![Bass Clef Choir members Zion Ondoma, Henry Hansen, and Zerik Nicholson harmonize vocals while singing "Prayer of the Children". “[It’s] a piece dealing with the Bosnian conflicts of the ‘90s,” said Associate Director of Choral Activities Matthew Jensen, “but is applicable to what's happening today all over the world.” The students will perform the song during Large Group Contests in Cedar Falls in May.](https://riverhawkpress.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/20260414_111618-1200x554.jpg)
The girls’ swim 200 Medley relay team qualified for the state swim meet last Saturday. They’re set to swim at noon today against the toughest competition in the state.
For the girls, racing Friday fulfills a major goal. “It’s been a big goal of ours to make state,” said Kayla Eide, the anchor of the relay. “We weren’t sure we were going to be able to drop enough time.”
The team managed to drop six seconds in their district race in order to qualify.
The relay team is made up of Mallory Cook (Charles City High School ’27), Brynn Murray (MCHS ’29), Rylee Driscoll (MCHS ’28), Kayla Eide (MCHS ’26) and alternate KaRena Herrick (Osage High School ’26).
The 200 medley relay consists of four swimmers, each completing a 50-yard sprint of different strokes. In order to qualify for state, the team’s total time must be in the top 32 times across the state of Iowa.
Because district swim meets occur all over the state of Iowa on the same day, the MCHS team was forced to wait until well after the completion of their meet to find out if they had been accepted.
They met for dinner and went shopping to kill time while waiting for the results to be published. “We had gone to Pasta Bella after the meet, and we were all constantly refreshing [our phones],” said Eide. “We went to Target, still refreshing.”
Eventually, the team split up to make their way back to teammate Driscoll’s house. That’s when the results finally came through.
Cook, Herrick, and Eide found out together on their way to Driscoll’s house. “We were freaking out,” said Eide. “We started screaming.”
Driscoll and Murray hadn’t yet left the store. “Later we heard that Riley and Brynn were like screaming in Target,” said Eide.
The team, accompanied by coaches Steve Hugo and Allison Nichols, left early Thursday morning for the state meet in Ames. They’re set to race today at noon.
The first day of the state meet includes photo ops, a parade of teams, and for the MCHS girls, an opportunity to convince Hugo to make a pit stop at Scooters for team coffee.
According to Eide, Hugo ordered the drinks “in the most monotone voice, with pauses in between [words],” she said.
“I wish I would have recorded it,” said Herrik.
All jokes aside, though, the girls say they are thankful for the time their coaches put in to helping them make state. “We are so grateful for them trying to make this weekend special for us,” said Eide.
The team’s goal for their race Friday is to finish first in their heat. “We’re seeded number one,” said Cook, “so we’re hoping we can accomplish that.”
The girls say that all the time they spend together has paid off in terms of race day confidence.
“I think with all the bonds we’ve made this season, it’s easy to get behind a block and have faith in each other to do our very best,” said Eide.
