Great Bend coach Kari Carper was named Western Athletic Conference Swim Coach of the Year for the runner-up Panthers.
Garden City’s boys broke five WAC records and defended their WAC championship with 430 points. Runner-up Great Bend scored 341 points at the Barton Community College pool.
Great Bend’s past WAC Swimmer of the Year Matthew Huslig captured the 50 freestyle (23.29) with a Western Athletic record and a career-best time at his home pool. Brody Feist won the 200 IM (2:23.48).
Huslig was involved in the day’s tightest finish in the 200 freestyle. Garden City’s Devin Chappel (1:52.53) edged Huslig (1:52.58) by a fraction of a second.
The Great Bend relays finished strong with a runner-up 200 freestyle relay (1:47.53) with Brody Feist, Ellis Long, Tyler Stein and Matthew Huslig; a runner-up 400 freestyle relay (3:38.41) with Feist, Long, Stein and Huslig; and a fourth-place 200 medley relay with Ty Boone, Jacob Kennedy, Kasey Kennedy and Beau Burkhart.
Great Bend’s runner-up finishes were posted by Tyler Stein, 100 backstroke (1:01.26); Ellis Long, 100 breaststroke (1:10.34); Kasey Kennedy, 200 IM (2:26.54) and Brody Feist, 500 freestyle (5:55.2).
Garden City’s Conner Cupp captured WAC Swimmer of the Year after winning the 100 butterfly (56.39) and 100 breaststroke (1:05.45). Chappel also won the 500 freestyle (5:22.94).
WESTERN ATHLETIC MEET
TEAM SCORES—1—Garden City 430; 2—Great Bend 341; 3—Liberal 165; 4—Hays 160.5; 5—Dodge City 156
200 freestyle relay—1—Garden City, 1:36.05, WAC record (Bunce, Chappel, Cupp, Morales); 2—GB A, 1:47.53 (Brody Feist, Ellis Long, Tyler Stein, Matthew Huslig; 3—GB B, 1:47.53 (Beau Burkhart, Jacob Kennedy, Trevor DeLong, Will Linenberger; GB C, 2:18.18 (Colton Cross, Lucio Cordova, Trenten Medlock, Ty Boone)
200 medley relay—1—Garden City, 1:46.52, WAC record (Morales, Otero, Cupp, Bunce); 4—GB A, 2:02.64 (Ty Boone, Jacob Kennedy, Kasey Kennedy, Beau Burkhart); 7—GB B, 2:24.44 (Kaid Wagner, Trevor DeLong, Cole Sanders, Caden Bieker)
400 free relay—1—GC, 3:38.12 (Chappel, Erskin, Bunce, Otero); 2—GB A, 3:48.21 (Brody Feist, Ellis Long, Tyler Stein, Matthew Huslig); 6—GB B, 4:17.53 (Will Linenberger, Cole Sanders, Caden Bieker, Kasey Kennedy); GB C, 5:15.42 (Colton Cross, Kaid Wagner, Joshua Sharpe, Lucio Cordova)
50 freestyle—1—Huslig, GB, 23.29 (WAC record); 5—Jacob Kennedy, 25.58; 7—Burkhart, 26.73; Bieker, 28.46; Cross, 32.31; Cordova, 32.77; Sharpe, 33.09; Medlock, 36.2
100 backstroke—1—Otero, GC, 57.37 (WAC record); 2—Tyler Stein, 1:01.26; 6—DeLong, 1:17.06; 7—Boone, 1:18.8; Jennings, 1:29.6
100 butterfly—1—Cupp, GC, 56.39; 3—Kasey Kennedy, 1:04.78
100 breaststroke—1—Cupp, GC, 1:05.45; 2—Ellis Long, 1:10.34; 4—Jacob Kennedy, 1:13.65; 6—Linenberger, 1:17.14
100 freestyle—1—Otero, GC, 51.39 (WAC record); 6—Burkhart, 1:01.61; 10—Bieker, 1:06.04; 13—Boone, 1:15.55; Cross, 1:16.55; Cordova, 1:17.32; Sharpe, 1;21.52; Medlock, 1:27.9
200 freestyle—1—Chappel, GC, 1:52.53 (WAC record); 2—Huslig, 1:52.58; 3—Stein, 2:03.38; 4—Long, 2:03.38; DeLong, 2:30.18; Jennings, 2:46.55; Sanders, 2:48.01; Wagner, 2:58.07
200 IM—1—Brody Feist, GB, 2:23.48; 2—Kasey Kennedy, 2:26.54
500 freestyle—1—Chappel, GC, 5:22.94; 2—Brody Feist, 5:55.2; 3—Linenberger, 6:04.25; 11—Sanders, 7:18.77
