The last event was the last chance for the Eureka girls swimming and diving team.
For the Wildcats to claim their fourth team trophy (top-four finish) in six years and second in a row, they needed to make the medal stand (top eight) in the 400-yard freestyle relay, the final event at the Missouri State High School Activities Association Class 2 state championships Feb. 20-21 at the Rec-Plex in St. Peters.
Junior Paige Samuelson took the first leg, followed by senior Morgan Clark. By the time senior Emerson Hicks finished the third leg, Eureka was positioned for a medal and senior anchor Chloe Robinson dove into the pool.
And lost her goggles.
“They came off almost immediately,” she said. “They’re prescription, so I couldn’t see. I was feeling it out, so my turns weren’t as clean as they usually are. I didn’t want it to be an excuse, but if I had my goggles on, this outcome would have been much different.”
Robinson, who has committed to swim at Rhode Island University, reached the finish at 3:41.58, good for sixth place and lifting Eureka into fourth place with 159 points. Park Hill South of Kansas City repeated as Class 2 champions with 337.5 points. Eureka was second in 2024 after its 400 free relay team – including Robinson and Samuelson – won its race.
“It was a shock because (Friday) wasn’t our best in the 400 (prelims), but we had a good conversation, everyone pitched in and decided that today was the day,” Robinson said. “Coming in fourth was a complete shock and I have to give credit to all my teammates.”
“It always comes down to that last event,” Eureka head coach Anna Jovanovich said. “You can’t check the score until the end because it sways so much from event to event.”
The next stop for Hicks is Truman State University. She swam the breaststroke leg in the 200 medley relay, the first finals event of the second day. South won in 1:46.89, while the Wildcats called on their 400 free foursome, this time with Robinson leading off and Clark anchoring them to second in 1:49.34. Robinson swam the backstroke leg in her season-best time.
Hicks has been swimming the breaststroke leg in the medley relay since she was a freshman and it’s her favorite event.
“It’s a group of amazing, talented girls and we wanted it so bad,” she said.
Hicks also finished third in the 100 breaststroke in 1:07.67 and competed in the 200 individual medley but didn’t make the finals.
“My freshman year I was 21st (in the breaststroke) and I never thought I’d (be) here today getting a medal,” Hicks said.
Robinson finished third in the 100 freestyle in 52.35.
“I was seeded second and I wanted to keep that (in my finish), which was fine because I improved my time.”
In her final individual event, Robinson finished fifth in the 100 backstroke in 58.44.
“I had lofty goals for that event,” she said. “I didn’t make them, but I was fifth, which was better than where I was seeded (sixth).”
Samuelson placed eighth in the 100 butterfly in 1:00.60. The eight finalists were spread out by only four seconds.
Eureka’s 200 free relay of junior Evyn Lashley, sophomore Natalie Gronborg, senior Adeline Stephens and Clark clocked a season-best time of 1:42.13 to finish seventh, marking the first time the Wildcats had three medal-winning relays at state. Park Hills South set an all-class state record in the event in 1:36.09.
Stephens also qualified for state in the 200 free and 100 backstroke. Jovanovic said what Stephens was able to accomplish, despite not swimming for a club, was remarkable.
The Wildcats continue to draw inspiration from graduated standout Haiden Schoessel, now competing for Arizona State University. She set state records in the 50 and 100 free in 2023; those records still stand.
“When the seniors leave, you bring up a new group of talent and see who rises to the occasion and we did a lot of fast swimming today,” Jovanovic said.
Eureka girls wrestling sends 5 to state
Eureka junior wrestlers Kirra Dunscombe (115 pounds) and Mira Richardson (130) were each two wins away from the medal round at the Class 2 state championships last year.
Now they’ve earned another shot at a medal (top six), returning to the Mizzou Arena in Columbia Friday as district champions. The Wildcats are sending three other wrestlers to state after finishing third with 138.5 points at the District 1 meet at Lafayette Feb. 15. The host Lancers won with 220.5 and Seckman was second with 189. All three schools compete in the Suburban Conference Yellow pool.
“(Five qualifiers) is a great number,” first-year head coach Clayton Wegener said. “We’re building something here at Eureka I think will continue to improve. We’re super-excited about all five girls’ chances to place at state.”
