By Brendan Hoover
Managing Editor

OKLAHOMA CITY – In one weekend, Aimee Creger became one of the most highly decorated Mustang swimmers of all time.

The MHS senior and first-year competitive swimmer won three medals during the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association Class 6A swimming championships at the Oklahoma City Community College Community Aquatics Center.

Creger fought off tears as the state meet ended, when the reality of her accomplishments and the end of her one-and-only year as a Bronco swimmer set in.

“It’s amazing. It’s a lot more than I thought it was going to be,” Creger said.

Her performance helped propel the Lady Broncos into ninth place in the Class 6A team standings, the best finish ever for this fledgling program.

“I’m really thrilled with the girls,” MHS Head Coach Bruce Clifton said. “I told (assistant coach Kurt Koehler) when the day started, I’d be absolutely thrilled if we got in the top 10, but I didn’t really expect it.”

Creger won her first medal in the girls 50-yard freestyle, taking seventh place in the ‘A’ finals with her time of 25.80 seconds. She swam a 25.79 seconds in the prelims on Friday to make the final heat.

Senior Carli Wentworth made the ‘B’ finals and took 11th place with her time of 26.35 seconds. Junior Jamie Rateliff was an alternate for the finals Saturday, placing 17th in the prelims Friday with her 27.56 seconds.

Creger won her second medal in the girls 100-yard freestyle, taking eighth place with her ‘A’ finals time of 58.73. She swam a 58.10 seconds in the prelims Friday.

Her final medal came in the girls 200-yard freestyle relay. The MHS team of Wentworth, Madalyn Reeves, Rateliff and Creger took seventh place with an ‘A’ finals time of 1:48.71. The team qualified Friday with a time of 1:48.85. It was the first time an MHS relay team had medaled at state.

Wentworth also won two medals at the state meet. She placed seventh in the girls 100-yard breaststroke with her ‘A’ finals time of 1:15.04. She swam a 1:14.58 in the prelims Friday.

Wentworth, a senior, won one of Mustang’s first swimming medals as a freshman, also in the girls 100 breaststroke. She helped start the MHS swim team, and she said she is proud of the legacy she will leave behind.

“It’s good to know that all these people are going be able to swim … because we helped get it started. To see people like Aimee come out their first year and do so well, it’s just really cool to see,” Wentworth said.

Clifton said Creger had only 58 days in the pool leading up to her state run.

“It’s phenomenal,” he said. “We probably won’t run across an athlete like that but every once in a while.”

The MHS boys team went into state shorthanded, but the Broncos made the finals in two events.

Senior Greg Penny took 15th place in the boys 100-yard breaststroke with his ‘B’ finals time of 1:06.90.

The MHS team of Austen Roddy, Ben Biorato, Jordan Legg and Penny also made the ‘B’ finals in the boys 200-yard freestyle relay with their prelims swim of 1:42.59, but the Broncos were disqualified in the final heat.

Clifton said the boys lowered their times in nearly every event they swam at state.

“I’m also extremely pleased with the boys and proud of them for what they accomplished. Even though it may not show up in the total points, me, the boys and Coach (Koehler) know what they accomplished,” he said.

Jenks swept the boys and girls team Class 6A state championships. Two Jenks swimmers set new state record during the meet.