Clayton freshman claims double golds; Parkway Central wins 3rd straight Class 1 title

ST. PETERS — There was no wiping the big ear-to-ear grin off Austin Chu's face.

The Clayton freshman wrapped up a standout rookie campaign in a big way Saturday afternoon with a pair of state titles at the Missouri Class 1 Boys Swimming and Diving Championships at the Rec-Plex.

Chu took the gold medal in the 200-yard individual medley early in Saturday's finals and later did the same in the 100 backstroke.

"It feels really good. I don't really even know how to describe it," he said. "Honestly, it's a lot of fun. Just being with all my friends because I know a lot of people from other teams. Getting to race them at a big meet is so much fun."

Chu is part of a dynamic young core of Greyhounds who are poised to make a lot of noise over the next few seasons. That includes another freshman standout in Aiden Kim, who swam in a championship and consolation final Saturday.

"The way they go about it, they are way more disciplined than your average freshman," Clayton coach Rob Laux said. "They do all the little things right consistently. They're well-rounded and they're willing to swim whatever the team needs to do well. They were great team players right from the get-go."

Chu knocked 2.41 seconds off his 200 IM preliminary time to top Greenwood senior Nathan Wu by just over a half-second in the final. Chu said he had a clear strategy to take control of the event during his strongest stroke, the backstroke.

"For my fly, I just want to be with everybody," he said. "The backstroke, I just need to bring it and get a lead, so that I have enough energy for breaststroke and freestyle."

Chu also dropped time from the prelims in his 100 back victory to beat Westminster freshman Ivan Wang by 2.32 seconds.

"I didn't expect to be that far ahead," Chu said. "I thought the kid next to me would be right with me. That was a different race than the 2 IM."

Colts run away for team three-peat

Parkway Central compiled 266 points to easily outdistance runner-up Glendale (172) and claim the school's fourth state championship and third Class 1 title in succession.

"We graduated a lot of speed, but that's the beauty of having a strong culture that these guys continue to pass down year after year," Colts coach Andrew Schonhoff said. "We obviously had some speed returning, but we had a lot of guys who we needed to step up this year and they certainly delivered."

Central became just the ninth school to win at least three straight boys swimming and diving team championships. Colts senior Cole Smith was happy to keep the streak going after some notable departures via graduation from last year's squad.

"It means so much. It's been a long couple of years for me going from not doing so much to being a big part of the team," said Smith, a three-time team champion who had a pair of top-four individual finishes Saturday and plans to swim at Truman State. "I think they (the next wave of Colts) definitely can keep it going. They're a hard-working group and they all do a great job. I wish I didn't have to leave, but I'll definitely be keeping my eye on them."

The Colts didn't have any individual champions this season. Instead, they won witìh superior depth and three fantastic relay teams that all captured championships.

"Of the 12 relay spots, we lost six of them (to graduation)," Schonhoff said. "I think what we were most proud of was we were complete enough to still have three first places in our relays. Score big in all three relays and you're always gonna give yourself a good shot at holding up the first-place trophy."

Clayton nabs first hardware in 52 years

Clayton amassed 169 points to finish three points behind Glendale and three points ahead of fourth-place Springfield Central (166).

The team trophy was the 11th for the Greyhounds, but first in 52 years as the previous 10 all came between 1959 and 1972.

"It was really exciting to watch them put on a show this weekend," Laux said. "We're really excited about the performance they had and what that could lead to down the road. They've got lots to be proud of. They're part of the history of Clayton High School now."

Chu was thrilled he was able to come in and instantly impact Clayton's ability to compete for and claim a team trophy.

"I think it's amazing because we haven't won a trophy in like 50 years, so just being a part of this is crazy," he said. "Usually, even if you have one or two (good) swimmers, it won't be a big difference. But because our entire team is so good this year, we could win a trophy."

Bombers' McGinley wins 100 free

In his final try at a state championship, Sean McGinley came through.

The John Burroughs senior was narrowly edged for the 50 free title earlier Saturday, but he was more than a second better than his nearest competitor in taking home the 100 free championship.

"I just have no words," McGinley said. "It's just an amazing experience. Last year, I was really close (two third-place finishes), but this year was just a whole new t9hing."

McGinley had swam the 100 backstroke in each of his previous three state meets, but he switched to the 100 free this season and the move paid off.

"Freestyle has always kind of been my stroke. Backstroke was just kind of a side stroke, to be honest," he said. "I enjoy swimming freestyle a lot more. I feel more fluid in the water and it's just a better experience for me."

The state title capped a memorable week for McGinley, who signed with Xavier just a couple days ago.

"It just kind of checked all my boxes," he said of the Cincinnati-based university. "Location, size, just everything."

Other top area finishes

The St. Louis area had 33 total individual swimming finalists and 17 of them — plus two divers — produced top-four finishes.

In addition to the three state champs, area athletes had six runner-up showings — Parkway Central junior Brody Blatt in both the 200 and 500 frees, McGinley in the 50 free, Lafayette senior Jackson Tenny in one-meter diving, Parkway South senior Colin Shaffer in the 100 butterfly and Wang in the 100 back.

Among the third-place finishers were Parkway Central sophomore Connor Muran in both the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke, Webster Groves sophomore Clark Montgomery in the 100 free and Smith in the 100 back.

Six more area athletes produced fourth-place efforts including Wang in the 200 IM, Fort Zumwalt North senior Luke Burgard in diving, Smith in the 100 free, Webster Groves senior Emmett Shank in the 500 free, Montgomery in the 100 back and Parkway West senior Cabot Murawski in the 100 breast.