Two Parkway Central swimmers represented their school by placing in their respective races at the MSHSAA State Championship on Nov. 15 and 16.
“Obviously I couldn’t be too mad about being first and second at a meet that size with swimmers of that caliber,” senior Zach Rogers said. “But with that being said, I wasn’t too happy. I dropped time in both events, but I was pretty far off my goals of where I wanted to be time-wise.”
Although Rogers was not content with his times, he tied for first in the 200-yard freestyle with Glendale High School swimmer Will Brand and placed second in the 100-yard backstroke, losing by only one hundredth of a second to Vianney swimmer Nick Alexander.
“My reaction to the turnout and how close it was in my races was mostly shock,” Rogers said. “But it was exciting, and I’m always looking for a way to make the sport more memorable and fun.”
Joining Rogers by making a splash at the state tournament was fellow senior Riley Brown, who placed fourth in the 100-yard butterfly and sixth in the 100-yard backstroke.
“My performance at state was something I was satisfied with,” Brown said. “I dropped time and scored a lot of points for my team, and that is what I went in to do.”
Coach Jeff Spector complimented both of the athletes for their hard work throughout the year and results at the state meet.
“Beyond state accomplishments, both left indelible marks on the team and have both left records in the top 10 of Parkway Central,” Spector said.
The team as a whole placed fourth at the meet with a total score of 143.5 points. Rogers and Brown also contributed in the 200-yard medley relay, which placed third with a time of 1:36.93, and the 400-yard freestyle, which placed fourth with a time of 3:13.08.
Both boys are continuing their swimming careers at Division I colleges, Brown at Truman State University and Rogers at the University of Missouri.
“I’ve signed with Mizzou and will be swimming there next year,” Rogers said. “I’m very excited for the next chapter of my life with the Tigers.”
While they will go their separate ways at the end of the school year, the teammates will still swim together in the off-season for the Parkway Swim Club. Swimming with other contending teens from around the area has brought out a friendly rivalry between Rogers and his club teammates.
“It’s a fun time because everyone goes to different schools but were all on the same team,” Rogers said. “It has made for a special kind of rivalry when the high school season rolls around.”

While they have been completing similar workouts and training for both the school and club teams, the two swimmers prepare for each meet in different ways. Rogers said he gets plenty of sleep and eats lots of protein the night before big meets. Brown said he tries to stay away from teammates, friends and family to listen to music in effort to get ready for meets.
Preparing for State didn’t start the night before but in August during tryouts. Both swimmers acknowledged that they have pushed themselves the entire season.
“To prepare myself through the season, I trained as hard as I could and held nothing back,” Rogers said. “Being sore for three months straight is not fun, and finally laying off toward the end of the season was one of the best feelings ever.”