As summer recreation ramps up across Missouri, safety officials are reminding residents that water safety begins long before anyone steps into a lake or river. Understanding the risks of water activities, knowing personal limits, and making responsible choices are the foundation of preventing tragedies on the water.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol and other safety agencies emphasize that natural waterways can present hidden hazards, including strong currents, sudden drop‑offs, and floating debris. Swimmers are urged to stay aware of their surroundings, use life jackets when appropriate, and avoid swimming alone.

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Officials say simple precautions—such as recognizing fatigue, monitoring weather conditions, and watching out for others in your group—can make the difference between a fun day on the water and a dangerous situation. As families head outdoors, authorities encourage everyone to treat water safety as a shared responsibility.

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Fitter and Faster Swim Camps is the proud sponsor of SwimSwam’s College Recruiting Channel and all commitment news. For many, swimming in college is a lifelong dream that is pursued with dedication and determination. Fitter and Faster is proud to honor these athletes and those who supported them on their journey.

Three-time Nebraska High School State champion Eje Kim has announced his verbal commitment to the admissions process at Yale University as a part of the Bulldogs 2027 recruiting class.

Kim wrote the following about his commitment.

I’m extremely excited to announce my verbal commitment to the admissions process at Yale University! I want to thank my coaches, Pat, Miranda, Gaby, Randy, Katie, Uriah, and Emma for creating my love for swimming and pushing me to the limits. I also want to thank the Yale coaching staff, Jim, Kyle, Joey, and Dana for giving me this amazing opportunity. Thank you to my teammates, Mason, Mason, Ryan, Quinn, Bennett, and Nolan for making practice fun and becoming such good friends. Lastly, thank you to my parents. GO BULLDOGS! 🐶💙

Kim hails from Lincoln, Neb., where he represents Club Husker and Lincoln East High School. As a junior, Kim secured a pair of Nebraska State championship titles, winning both the 100 backstroke in 48.32 and the 100 fly in 47.95. As a sophomore, he claimed his first state championship title in the 100 back, clocking 49.73.

A few weeks after those championships, he raced at the Speedo Sectionals in Columbia, where he won the 50 fly in 21.63, and set a plethora of lifetime bests in the process, including the 50 free (21.22), 100 back (47.83), 200 back (1:44.17), and the 100 fly (47.81).

Best Times SCY:

• 100 Back: 47.83
• 200 Back: 1:44.17
• 100 Fly: 47.81
• 50 Free: 21.22
• 100 Free: 46.44
• 200 Free: 1:40.60
• 200 IM: 1:52.82

Kim is set to join a Yale men’s program that finished just under 200 points behind Ivy League Champions Princeton at the 2026 Men’s Ivy League Championships.

Based on Kim’s best times, he would have finished tied for 11th in the 200 back, 14th in the 100 back, and 20th in the 100 fly.

Kim’s immediate scoring ability is a major upside, and in the highly competitive Ivy League, Yale could use all of the points they can get to creep up to the top of the Ivy League.

With another year until he makes his collegiate debut, Kim still has plenty of time to build up his base times and make an even more significant impact on the Ivy League stage from year one.

Yale was productive in all of Kim’s events at the 2026 Ivy League Championships, including 51 points in the 100 back, 55 points in the 100 fly, and another 74 in the 200 back.

Kim joins Fin McLane, Charles Knoepp, Evan Pan-Wang, and Edward Zhang in Yale’s 2027 recruiting class.

If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].

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BRECKENRIDGE — Coaches, teammates, friends and family gathered in the south parking lot of Breckenridge High School for another state tournament sendoff.

This year, it was Troy Berndt taking the ceremonial convertible ride. He is headed to St. Michael-Albertville High School for the Minnesota Class A State Track and Field Meet on June 4-6.

Corbin Abner Lee / Wahpeton Daily News

He will be running in the third heat of the 400-meter prelims, scheduled for 4:52 p.m. June 4. There are seven athletes in each heat, 21 total, and nine will advance to the finals at 6:20 p.m. June 5.

The top two finishers in each heat advance, along with the next three best times. Berndt’s personal best time of 50.67 has him seeded 13th, but the 10th-, 11th- and 12th-seeded runners are less than five hundredths of a second ahead of him. The eighth- and ninth-seeded runners are also close, at 50.33 and 50.39, respectively.

Berndt dropped nearly seven-tenths of a second from his previous personal best at the Section 6A West Subsection Meet on May 21, running 51.35, and shaved another 0.68 seconds off at the Section 6A Championships on May 28 with a time of 50.67. If he keeps lowering his time, he will have a shot at reaching the podium against the best runners in Class A.

Corbin Abner Lee / Wahpeton Daily News

Results and photos will be available online immediately following the race June 4 and in the June 10 print edition of the Wahpeton Daily News.

Corbin Lee is a sports reporter for the Wahpeton Daily News and Richland County News-Monitor. Corbin can be reached by calling (701) 291-3551 or emailing corbin.lee@wahpetondailynews.com.