Lafayette Lady Lancers Persevere Beyond Disappointment

The undefeated Lafayette Lady Lancers arrived at the Springfield Invitational last weekend knowing that emerging victorious would be their hardest challenge yet this season.  Then, what seemed difficult became nearly impossible after the team’s 200 Medley Relay – the first event  – disqualified, and the team was down 40 points behind their fiercest competitor at the meet:  Notre Dame de Sion of Kansas City.

Coach Todd Gabel, who just received a Missouri Coach of the Year Award, (see below) decided to change up that relay on Saturday.  He swapped sophomore Gretchen Cox from backstroke to breaststroke, moving Madeleine Wilmsen into the backstroke position. The other team members were senior Taylor Paskoff on butterfly and sophomore Laura Paskoff anchoring on freestyle.

The relay touched the wall in first place ahead of de Sion, but Cox was called on a false start, disqualifying the relay and sending the 40 points to de Sion.

“I was very proud of the girls on how they responded,” Gabel said. “They could have just collapsed, but instead they turned it into a positive, and went forward and took care of business.”

Indeed they did. From that point forward in the meet, multiple swimmers achieved new season best times and moved up places.  One swimmer, freshman Olivia Thoelke, who was not even expected to score points based on her seed times, swam fast enough to move into scoring position in both of her events. (Only the top 16 finishers score points for their teams).

Thoelke was seeded 46th in the 50 free with a best time of 28:43. Instead, she swam a 26:91 and took ninth place. She did the same thing in the 100 Freestyle, where she moved from a 35th place seed and time of 101:63 to a 14th place finish and a time of 58:56.

Additionally, the team’s 400 Free Relay, consisting of the Paskoff sisters, Cox and freshman Mae Riordan, moved from a third place seed to first place, dropping nearly three seconds to achieve a new best time of 3:44:68.

And, two of Lafayette’s three divers scored a total of 24 points for the team. Senior Alyssa Shaw took fourth place with a score of 322.25 and sophomore Kelly Shaw took ninth place with a score of 304.65.

“The diving went really well, and I was glad to help the team out,” said Alyssa Shaw.

Cox credited the entire team effort to the seemingly impossible end of the meet, in which Lafayette won with a score of 315 over de Sion’s 295.

“The DQ was a big setback, but everyone did a great job stepping up,” she said.

Taylor Paskoff agreed. “I'm very impressed with the level of teamwork at the meet. It was an extremely fun weekend.”

Gabel said he thought the meet was a huge success. “As far as the rest of the season goes, we have to wait and see, but I am very confident that the team will respond positively and end the season on a high note. I am looking forward to the rest of the season.”

Assistant Coach Jill O’Sullivan, who coaches the divers, said she likes to use this meet as a learning experience leading up to state.

“It gave the girls a chance to dive against some tough competition. I was most impressed with the way the girls dove in the final rounds. Kelly moved from 13th to ninth, and Alyssa from sixth to fourth. Freshmen diver Sophie Gebauer continues to improve and placed 22 out of the field of 37.”

In all, 24 teams from across the state and more than 400 swimmers and divers competed in the Springfield Invitational.

Other influential swims that helped the Lancers emerge victorious were: 

• Riordan was seeded seventh and Taylor Paskoff was seeded 11th in the 200 Freestyle, but they finished in second and third place respectively, both achieving new best times. Additionally, junior Hannah Chobanian moved up five spots in that event to 15th place.

• Wilmsen took fifth place and sophomore Taylor Holz placed eighth in the 200 Individual Medley. Wilmsen achieved a new best time of 2:19:45, and moved up three places.

• Laura Paskoff went from a ninth place seed to fourth place in the 50 free, swimming a new best time of 25:75. She also moved up to sixth place in the 100 freestyle with a new best time of 56:11.

• Taylor Paskoff held her first place position in the 100 Butterfly. Holz and Kirchhoefer took sixth and seventh places in that event.

• Riordan took second place in the 500 Freestyle with a time of 5:20:64, and Cox moved up from a sixth place seed to third place, with a new best time of 5:21:77. Chobanian took 11th place in that event, as well.

• Wilmsen, after injuring her ankle in the pool’s gutter just minutes before her race, moved up from a 12th place seed to seventh place in the 100 Breaststroke, achieving a new best time of 1:14:97.

• Cox took third in the 100 backstroke.

 Coach of the Year

Following the excitement of the Springfield Invitational, Gabel received notification that he was named a Missouri Coach of the Year by the Missouri Coaches Association. Gabel was one of 19 coaches to receive the award and the only Rockwood School District coach in the mix.  He will be honored at a banquet at the Country Club of Missouri in Columbia, MO, in June.

Gabel’s Lady Lancers won the state swim meet last year, and also took their 25th consecutive conference title. The team will attempt to make the No. 26 this week when they host the conference at Feb. 10 and 11.