William Jost Leads Parkway Central To 2nd Straight Missouri HS State Title (Class 1)

Missouri High School State Championship – Class 1

• November 9-10, 2023
• St. Peters Rec-Plex, St. Peters, MO
• SCY (25 yards)
• MSHSAA Swimming & Diving Central
• Results
• Team Scores

The Parkway Central boys successfully defended their state title this past weekend at the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) Class 1 State Championships. The team put up a total of 328 points to win by a 142-point margin.

Top 5 Teams:

1. Parkway Central – 328
2. Parkway West – 186
3. Lafayette Wildwood – 180
4. Parkway South – 156
5. John Burroughs – 127

Parkway Central senior and Purdue commit William Jost led the team with two individual victories and contributions to two winning relays. He opened his individual lineup with the 50 freestyle, where he defeated Camdenton senior Ethan Vance by just 0.03 to defend his title in 20.12. His swim lowered the best time he set in prelims (20.38), and was over half a second faster than what he was at this meet in 2022.

Jost claimed his second victory in the 100 free, where he recorded a massive best time of 43.97 to get below both the Class 1 and overall Missouri high school record. Entering the meet, Jost’s personal best time stood at 45.29, which he posted at this meet last year. 

Additionally, Jost delivered splits of 19.49 and 19.66 as the anchor leg of the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relay. Both relays cracked the Class 1 records with times of 1:32.65 and 1:24.74, respectively.

Parkway Central completed their sweep of the relays with a final win in the 400 freestyle relay, as the team of Brody Blatt, Tyler Bryant, Colton Smith, and Daniel Richmann clocked a 3:09.51 to clear the field by over four seconds. 

Also winning a pair of individual titles was Lafayette Wildwood senior Caleb Warner and Kearney sophomore Whitaker Steward. 

Warner knocked over six seconds off his personal best in the 200 IM to take 1st in 1:52.38, putting him over a second ahead of runner-up Connor Muran (1:53.65). He then secured the state title in the 100 breast in 56.13, marking a new personal best by over a second.

Steward swept the middle-distance freestyle races with new Class 1 records in both events. He swapped out the 100 backstroke this year for the 200 free, notching a personal best time of 1:39.11 in finals. Steward entered the meet as the reigning champion in the 500, a title that he successfully defended this year with a best time of 4:26.14.

Rounding out the individual winners in the pool was Central Cape Girardeau junior Phineas Theall, who clocked a personal best time of 48.90 to take 1st in the 100 fly (48.90), and Parkway South senior Carter Crook, who logged a best time of 49.79 to capture the 100 back. 

1-meter diving went to Pembroke Hill senior Zachary Berg, who topped the standings with a total of 394.10 points.