McPHERSON, Kan. – The McPherson High School Boys Swimming team finished their regular season with the AVCTL Div. 3-4 meet, hosted by Buhler, on Feb. 14 & 15.
The Bullpups set the tone early with the 200 Medley Relay, finishing 4th overall on the first race of the day. The team was not able to reach the podium, but head coach Matt Cotton credits that to his argument that the AVCTL teams that participated are the strongest in 5-1A swimming in Kansas, as many athletes from schools like Winfield, Buhler, and Wichita Collegiate will be frontrunners for the State meet in Lenexa. The full results can be found HERE.
Speaking of which, the 200 Medley relay team of Ben Bocox, Beckett Schuckman, Ethan Elder, and Cooper Bohme will head to State, joining alongside their teammate from Smoky Valley Gabe House. The final meet of the year will be at the Shawnee Mission Aquatic Center in Lenexa. The event begins Thursday, Feb. 20, but the first MHS preliminary events will be Friday, Feb. 21. The meet will end Saturday, Feb. 22. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL SCHEDULE.
“For a team with only 10 guys, McPherson fought hard and won about every fight they could win,” head coach Matt Cotton said. “It caps off a season that has been really defined by the grit of this group of guys, fighting through illness and working hard to get our new swimmers up to speed. While then full team is done, Bohme, Elder, Schuckman, and Bocox will join their Smoky Valley HS teammate Gabe House in Lenexa for State next weekend, February 21-22, to finish the campaign and hope to put McPherson back on the state scoreboard for the first time since 2022.”
RESULTS
Team (Points):
- Winfield (444.5)
- Wichita Collegiate (414)
- Buhler (391)
- McPherson (224.5)
- Circle (113)
- Rose Hill (98)
- El Dorado (83)
- Wellington (49)
- Andale (36)
- Clearwater (31)
Individual:
200 Medley Relay
4th – Ben Bocox, Beckett Schuckman, Ethan Elder, Cooper Bohme (1:55.21)
200 Freestyle
6th – Cooper Bohme (2:02.44)
16th – Manny Morales (2:36.49)
18th – Kurt Mendez (2:44.26)
200 Individual Medley
9th – Rudy Jensen (2:51.51)
10th – Delfino Magnall (2:51.83)
50 Freestyle
T-7th – Ethan Elder (25.04)
19th – Daniel Bowen (30.50)
100 Butterfly
7th – Rudy Jensen (1:15.26)
10th – Delfino Magnall (1:18.78)
100 Freestyle
8th – Ethan Elder (55.84)
10th – Beckett Schuckman (56.04)
17th – Daniel Bowen (1:08.19)
500 Freestyle
4th – Cooper Bohme (5:39.62)
6th – Ben Bocox (6:15.39)
14th – Baltazar Gaspar (7:48.38)
200 Freestyle Relay
7th – Delfino Magnall, Rudy Jensen, Kurt Mendez, Manny Morales (1:58.90)
100 Backstroke
9th – Ben Bocox (1:10.73)
12th – Baltazar Gaspar (1:20.14)
100 Breaststroke
7th – Beckett Schuckman (1:16.55)
14th – Manny Morales (1:26.51)
17th – Kurt Mendez (1:32.55)
400 Freestyle Relay
3rd – Ethan Elder, Ben Bocox, Cooper Bohme, Beckett Schuckman (3:50.99)
