ShawneeDispatch.com

The Shawnee Mission Northwest girls swimming and diving team finished eighth at the Sunflower League swimming and diving championships, yet Cougar coach Scott Virden believes that his squad should have finished much higher if not for a pair of officiating decisions.

"We had a really great meet until the officials tagged two of our relays for false starts," Virden said Sunday. "I was not happy."

Northwest swimmers Mandy Osborne, Hannah Singhal, Brooke Brull and Shelby Conner made up both the Cougars' 200 freestyle relay team and the 200 medley relay squad at the league championships Thursday and Friday at Lawrence Free State High School. The 200 freestyle unit had one of its best finishes of the season with a second-place mark while the medley relay also impressed with a fifth-place finish.

However, both Cougar scores were nullified when officials disqualified the squads on false starts. The decisions cost the Cougars 50 team points.

Afterward, Virden tried to gain an explanation from the judges.

"The disqualification should not have stuck," Virden said. "Protocol wasn't followed. I went to the lead official and tried to point that out. I just asked, 'Why do we have the rule book if we're not going to follow them?' It's just one of those things, kind of the luck of the draw."

While the Cougar finish wasn't where Virden and his athletes hoped, the Northwest team did get its usual lift from standout Brooke Brull, who earned the Sunflower League championship in the 200 individual medley. Brull also earned a third-place medal in the 500 freestyle.

The Cougars now have two weeks to get ready for the Class 6A state meet at Hummer Natatorium in Topeka. Freshman Sarah Wilcox will join Brull, Conner, Osborne and Hannah Singhal as members of Northwest's state contingent.

In the meantime, while Virden readies his squad for its final competition of the year, he will keep an eye out for Kansas State High School Activities Association decisions on state consideration times from some of his swimmers. Rulings on marks such as Conner's 26.40 (4/100 off the state qualifying time) in the 50-meter freestyle could add events or swimmers for the Cougars.

Despite his disappointment at the result of the judges' rulings at the league championships, Virden has found positives from the experience. He hopes to use the pre-DQ'd times as evidence and motivation for his swimmers.

"The girls feel really good," he said. "They are a little upset about the DQs, but they know we'll be back. At least the other schools know what we're capable of, and they'll be looking out for us."