Swimming

Allison Williamson's journey from aspiring gymnast to championship diver is marked by resilience and adaptability. Despite being a newcomer to the sport, the Poplar Bluff junior is quickly making waves in her first diving season.

The Poplar Bluff Mules wrestling team made the most of its home debut on Tuesday. The Mules took a 56-10 win over the Kennett Indians on the boys side, while the Lady Mules lost 40-6, but split its two matches on the mat. Zekey Camden (144 pounds), Noah Perkins (157), Karson Rolland (165) and Karter Blanchard (215) all pinned their opponents, while Branson Crum (138) won by technical fall when he went ahead 18-0 in his match. ...

It’s never easy to be the head coach’s little sister. But for Brayden and Ava Walters of Jackson swimming, a tight relationship — and Ava’s stellar performances — is making things easier.

The Cape Central girls' swimming team clinched the 2025 Rec Center Relays title after winning six events and breaking a pair of meet records. Jackson secured second place, while Poplar Bluff and Notre Dame tied for third.

JOPLIN, Mo. — The Life Prep Fire used a strong second quarter to overcome an early deficit and defeat the Poplar Bluff Mules boys basketball team 53-45 Saturday in the third-place game at the Kaminsky Classic. The Mules (7-6) led 20-9 after the opening period, but Life Prep used an 18-5 edge in the second quarter to take a 27-25 lead to the locker room. Life Prep then pushed its lead to 45-36 by the start of the fourth quarter...

The Poplar Bluff Lady Mules swimming and diving team kicked off the new year in strong fashion on Tuesday with a 110-60 win over Jackson at the Black River Coliseum swimming pool. Poplar Bluff swam its way to several first-place finishes, including a trio of relay titles...

The Poplar Bluff Mules Booster Club has named Wren Cotrell and Owen McDaniel of Poplar Bluff High School the November Athletes of the Month, presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors. McDaniel, a senior swimmer, set a new school record of 1:04.14 last month in the 100-yard breaststroke while placing 25th in the state competition, as well as 23rd as a member of the 200-yard medley relay team with a time of 1:47.11...

Cape Central High School state champion swimmer Sydney Ringwald officially committed to Florida Gulf Coast University on Monday, Dec. 16. Ringwald captured Class 1 state titles in the 50 and 100-yard freestyle last season.

CAPE GIRARDEAU — December has been good to the Poplar Bluff Lady Mules basketball team so far. The Lady Mules improved to 3-1 for the month and 3-2 overall when they defeated 50-37 on Friday night to take fifth place at the SEMO Conference Tournament...

A fraction of a second. That is the amount of improvement Cape Central senior Phineas Theall was looking to make in his season-long quest for a second straight state championship in the 100-yard butterfly. He secured the state title with a time of 48.99 in the MSHSAA Class 1 state swim championships on Saturday, Nov. 16, in St. Peters. It was 0.09 seconds slower than the time of his first title last year...

Jackson senior Wade LaValle ended his swimming career at the Class 2 MSHSAA state championships on Friday, Nov. 15, in St. Peters. LaValle placed 8th in the 500-yard freestyle consolation finals with a time of 5:04.3 for an All-State honorable mention. LaValle reached the consolation finals on Thursday with a 16th-place finish and a time of 5:01.52...

The 2024 MSHSAA Swimming and Diving Championships began on Thursday, Nov. 14, in St. Peters, starting with the Class 2 preliminary heats. Jackson competed as a team in the 200-yard medley relay and the 400-yard freestyle relay. Jackson senior Wade LaValle placed 19th in the 200-yard freestyle and finished 16th 500-yard freestyle to qualify for the finals on Friday...

It wasn’t exactly in the short-term career plans for Poplar Bluff graduate Madison (Moore) Brannon. But things are shaping up nicely. Brannon, a 2021 graduate of the Mules, has accepted the district’s offer to become the girls swimming assistant coach, as she formally accepted the offer on Oct. 9. She hopes to help the team build off last year’s 11-3 record...

The Notre Dame boys’ swimming team was crowned SEMO Conference champions on Tuesday, Nov. 5, at the Cape Aquatic Center. Notre Dame sophomore Kaiden Cracraft won the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:48.82. He also took home the gold in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:02.27...

Saxony senior Tommy Haz already has his name on the school’s swimming record board. This year is an odd one for him because while he’s doing the best he can to return to the state championships and help his team win, the team he’s representing is the rival school. As the last Saxony Lutheran swimmer, Haz is part of a consolidation with Notre Dame...

NFHS and MSHSAA have announced the 2023-24 Coach of the Year winners, recognizing outstanding coaching achievements across 21 sports in Missouri. Discover the top coaches who made the list.

The newly renovated Cape Aquatic Center has been home to many meets, from Cape Rock to home meets hosted by Cape Central and Notre Dame this year. It is still the same pool Cape Central senior Phineas Theall has been swimming for his entire youth. For winning a state championship last year and the records he has broken, he will have his name and face on the walls well after his graduation...

KENNETT — Kaitlyn Booker continued her strong run as a girls tennis player for the Poplar Bluff Lady Mules by adding a SEMO Conference individual championship to her trophy case during Thursday’s SEMO Conference Tournament at Kennett High School. She wasn’t the only Lady Mule to play well Thursday, as Molly Maurer finished fourth in the conference...

It was a night of celebration and triumph for the Poplar Bluff Lady Mules volleyball team — and not just because the Lady Mules secured a hard-fought victory over Kennett. Thursday’s 25-17, 25-15, 29-27 win over the Kennett Lady Indians also saw senior setter Kyra Mizell reach the milestone of 1,000 career assists...

Saturday's Cape Rock swim event was one of new records, new ways to honor a legacy, and, most importantly, a new venue. Cape Central swimming coach Dayna Powell was pleasantly caught by surprise when MSHSAA presented her with the 2023-24 Girls Swim & Dive MSHSAA Coach of the Year Award. Powell led the Lady Tigers to their first-ever Class 1 state championship after three previous years in the top four...

Wade Lavalle enters the 2024 boys' swimming season with a handful of goals. Leave the home pool with new records, finish the season with a better performance at the state championships, and find a prime landing spot to continue his swimming career in college...

The Poplar Bluff Mules football team will face a stiff challenge when district play starts in November. The Missouri State High School Activities Association released district assignments for all fall sports except for cross country on Friday — and the Mules learned they will be joined in Class 5 District 1 by not only two-time defending district champion Cape Central, but also by defending Class 5 state champion Cardinal Ritter...

The Cape Central swimming domination continued in 2024 with the girls team winning their first-ever state title. The Tiger boys have won three state titles but this year it was the girls' turn and they accomplished the goal in a commanding way. Junior Sydney Ringwald was named the 2024 Semoball Girls Swimming and Diving Athlete of the Year behind a huge season and even bigger performance at the state championships...

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 off 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...

It might be a stretch that a young person learning the first lessons of aquatic safety could develop into a three-time Olympic Gold Medalist, but that journey must start somewhere, and no one comprehends that more so than Rowdy Gaines. With public and private aquatic facilities all over the country offering swim lessons, to people of all ages over the summer months, now is a good time to beat the drum on the message of aquatic safety.

SPRINGFIELD – The Kennett High School softball squad has been offensive with its play all spring. The Indians have averaged nearly 12 runs per game, which is the most by any Kennett team in nine years, and that was evident on Monday, as Kennett obliterated Lone Jack 11-4 in the semifinal of the MSHSAA Class 2 State Semifinal at the Killian Softball Complex in Springfield.