The West Plains boys swimming team went 5-4 in dual meet scoring at the Jefferson City Invitational, improving its season record to 19-7.
The Zizzers secured victories over Jefferson City (59-35), Capital City (60-26), Marshall (60-53), Columbia Independent (58-49) and Sedalia Smith-Cotton (59-48). West Plains dropped matchups against Hickman (92-41), Rock Bridge (60-46), Hannibal (90-46) and Missouri Academy (77-56).
Top individual and relay finishers for West Plains included:
"It is always great to go back to Jefferson City and have the Zizzers get to swim in the same pool Coach Smith got to swim in all growing up," said West Plains Head Coach Ryan Smith, a Jefferson City High School alumnus. "This is also a great time to swim against competition we don't typically see during the season."
The West Plains Lady Zizzers wrapped up their individual district tennis tournament Thursday at Logan-Rogersville without a state qualifier, but Head Coach Jordan Letterman saw plenty worth celebrating.
June Sanderson, West Plains' No. 1 singles player, turned in the day's standout performance, grinding out a 7-6, 6-4 first-round victory in a match that lasted nearly three hours.
"It was a long, physical match with a lot of extended rallies, and she did a great job staying focused and finding a way to win," Letterman said.
He pointed out Promise Russell also impressed at No. 2 singles against a talented Glendale opponent, putting together strong rallies and striking some impressive winners.
The doubles teams faced their own uphill climbs, Letterman noted. Melak Tekle and Addi Simpson, West Plains' No. 1 doubles team, drew a tough Catholic squad, while No. 2 partners Libby Peugh and Kinley Green faced a talented Logan-Rogersville team.
Letterman suggested the district tournament put the season's progress into perspective. West Plains lost its entire varsity lineup from last year, leaving players who had competed on the junior varsity level to fill the vacancies.
"Some of them moved up more than 10 spots in our lineup compared to last year," Letterman said. "That's a huge jump, especially when you're going up against girls who have been playing varsity tennis for multiple seasons."
Letterman said he believes the experience at districts will ultimately pay off.
"The wins and losses," he said, "don't always tell the full story of a season."
