The Boone High School girls swimming and diving team put together a strong all-around performance Saturday, August 29, finishing second at the Mason City Invitational 2026 with 509 team points.
Only Waukee finished ahead of the Toreadors with 529 points.
“What a great first meet!” said head coach Chris Mann. “We knew coming into the meet that Waukee is always a talented team, so to stay within striking distance and actually leading through a lot of the meet was a huge accomplishment.”
Boone was fueled by several individual victories and a host of top-three finishes throughout the meet.
Leading the way was senior sprinter Aleah Karolus, who captured the 50-yard freestyle title in a winning time of 24.54 seconds.
“The highlight of the day was definitely the 50 free,” Mann said. “Aleah and Avery (Howie) were a very solid first and second, and Aleah smashed the state auto-qualifier time and punched her ticket to the state meet already. Not many kids can say that!”
Karolus followed that effort with another first-place finish in the 100 freestyle, touching the wall in 54.85 seconds.
Claire Enabnit finished runner-up in the 200-yard individual medley in 2:28.12 while Ellie Hughes was close behind in third at 2:28.58, giving Boone two of the top three spots in the event.
In butterfly competition, Claire Enabnit added a fifth-place finish in the 100 butterfly in 1:08.73, while Cali Hernandez placed ninth and Finley Houser took 12th.
Boone also showcased its depth in the distance freestyle events.
Morgan Cox placed fourth in the 500 freestyle with a time of 6:01.95, followed closely by Makenzie Klatt in fifth at 6:05.79 and Lucy Enabnit in seventh at 6:08.89.
The Toreadors were especially strong in the relay events.
Boone’s team of Klatt, Ellie Hughes, Claire Enabnit and Houser finished fourth in the 200 medley relay in 2:02.10.
In the 200 freestyle relay, the quartet of Howie, Quinn Houston, Kilee Hughes, and Karolus earned a third-place finish with a time of 1:44.19.
The highlight of the relay competition came in the 400 freestyle relay, where Houston, Howie, Ellie Hughes, and Karolus finished second in 3:52.04, narrowly behind Waukee’s winning relay.
“Last year our 400 free relay was a 4:10, and this year we had a 3:52,” Mann said. “I’m really proud of what they are doing right now and the step we took today towards reaching our goal.”
Additional top finishes came from Quinn Houston, who placed fourth in the 200 freestyle and sixth in the 100 freestyle, Kilee Hughes, who took fifth in the 200 freestyle and seventh in the 100 freestyle, and Howie, who finished runner-up in the 50 freestyle and fifth in the 100 backstroke.
Boone also scored valuable points in diving, where Amaya Filipiak placed fourth with a score of 275.25 and Chloey Williams finished seventh with 221.85 points.
“Every swim scored points today,” Mann said. “That doesn’t happen without hard work from the top down.”
The strong team effort allowed Boone to finish comfortably ahead of third-place Spencer.
Team Standings
- Waukee Girls Swim & Dive – 529
- Boone High School – 509
- Spencer Girls Swimming – 426
- Decorah High School – 346
- T-5. Mason City High School – 165
- T-5. Fort Dodge Senior High School – 165
- Algona Bulldogs – 86
Boone is 5-1 overall and 0-0 in dual meets.
The Toreadors will travel to Grinnell for a five-team invite Tuesday, September 1, at 7 p.m.
Jill Lutz reporting
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