Also qualifying are junior Amara Vanderhoof (third, 120), senior Mya Willis (second, 155) and senior Addison Neumann (third, 235). Willis lost in the “bubble” (medal elimination) round at 155 at state last year. Neumann, a three-time state qualifier, lost her first state match a year ago but wrestled all the way back to finish fifth at 235.
At Lafayette, Dunscombe (40-6) pinned her first three opponents in under a minute. In the final, she ran into a conference rival, Seckman senior Kaylee Horman (30-11), who had pinned Dunscombe in the same gym at the Fred Ross Tournament in January.
This time Horman struck first with a takedown for a 3-0 lead, but Dunscombe scored a reversal and the first period ended 3-2. Horman scored her last point with an escape in the second period before Dunscombe took her down for a 5-4 edge going to the third. Dunscombe chose to start on bottom and escaped to increase her lead to 6-4. A takedown and four near-fall points for Dunscombe gave her a 13-4 victory by major decision.
“If I’m not close to pinning the girl and the match is really hard, I look at the score to see how many points I need to win,” Dunscombe said. “When it gets to the end of the match and I’m super-tired, I do whatever I can to do better. The main thing I need to focus on is being confident.”
“She’s had a long season with bumps and bruises,” Wegener said. “When she’s on, she’s a straight gamer. Watching her dominate (Horman) in the finals was awesome to see. It’s a match we lost earlier in the season. Seeing her go through that adversity and come out a district champion is great.”
Richardson (41-5) entered the district meet as the top seed at 130 and lived up to that billing by pinning all four opponents to win the title. In another conference matchup against a familiar opponent, Richardson wrestled Lafayette junior Layla Gardner (37-12), the No. 2 seed, for the crown.
After a scoreless first, Richardson took Gardner down, and a Gardner escape left the match 3-1 going to the third period. Richardson scored on an escape and takedown before pinning Gardner at 4:45 to improve to 5-0 against her this season.
“I have to lock in when I have to face her,” Richardson said. “My coaches show me a different thing to do. At the beginning of the season, she was having trouble getting up and now she can, and that changes things up. I’ve noticed she always shifts to her left because I go to the right for cradles, so I follow her, break her down and go to my cradles. She chose neutral (for the third period) and I got escape points, sprawled and got around and cradled her.”
“She’s wrestled (Gardner) all year,” Wegener said. “(Gardner) is a game, super-tough opponent and for Mira to dominate and break her in the third period was so rewarding for her because of all the work she puts in. She wants to be a state champion, and I believe she can be.”
A first-round loss left Vanderhoof (26-22) on the backside of the bracket needing three wins to qualify for state. Wins by fall and an 8-1 decision put Vanderhoof in the bubble round, but she didn’t have to take the mat because Northwest sophomore Amelia Huncovsky (35-8) dislocated her elbow in the semifinals and Vanderhoof won by medical forfeit. In the third-place match, Vanderhoof beat Fox sophomore Zoey Zimmermann (21-9) in a 19-4 technical fall.
Two quick pins led Willis (40-8) to the semifinals against yet another conference rival, Seckman senior Summer Hohman (23-21). Willis scored a quick takedown and pinned Hohman in 40 seconds. Waiting for Willis in the final was Washington senior Maggie Ortmann (42-2), who finished second in the state at 155 in 2024. Ortmann got an escape in the second period and hung on for a 1-0 decision.
Neumann (40-7) was pinned in the 235 semifinals by Rockwood Summit junior Kamauri Fowler (38-7). In the bubble round, Neumann pinned Northwest senior Katelyn Kiefer (26-14). She won the third-place match with a pin in 51 seconds against Seckman junior Madison Clover (35-23).
Sophomore Keanna George (135) and senior Amina Philip (140) were one match away from qualifying for Columbia. George lost a 12-8 decision to Northwest senior Yuridia Fajardo (36-12) and Philip succumbed to Rockwood Summit sophomore Kinzley Phillipp (21-15) in a 13-3 major decision.
“That’s heartbreaking to end your career like that, but (Philip) is such a great kid; it was awesome to be her coach,” Wegener said. “She works hard every day.
“Keanna led (Fajardo) 8-4 with 30 seconds left. We put her on her back and she rolled through. It’s awesome to see (George) grow. I couldn’t be more proud of her.”
