Rockhurst swim and dive fell just short of completing the five-peat at the Missouri Class 2 state championship Nov. 14-15. They still made history, though, posting the most-ever points for a runner-up team.
St. Louis University High School (SLUH) won the tournament, posting 328 points, compared to Rockhurst’s 294.
Senior Andy Baklanov led the charge for Rockhurst, finishing first in two events: the 200 yard individual medley (1:46.69) and the 100 backstroke (48.28). His times for both set new personal records.
“Second place for this team is no small feat,” Baklanov said. “Proud is an understatement, and this team faced a lot of adversity.”
Rockhurst was down 100 points at one point, but managed to claw their way back into the race.
Aside from Baklanov’s victories, Rockhurst’s top finishes were second place in both the 400 freestyle relay (3:08.27) and the 200 medley relay (1:33.54). SLUH dominated in almost every other event.
Going into the season and this tournament, Rockhurst had been underrated by observers. Rockhurst had been predicted to finish fifth overall, which didn’t come as a surprise to those within the program, as they are often picked as underdogs going into state.
“This program has a history of ignoring where we are supposed to finish in a meet,” head coach Paul Winkeler said. “The boys look at the rankings and consider a starting point.
“They always know how to climb in the rankings. There is a mindset to it.”
The swimmers this year knew they had something special with this team.
“Our team chemistry sets us apart,” senior Ian Kennedy said. “We’re able to play defense in a very individual sport by cheering for the guys in the water and making sure they know they have a team behind their back. That’s something you rarely see with other teams.”
Rockhurst swim will be losing 18 seniors at the end of the year. That is more than any other graduating class in recent history.
“It is going to be difficult to say goodbye to so many seniors,” Winkeler said. “However, they have left the culture of our program in great hands.
“The level of compete, servant leadership, the commitment to hard work, and the culture… those are aspects that will never change.”
Rockhurst will have some new Aquahawks step into the spotlight next year.
“I leave this program hopeful for future studs like [sophomore] Aaden Lutman, [junior] Reilly Eagan and [sophomore] Kemper Roberts,” Baklanov said. “They will do exceptional next year, and I look forward to seeing what they do.”
