Bryce Martin finished 13th in Missouri Class 1 in the 100-yard backstroke at the MSHSAA state swim championship in St. Peters. Martin shaved a quarter-second off his time in the Thursday’s preliminary heat, finishing in 56.96. Martin is the first Republic swimmer to earn points at the state swim meet. (Justice Murray earned points in diving last season.)
Republic’s two other entries, Seth Lock and Brady Lewis, fell short of qualifying for the finals. Both swam in the 100-yard butterfly. Lock’s time of 56.81 shaved .29 seconds off his previous best, setting a new school record. He finished 20th overall. Lewis finished in 57.21, also cutting time off his previous best, and placing 25th.
For seniors Martin and Lock, it was their final meet. They end their careers owning at least a part of every individual and relay swim record. Martin holds seven of the eight individual swim records and Lock owns the other. In addition, Martin qualified for four separate state events – one relay and three individual events – and that is also a program record.