McCollum finishes second at 285 at districts
The number is the same, but the names are different.
The Eureka boys wrestling team qualified four to the 2024 Class 4 state tournament at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, and three Wildcats earned medals.
At the Class 4 District 1 meet at Northwest in Cedar Hill Feb. 21-22, juniors Conner Stephans (126 pounds, fourth) and Taybryn Geiler (150, fourth), senior Blake Forke (165, third) and sophomore Noah McCollum (285, second) earned their tickets to make their first appearance at the state championships Friday and Saturday.
Lafayette won District 1 with 232 points and sends 10 to state, including four individual champions. Eureka tied Fox for seventh with 85 points.
“We wrestled really hard and it’s a really tough district,” Eureka head coach Luke Gentry said. “We had a couple of heartbreakers in the blood (medal elimination) round. That happens to every team.”
Eureka sophomore Noah Morris (106) and junior Braden Laughlin (157) will have to wait another year after being eliminated in that late round, also known as the “bubble round.”
McCollum (40-9) pinned his first three opponents and faced Jackson junior Brysen Wessell (37-6) for the title in the last match Saturday afternoon. Rangy and light for a heavyweight at 230-235 pounds, McCollum found the taller Wessell to be his equal in strength. Both play football in the fall and at times their bout resembled a blocking drill.
Wessell took his best shot late in the first period and his takedown led to a pin at 1:55. McCollum walked off the mat with trainers wiping a thick stream of blood from his nose.
“We worked with Noah so he could learn how to wrestle heavyweight and understand it technique-wise,” Gentry said. “And he’s a sponge. He’s like that on the football field, too. That’s why we feel confident he’ll make a deep run at state.”
Forke (37-9) was the only Wildcat to win his last match, a medical forfeit by Rolla junior Jack Mrozowicz (38-7). Mrozowicz had pinned Forke the day before in the quarterfinals. Forke had to win three matches in the consolation bracket to stay alive. He pinned two wrestlers from the Suburban Conference in Seckman freshman Jacob Horman (16-20) and Lafayette senior Jack Ryan (5-13), and in the “bubble round” Forke beat Fox junior Charles Chapman (34-6) in a 14-1 major decision.
“We feel good about his chances to place at state,” Gentry said.
Stephans (29-13) won his first bout by technical fall and then earned an 11-4 decision over Parkway West junior Eugene Wu (33-6). Stephans scored seven points in the second period with a takedown and near fall points. Lafayette junior Calum Brown (33-7) beat Stephans 8-0 in the semifinals and went on to take the title. Stephans needed a win to qualify for state and got it by pinning CBC sophomore Michael Fudge (37-17). Stephans lost by fall to Kirkwood senior Dylan Crupper (38-11) in the third-place match.
Geiler (23-24), whose brother, William, was a state qualifier in 2022, had a first-round bye before taking on Lafayette’s Aidan Schoen (38-6), who won by fall. Geiler won three matches in consolation, including beating Tyson Ahrens (30-14) of Northwest in a 9-7 decision – earning the winning points on a takedown with 18 seconds left in regulation. He lost 8-1 to Christian Brothers College sophomore Mason Todd (35-14) in the third-place match.
“Taybryn was our darkhorse,” Gentry said. “He had turnaround wins against Oakville and Northwest. It’s funny because a couple of years ago his older brother did the same thing in this gym. It was a cool full-circle moment for him and all of us.”
Bombers snap Wildcats' seven-game win streak
A dominant 60-27 victory over Parkway Central on Senior Night highlighted a seven-game winning streak for the Eureka girls basketball team, which is 15-8 heading into the last week of the regular season.
Seniors Jenna Cubbage and Corinne Ecker were honored on Valentine’s Day night with an array of signs, balloons and photo blow-ups as the Wildcats overpowered the Colts (10-11) in a non-conference matchup.
“(The team) definitely executed for us tonight,” Cubbage said. “Marleigh (Allen) and Mia (Cuneio) were really good from the 3-point line.
“We understand each other so well. We know Marleigh and Mia will make their shots. We know Jenna is good on the post, and I feel like that’s what helps us to victory.”
