Bullpups Surge to Third at League Championships, Bohme Claims First Gold Since 2021
McPherson secures multiple state berths with just 10 swimmers, highest team finish in years
HUTCHINSON — The McPherson High School boys swim team delivered their strongest performance in recent memory Friday at the AVCTL Division 3-4 Championship meet, placing third out of 10 teams with 283 points and securing multiple state qualifying times. With just 10 swimmers competing across all 11 events, the Bullpups claimed bronze, edging out Wichita Collegiate and marking the program's highest finish in several years.
Cooper Bohme provided the signature performance of the day, winning the 500 Freestyle in 5:22.20 to become the first Bullpup to claim league gold since 2021. The team also secured three state qualifying marks: the 200 Medley Relay (Manny Morales, Ben Bocox, Bohme, and Beckett Schuckman) took third in 1:54.08, while the 400 Free Relay (Bohme, Kurt Mendez, Bocox, and B. Schuckman) finished fourth in 3:48.51. Beckett Schuckman and Bocox each earned their first state consideration cuts in the 100 Butterfly (1:02.64) and 100 Backstroke (1:04.45) respectively.
"I told the guys that today, we needed to win every fight we could reasonably win, and that is just what we did," said head coach Matt Cotton. "With only 10 guys, we had to rely on our ability to compete across all 11 events to produce this result. They earned their spot swimming in Lenexa next weekend."
The state meet takes place next Saturday in Lenexa, where the Bullpups will look to build on their championship momentum.
Greg Loving
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