Both of Republic’s state-qualifying swimmers advanced to finals at the Class 1 state swim and dive championships in St. Peters Thursday. Karissa Metzger and Mady McCrea are the first swimmers to qualify for state from Republic, and now they’re the first swimmers to earn points for Republic in state competition.
McCrea and Metzger both advanced to the finals in the 200-yard individual medley, finishing in the top 16 of the 32-swimmer field. McCrea finished 12th, cutting 1.45 seconds from her previous best time. Metzger finished 14th, dropping 1.84 seconds from her previous best. Both will swim in the consolation finals. Team points are awarded for the top 16 places, so both are guaranteed to earn points in that event.
In the 100-yard breaststroke, Metzger advanced to the finals and came within one-hundredth of a second of being the first-ever Republic swimmer to earn a state medal. She finished the race in 1:08.88, shaving .23 seconds off her previous best time. But she tied for 8th place with Anna Scott Baur of MICDS. Because 8th place is the medal cut-off, Metzger and Baur swam head-to-head to break the tie, and Baur advanced into the medal swim, with Metzger advancing to the consolation finals. Metzger still becomes the first Republic swimmer to make the finals in two state events in the same season.
McCrea finished 19th in the breaststroke, less than a second above the cut for finals.
Both McCrea and Metzger will swim in their finals Friday.
