Menu
Poplar Bluff swimmer finishes 2nd in final meet
For the Cape Aquatic Center, it was the beginning of a new era in swimming.
For one Poplar Bluff graduate, it was the end of his career.,
In his final swim meet before going to college at Murray State, Carson Todd finished second place among the 15-18 age division at the SMSC Championships on Saturday, July 13, at the newly renovated Cape Aquatic Center in Cape Girardeau.
"All the hard work just paid off in the end and it was just a great way to go out," Todd said.
Todd's final race also capped the event, the 200-yard relay. He, along with Henry Duncan, Owen McDaniel, and Cyrus Sagharichi, won the race. As an individual, Todd also won the 100-yard freestyle championship. For their victory, they received both a rubber ducky and a free ice cream bar, which might be a greater prize than the traditional medal.
"A rubber ducky is definitely up there with the medals," Todd said.
And Todd won plenty of medals during his high school swim career. He finished his senior season with four new individual school records at Poplar Bluff. He broke the 50 and 100 freestyle at the COMO Invitational in Columbia, the 200 individual medley, and 100 backstroke during the Springfield Invitational.
Todd was also a big part of three record-breaking relays, the 200 medley, and the 200 and 400 freestyle relay. He also led Poplar Bluff to a third consecutive SEMO Conference Meet championship.
Todd ended his high school career with a Semoball Awards nomination after becoming the first male Mule swimmer to qualify for state in four individual events and three relays.
With all those accolades, it was fitting that he won his last race as the anchor of a relay with his longtime teammates and friends.
"It's crazy because I've been swimming against some of these guys, Owen and Cyrus since I can remember, and Henry just started to swim a few years ago," Todd said. "We swam so many events at state and SEMO Conference and summer swim, it's a great way to go out with all three of those guys."
The only male swimmer to finish ahead of Todd was Andrew Green of River City Aquatics, who won first place.
Since he was homeschooled, Green didn't compete in high school but was good enough in the summer circuit to be recruited by Truman State University.
"I think this setting has prepared me well for college, just all the similarities will be there still," Green said. "It's the same sport, just a new environment. So I'm looking forward to it."
This was a monumental event for the hosting River City Aquatics Club, which debuted the new building after going two years without a home pool.
The new facility made a grand entrance, as it held an event with 371 swimmers of all ages all over the Southeast Missouri area and ran 155 races without a hitch.
"I can not thank the City of Cape enough and the Cape Aquatic Center," said Joe Bullock, who helped organize the championship meet. "Without their help, there is no way we could have done this."
The Poplar Bluff Piranas won the small category championships. The Kennett Killer Whales won the large category championship for the fourth straight summer. To celebrate this victory, their coach, Malinda Harris, jumped into the pool from the high dive in front of her swimmers.
"Kennett has always been a very strong team," Bullock said. "Anytime you can get 140 kids up here to swim, there's a good reason why they were the large category champions."
The Jackson Baracuddas saw Ava Walters place second (girls 15-18) and Tim DeYong place third (boys 15-18).