Republic’s girls swim team delivered the best conference performance in program history Thursday, finishing second at the COC West Championships and scoring more swimming points than any team in the meet.
Republic totaled 293 points, trailing only Webb City in the final standings. The Lady Tigers outscored every team in the pool events, but Webb City’s 41 points from diving created a gap Republic could not overcome. Glendale competes in the COC East and was not part of Republic’s conference meet.
The Lady Tigers scored consistently across the lineup, with multiple event wins and strong relay finishes carrying the day.
Ava Brown led Republic with 32 points, winning the 200-yard freestyle and the 100-yard freestyle and swimming on two first-place relay teams. Elise Replogle followed with 29 points, highlighted by a win in the 100-yard butterfly, a second-place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke, and first-place swims on the 200-yard freestyle relay and the 400-yard freestyle relay.
Amelia Beaver scored 28 points, winning the 100-yard backstroke and contributing to two relays. Zaylie Pinnell added 26 points with solid finishes in the sprint events and a relay win. Annalice Renegar scored 25 points, placing third in the 200-yard freestyle and swimming on two winning relays. Sara Chism added 22 points, including a fourth-place finish in the 200-yard IM and a relay swim. Mei Pruett also scored 22 points with strong backstroke and relay performances. Alice Booher added 12 points, and Lillian Worthy scored seven.
Republic’s relays were a strength throughout the meet. The Lady Tigers won the 200-yard freestyle relay and the 400-yard freestyle relay, and placed second in the 200-yard medley relay. Several relays posted significant time drops, including a late improvement that moved one relay from 20th to 15th in the state rankings.
Coach Steve Boyce credited the group’s work ethic and racing experience.
“They’re doing great work in practice every day, and they’re learning,” Boyce said. “Every time we race, we learn something new and keep adding to the skills. They race a lot in high school swimming, and that gives them chances to make adjustments.”
Boyce said the final relay of the day — the 400-yard freestyle relay — stood out.
“At the end of a long day, they dropped seven seconds off their relay,” he said. “Now we’ve got a realistic chance to get into the top 16 at the state meet, swim the second day, and make all-staters out of them.”
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