PLATTE CITY -- The Jefferson City YMCA Barracudas finished their short course swim season with a first-place finish at the Heartland Area Championships held March 15-17 at the Platte County Community Center.
More than 500 swimmers from 20 YMCA team across Missouri and Western Illinois participated in the event.
The Barracudas, who had 32 swimmers participate, finished atop the big team standings with 95 points. The St. Charles YMCA Stingrays were second with 82 points and the Yosi Seals Swim Team and the South County YMCA tied for third place with 71 points.
Ethan Vance set meet records in the 100 buttlerfly, the 50 freestyle and the 100 freestyle. He also posted a YMCA national-qualifying time of 49.98 seconds in the 100 butterfly.
Vance has national-qualifying times in the 50 freestyle, the 100 freestyle and the 100 backstroke. He will compete in the YMCA Short Course National Swimming Championships from April 2-6 at Greensboro, N.C.
Also the Heartland Area Championships, additional standouts for the Barracudas were Everett Peters, the high point swimmer in the 8-and-under division; Lucas Springer and Keller Naught, the high point swimmers in the 9-10 year-old division; Gavin Back and Caitlyn Kremer, the high point swimmers in the 11-12 year-old division; JP Hardin and Anna Irminger, the high points swimmers in the 13-14 year-old division; and Vane and Alice Irminger, the high point swimmers in the 15-21 year-old division.
The Barracudas will begin their summer season May 1.