McCook swim team brings league meet to new home

MCCOOK - With three dozen McCook athletes competing, the McCook Summer Swim Team hosted dozens of swimmers Saturday, June 13, during their lone home swim meet of the 2026 season.

As part of the Plains Tsunami Swim League (PLTSL), the McCook swim team was joined by teams from Indianola, St. Francis and Benkelman at the McCook Aquatic Center. The league encompasses central and southwest Nebraska, northwest Kansas and eastern Colorado.

McCook swimmers range in age from four-years-old to 54 and everywhere in between, while other teams have swimmers just as young and swimmers even older.

For some of the swimmers, this is their first time competing in a swim meet. Others have been swimming competitively for decades. But all finished with several ribbons for their effort.

As for results, all the teams posted numerous first-place finishes with swimmers divided in age divisions as young as 8 and under to 30 and over and events ranging from a 25 yard backstroke to a 200 yard freestyle.

McCook posted the most number of athletes as a team, enabling them to enter numerous relays with varying ages and skill levels and plenty of blue ribbons for their first place finishes. Indianola brought a strong contingent of swimmers after hosting their home meet on June 6.

Benkelman has faced a few mechanical struggles in their pool so have had limited time in the water but still had a good showing at the McCook meet.

And St. Francis is facing the same problem that the McCook winter swim teams faced this past year - no pool to practice. Having only done “dry-land practices” so far this season, the St. Francis Sharks still proved competitive in their events and took home a lot of ribbons for their effort.

Complete results for McCook’s June 13 meet as well as more information about the Plains Tsunami Swim League can be found online at plainstsunami.com. Or follow the McCook swim team on Facebook for upcoming events.

Next up for the McCook swim team is a meet in Atwood, KS on June 20, followed by the final regular season meet in Cozad on June 27.

The PLTSL season wraps up with the championship meet July 12 in Lexington. Other McCook swimmers will be competing in the Cornhusker State Games swimming events in Fremont on July 11-12.