The winning streak, which also included non-conference W’s over Gateway STEM and Park Hills Central and league victories over Pattonville and Webster Groves, ended Feb. 22 at John Burroughs as the Bombers prevailed 48-40. The hosts held Eureka scoreless in the third quarter.
Against the Colts, Eureka leaped in front 12-3 on four 3-pointers, two apiece by Allen and Cuneio. The lead grew to 17-5 at the end of the first quarter and 38-16 at halftime with Allen, Tessa Bauer, Bailey Thebeau, and Georgia Bandermann all draining treys.
Eureka cleared the bench in the second half but kept hitting 3-balls and ended up scoring 42 of their 60 points from behind the arc, shooting 14-for-41 (34 percent).
“We’re certainly not afraid to shoot them,” said head coach CJ Herbert. “If you’re not going to guard us, then we’re going to make a lot of 3’s. Marleigh and Mia made a bunch early, and if they’re there, then we’ll take them.”
Allen led all scorers with 21 points, including five treys, and Cuneio logged 16 points with four buckets from long range. Cubbage grabbed eight rebounds to bolster her 6.3 per game average. Allen snagged another six, right at her average of 5.9 per game.
“We’re pretty good at chasing down long rebounds,” Herbert said. “We’re pretty athletic and they’re all doing a really good job at going and getting them.”
Three days earlier, the Wildcats hosted Parkway South (9-12 overall, 0-3 in the Suburban Yellow pool). The Patriots have one of the top scorers and rebounders in the St. Louis area in Ava McCulla, who averages 20 points per game and 11.7 rebounds. But the Wildcats forced 25 turnovers and held the visitors to four points in the final quarter to win 61-43.
(McCulla) is really good, and she’s hard to handle,” Herbert said. “So they kept it kind of close going into the fourth quarter, and then we outscored them by 10.”
The Wildcats were scheduled to close out the season after the Leader deadline with road games at Ladue (9-14) and Parkway West (17-3 overall and 3-1 in the Yellow pool) and a home contest against Lindbergh (9-16). A win over Parkway West would sew up the Yellow pool championship at 5-0. Eureka defeated the Longhorns 57-52 in the Visitation Tournament in late December.
“(West) has two strong posts, so we’ll have to be strong on defense again,” Herbert said. “Last time, it was a fast game, so we need to make sure we come out strong in that first quarter.”
Eureka boys succumb to powerful Statesmen
Webster Groves has one of the top scorers in the St. Louis area, and Scottie Adkinson matched his season points per game average with 23 when the Statesmen won 58-40 at Eureka on Feb. 21.
Webster improved to 19-5 overall and won the Suburban Conference Yellow pool with a record of 6-0. It was the second consecutive pool loss for the Wildcats, who fell to 13-8, 3-3. The Statesmen are the No. 1 seed in Class 5 District 1 being held at Vianney, starting on March 5. Three of the top five scorers in the area are in the district.
Eureka is in Class 6 District 2 at Kirkwood. That bracket wasn’t available before the deadline.
Joe Rauls led the Wildcats with 15 points against the Statesmen. Teammate Jaxson Joggerst had 14 points, six rebounds and two steals.
In Eureka’s 45-42 home loss to University City on Feb. 14, the Lions jumped on the Wildcats for 19 points in the first quarter. Eureka’s defense stiffened, however, allowing seven points in the second.
Rauls sank three 3-point baskets and led Eureka with 15 points. John Haberkorn provided 10 points off the bench. Joggerst had eight points, eight boards and four assists.
