

Head swim coach Kyler Sowell said the team has done an amazing job all season, and he’s ready to see them put their hard work to the test.

“It's exciting for us,” Sowell said. “We never had this many individual athletes qualify at the state level. We were able to get all but two individuals through, which is the most we have ever done. Carson Todd in the 50 and 100 Freestyle events and Owen McDaniel in the 100 breaststroke. At state, we are going for their individual goals, and my focus is to help them improve their standing.”

Sowell said winning the SEMO championship again was a testament to their hard work. He said they’d hit every marker he placed for them, and each swimmer entered the season knowing what they needed to do to have good times.

Competing in the state meet for the Mules are Carson Todd in the 50 free and 100 free, Owen McDaniel in the 100 breaststroke, the 200 freestyle relay with Todd, Isaac Cato, Cyrus Sagharichi and Henry Duncan, the 200 medley relay with Todd, McDaniel, Duncan and Sagharichi, while Duncan, Cato, Connor Wiggs and Sagharichi compete in the 400 freestyle relay.

“They have practiced, trained hard and competed hard all year for this moment,” Sowell said. “They put in the work, and it showed. I made them all come in with a goal in mind, and each set out to achieve it. Most, if not all, were able to hit it. We have qualifiers in almost every event for the state, they broke every school record on the board except for one, and they brought home the conference win again.”

Sowell said the overall goal for the Mules at the state meet is to work on all the small things so they can add up to the big things.

“We are looking for PRs and improvements,” he said. “My other focus is to make sure the seniors get their moment, the moment when they have reached their goal for the season. For Carson, I would like to see him on the podium or top 16.”