ST PETERS, Mo. - In the final solo race of his high school career, Matt Zieger found something extra - a lot extra.

Central's senior swimming standout turned in a career-best 47.08 seconds in the 100-yard freestyle Saturday during the finals of the Missouri State Swimming and Diving Championships. The mark bested his previous record of 47.72 during Friday's preliminaries at the Rec-Plex.

Zieger finished third and recorded the best solo finish at state in school history.

"I don't really know," Zieger said. "It was just an overall really good swim. Everything just clicked.

"To come out third, is really, really exciting."

Zieger added a seventh-place showing in the 50 freestyle to give him two medals from the finals.

Finishing in 21.63, Zieger moved up one spot from his preliminary seed and set a new personal best. He swam a 21.67 on Friday.

"Seventh was a little disheartening, but it was a good swim. I can't really complain," said Zieger, who finishes his career with five state medals. "Between the seventh and the third, it was a pretty good day."

Zieger earned 28 team points for his two individual performances and helped the Indians to a 21st-place team showing. Central tallied 34 total points with the 200-yard freestyle providing the final six points.

Central's Mitch Evans and Brian Jungk also participated in individual preliminaries Friday, but neither made the finals. The 400 freestyle relay and 200 medley relays also failed to make it out of prelims.

"Before the meet, we talked about how great of a season it was, and it didn't really matter what happened (in the finals)," Zieger said.

Zieger swam a 21.82 leg to lead the four-man team to a 14th-place finish in the consolation final. The Indians captured the final of 16 spots in Friday's preliminaries, finishing in 1:32.10.

Zieger, fellow senior Joe Smith and juniors Evans and Jungk improved on that time by nearly a full second in the consolation final. They finished in 1:31.27 to set a school record.

"It was the best because it was the last race for us today," Central coach Marnie Lucas said. "I had two seniors on that relay, and it couldn't have been more perfect.

"It was just a perfect ending to the meet."