Bohme Shines for Bullpups at Maize Invitational
Cooper Bohme Posts Top-Five Finishes in Distance Events at Season's Largest Meet
The McPherson Bullpups faced their toughest competition of the season Saturday at the Maize Performing Arts & Aquatics Center, placing 12th out of 18 teams with 80 points in a meet that drew schools from across the state making up for winter storm cancellations. Despite the crowded field, sophomore Cooper Bohme proved he's ready for the state's elite competition later this month in Lenexa, posting a personal record of 1:57.10 for fifth place in the 200 freestyle and a season-best 5:25.64 for fourth in the 500 freestyle.
Bohme's performances highlighted a challenging day for the Bullpups, who found individual scoring difficult against the deep talent pool. Ben Bocox provided the only other individual points for McPherson, earning 10th place in the 100 backstroke with a personal-best time of 1:05.43, just tenths of a second away from a state consideration cut. The Bullpups' relay teams also battled through the competitive field, with the 200 medley relay of Baltazar Alonzo-Gaspar, Manny Morales, Kurt Mendez, and Daniel Bowen finishing 14th (2:08.50).
McPherson found more success in the freestyle relays, as Bohme, Bocox, Bowen, and Beckett Schuckman placed seventh in the 200 freestyle relay with a state consideration time of 1:43.65. The 400 freestyle relay team of Bohme, Bocox, Schuckman, and Mendez rounded out the scoring with a 10th-place finish in 3:53.48. The Bullpups will close out their regular season Friday, February 14, at the AVCTL Division III/IV League Championships in Hutchinson.
Greg Loving
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