For the first time in Blue Springs South history, a relay team qualified as All-Americans.

Jake Workman, Nick Keller, Ben Morgan, and Kyle Hepting seniors at South were the four guys in the 200 free relay that won.

They were the first All-Americans under the head coaching of Errich Oberlander.

“It felt satisfying to win. We’ve been close to a State champion before but we’ve never had one,” Oberlander said.

Oberlander wasn’t surprised that they won.

“They have gotten bigger, stronger and faster with the drive to be great. I’m not at all surprised. I totally expected to win,” Oberlander said.

These four guys have been in the 200 relay together since their freshmen year.

Senior Nick Keller talks about their hard work.

“We have been swimming that for four years, in that order, so I think that all the time and dedication definitely paid off in the end,” Keller said.

Senior Kyle Hepting discusses what they changed.

“A lot more guys swam in the off season, which helped us be more prepared for the season. Also, the chemistry our team built over the last few years contributed to our success,” Hepting said.

Oberlander talks about what he thinks he could of done better.

“It was nice to see the big lead as Jake was finishing the race. I didn’t have to sweat out a close finish. The ironic thing is I think we could’ve been even faster if we would have pushed though,” Oberlander said.

The whole weekend was filled with emotions and joy for the 200 relay team.

“It’s hard to pick a specific favorite moment, since the whole weekend was so exciting, but it’s hard to beat getting the trophy at the end of finals and seeing our coaches, our parents, and our peers so happy and proud of us,” Hepting said.