Linn-Mar’s Parker Macho sets pair of records at MVC boys’ swimming championships

MARION — Parker Macho admitted he was tired entering Saturday's Mississippi Valley Conference boys swim meet at the Linn-Mar Aquatic Center.

"We've had a hard week," said the Linn-Mar junior in regards to the team's training. "I just wanted to go out and push it to make my parents and my coaches proud."

Mission more than accomplished.

Macho, who has committed to swim collegiately at Cincinnati, pushed through the fatigue to set a pair of conference records in winning the 200-yard individual medley and the 100 butterfly, helping the Lions to a fourth-place team finish.

Top-ranked Cedar Falls did not win any of the 11 events contested, but rode its superior depth to outlast No. 4 Dubuque Hempstead for the team title. Coach Clif Paulsen's team finished with 353 points, 11 better than Hempstead. Iowa City West finished third with 313 points with the Lions ending up with 278.5

"This meet sets up much differently than it will (at districts and state)," said Linn-Mar co-coach Kathy Vorheis.

As was expected, the star swimmers did what was expected and the Tigers used the formula Paulsen has rode the entire season.

No star shined more than Macho. He has shown steady improvement since the beginning of his freshman year and gave the spectators at Saturday's meet a taste of what they might see at districts and state.

"He has worked so hard in the pool," Vorheis said of Macho. "He has done all the little things you need to do and I also appreciate how much he studies the sport to find ways to make himself better and constantly improve."

Macho's time of 1:51.19 in the 200 individual medley broke the old mark of 1:51.80 set in 2015 by Iowa City West's Mark McGlaughlin, one of the best prep swimmers in Iowa history. Macho followed that up with a 48.82 time in winning the 100 butterfly, shattering the old mark of 50.50 set by Iowa City West's Holden Carter in 2023.

"(The record times) really didn't surprise me," Macho said. "It shows me that I still have a lot more so when I taper I'll swim so much faster, I just feel it.

"There was really good competition here today," he continues. "They really pushed me. I had to make sure I was working on everything."

Vorheis agrees with her junior standout that there is so much more ahead for him.

"I'm excited to see what he can do at districts and state," she said. "I really like the way all of our swimmers performed today. They have been training hard and many of them also beat their seed times."

One other meet record fell in the 100 backstroke where Iowa City West senior Hayden Hakes won in 49.83, taking down another of McGlaughlin's marks, this one set it 2016. Hakes also won the 200 freestyle and was also part of the Trojans winning 200-yard medley relay.

Linn-Mar also got a win from junior Hudson Huberg in the 100 freestyle (47.40). Cedar Rapids Washington junior Andrew Seifert captured the 100 breaststroke in 56.70. Hempstead won the 200 and 400 freestyle relays and got individual wins from Kyle Powers in the 50 freestyle and Jake Dolphin in the 500 freestyle.

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Team Standings

1. Cedar Falls 353, 2. Dub. Hempstead 342, 3. IC West 313, 4. Linn-Mar 278.5, 5. CR Washington 201, 6. Dub. Senior 200, 7. IC High 127, 8. Waterloo West 83, 8. CR Kennedy 73, 10. CR Jefferson 59.5.

Event results

200-yard medley relay: 1. Iowa City West (Ethan Landon, Winston Fan, Hayden Hakes, Oliver Mikulski) 1:33.67 (new meet record), 2. Cedar Falls (Alex Englehardt, Sam Weaver, Peyton Riggins, Brady Hartsock) 1:37.99, 3. Linn-Mar (Parker Macho, Owen Sieren, Carter Byers, Dylan Koepnick) 1:38.15.

200 freestyle: 1. Hayden Hakes (ICW), 1:39.97, 2. Hudson Huberg (LM) 1:43.46, 3. Philip Berry-Stoelzle (ICH) 1:44.74.

200 individual medley: 1. Parker Macho (LM) 1:51.19 (new meet record), 2. Abd Ul-Haq (Hemp) 2:01.38, 3. Alex Engelhardt (CF) 2:01.94.

50 freestyle: 1. Kyle Powers (Hemp.) 21.68, 2. Oliver Mikulski (ICW), 21.75, 3. Sam Weaver (CF) 21.87.

100 butterfly: 1. Parker Macho (LM) 48.82 (new meet record), 2. Andrew Seifert (CRW) 50.12, 3. Winston Fan (ICW) 50.15.

100 freestyle: 1. Hudson Huberg (LM) 47.40, 2. Kyle Powers (Hemp.) 47.99, 3. Kieran DeGroote (CF) 48.37

500 freestyle: 1. Jake Dolphin (Hemp.) 4:54.42, 2. Peter Wittnebel (CRW) 4:54.96 3. Kees deHart (CF) 4:56.92

200 freestyle relay: 1. Dub. Hempstead (Owen Leitzen, Kyle Powers, Mason Lemm, Logan Westhoff) 1:25.80, 2. Cedar Falls (Sam Weaver, Brady Hartsock, Kiernan DeGroote, Liam McGrane) 1:27.99 3. Linn-Mar (Hudson Huberg, Owen Sieren, Rylee Sieren, Maxwell Macho) 1:30.24

100 backstroke: 1. Hayden Hakes (ICW) 49.83 (new meet record), 2. Zack Heiar (Dub. Senior) 52,74, 3. Ethan Landon (ICW) 53.11

100 breaststroke: 1. Andrew Seifert (CRW) 56.70, 2. Winston Fan (ICW) 57.77, 3. Sam Weaver (CF) 59.49.

400 freestyle relay: 1. Dub. Hempstead (Logan Westhoff, Kyle Powers, Jake Dolphin, Owen Leitzen) 3:11.20, 2. Iowa City West (Nikolai Paulson, Oliver Mikulski, Winston Fan, Hayden Hakes) 3:11.38, 3. Linn-Mar (Parker Macho, Maxwell Macho, Rylee Sieren, Hudson Huberg) 3:12.11

Awards

Mississippi Division Swimmer of the Year: (tie): Hayden Hakes (ICW) and Parker Macho (LM)

Mississippi Division Coach of the Year: Zach Armstrong (ICW)

Valley Division Swimmer of the Year: Kyle Powers (Hemp)

Valley Division Coach of the Year: (tie) Clif Paulsen (CF) and Rick Loeffelholz (DH)