By Russell KorandoFor the Leader
Eureka junior wrestlers Kirra Dunscombe (115 pounds) and Mira Richardson (130) were each two wins away from the medal round at the Class 2 state championships last year.Now they’ve earned another shot at a medal (top six), returning to the Mizzou Arena in Columbia Friday as district champions. The Wildcats are sending three other wrestlers to state after finishing third with 138.5 points at the District 1 meet at Lafayette Feb. 15. The host Lancers won with 220.5 and Seckman was second with 189. All three schools compete in the Suburban Conference Yellow pool.“(Five qualifiers) is a great number,” first-year head coach Clayton Wegener said. “We’re building something here at Eureka I think will continue to improve. We’re super-excited about all five girls’ chances to place at state.”Also qualifying are junior Amara Vanderhoof (third, 120), senior Mya Willis (second, 155) and senior Addison Neumann (third, 235). Willis lost in the “bubble” (medal elimination) round at 155 at state last year. Neumann, a three-time state qualifier, lost her first state match a year ago but wrestled all the way back to finish fifth at 235. At Lafayette, Dunscombe (40-6) pinned her first three opponents in under a minute. In the final, she ran into a conference rival, Seckman senior Kaylee Horman (30-11), who had pinned Dunscombe in the same gym at the Fred Ross Tournament in January. This time Horman struck first with a takedown for a 3-0 lead, but Dunscombe scored a reversal and the first period ended 3-2. Horman scored her last point with an escape in the second period before Dunscombe took her down for a 5-4 edge going to the third. Dunscombe chose to start on bottom and escaped to increase her lead to 6-4. A takedown and four near-fall points for Dunscombe gave her a 13-4 victory by major decision.“If I’m not close to pinning the girl and the match is really hard, I look at the score to see how many points I need to win,” Dunscombe said. “When it gets to the end of the match and I’m super-tired, I do whatever I can to do better. The main thing I need to focus on is being confident.”“She’s had a long season with bumps and bruises,” Wegener said. “When she’s on, she’s a straight gamer. Watching her dominate (Horman) in the finals was awesome to see. It’s a match we lost earlier in the season. Seeing her go through that adversity and come out a district champion is great.”Richardson (41-5) entered the district meet as the top seed at 130 and lived up to that billing by pinning all four opponents to win the title. In another conference matchup against a familiar opponent, Richardson wrestled Lafayette junior Layla Gardner (37-12), the No. 2 seed, for the crown. After a scoreless first, Richardson took Gardner down, and a Gardner escape left the match 3-1 going to the third period. Richardson scored on an escape and takedown before pinning Gardner at 4:45 to improve to 5-0 against her this season.“I have to lock in when I have to face her,” Richardson said. “My coaches show me a different thing to do. At the beginning of the season, she was having trouble getting up and now she can, and that changes things up. I’ve noticed she always shifts to her left because I go to the right for cradles, so I follow her, break her down and go to my cradles. She chose neutral (for the third period) and I got escape points, sprawled and got around and cradled her.” “She’s wrestled (Gardner) all year,” Wegener said. “(Gardner) is a game, super-tough opponent and for Mira to dominate and break her in the third period was so rewarding for her because of all the work she puts in. She wants to be a state champion, and I believe she can be.”A first-round loss left Vanderhoof (26-22) on the backside of the bracket needing three wins to qualify for state. Wins by fall and an 8-1 decision put Vanderhoof in the bubble round, but she didn’t have to take the mat because Northwest sophomore Amelia Huncovsky (35-8) dislocated her elbow in the semifinals and Vanderhoof won by medical forfeit. In the third-place match, Vanderhoof beat Fox sophomore Zoey Zimmermann (21-9) in a 19-4 technical fall.Two quick pins led Willis (40-8) to the semifinals against yet another conference rival, Seckman senior Summer Hohman (23-21). Willis scored a quick takedown and pinned Hohman in 40 seconds. Waiting for Willis in the final was Washington senior Maggie Ortmann (42-2), who finished second in the state at 155 in 2024. Ortmann got an escape in the second period and hung on for a 1-0 decision.Neumann (40-7) was pinned in the 235 semifinals by Rockwood Summit junior Kamauri Fowler (38-7). In the bubble round, Neumann pinned Northwest senior Katelyn Kiefer (26-14). She won the third-place match with a pin in 51 seconds against Seckman junior Madison Clover (35-23). Sophomore Keanna George (135) and senior Amina Philip (140) were one match away from qualifying for Columbia. George lost a 12-8 decision to Northwest senior Yuridia Fajardo (36-12) and Philip succumbed to Rockwood Summit sophomore Kinzley Phillipp (21-15) in a 13-3 major decision.“That’s heartbreaking to end your career like that, but (Philip) is such a great kid; it was awesome to be her coach,” Wegener said. “She works hard every day.“Keanna led (Fajardo) 8-4 with 30 seconds left. We put her on her back and she rolled through. It’s awesome to see (George) grow. I couldn’t be more proud of her.”