BREAKING: Hines captures gold in 50, 100-free at Class 1 state championship meet

ST. PETERS, Missouri — Nevada High School sophomore Ben Hines captured gold medals in the 50 and 100-yard freestyle at Saturday's Missouri Class 1 State Swimming and Diving Championships.

After placing first in the prelims in both the 50 and 100-yard freestyle on Friday, Hines returned to the pool for today's showcase event, dominating the 50-free competition — leading wire-to-wire en route to a gold medal and school-record time 20.74. Glendale High School's Sam Beatty, meanwhile, placed a distant runner-up to Hines, clocking a 21.39.

Hines capped off his virtuoso season with a first-place finish in the 100-free, clocking a 46.19. Hines was pushed by Cape Central's Jacob Bening, who kept pace with Hines until the final turn (75-yardmark). Hines then pulled away, collecting his second gold off the day.