It was a good start to the season for the Great Bend High School girls’ swim team on Thursday at Kirkman Activity Center.
The Lady Panthers had several girls shave seconds off their best times from last season, they also had a relay team turn in a Class 5-1A state-qualifying time and to top it all off, they finished in first place in the team standings in the lid-lifter.
Western Athletic Conference foe Hays took second place, followed by Thomas More-Prep Marian.
“I saw a lot of improvements today,” GBHS head coach Stephanie Maier said. “Our new girls improved on their practice times. They improved up to 10 seconds off of a 100 freestyle, so just getting into that meet attitude really helped them improve a lot.
“Even some of the returning girls. Brenna Haines took seconds off of her times (from a year ago), so there is even improvement from last year’s times.”
Great Bend finished with 540 points, eight ahead of the Lady Indians.
The 200-yard medley relay team — Hannah Hildebrand, Brianna Schartz, Madeline Vesta and Allison Damm — qualified for the state meet with a time of 2:08.84.
“Our 200 medley relay qualified for state by three seconds,” Maier said. “Hannah Hildebrand was within two-tenths on both her backstroke and her fly. We’re getting close there.”
Haines finished in first place in the 100 breaststroke and took second place behind Damm, who had a pair of first-place finishes, in the 500 freestyle.
“She did really well,” Maier said of Haines. “She took time off both her 500 freestyle and her 100 breaststroke. She really pushed herself in both of those.”
Damm also finished in first place in the 200 freestyle.
Hildebrand also took two individual first-place finishes, winning the 100 fly and the 100 backstroke.

HIGH SCHOOL SWIMMING

At Great Bend
Kirkman Activity Center

GIRLS

Thursday

Team scores
1. Great Bend, 540; 2. Hays, 532; 3. Thomas More Prep-Marian, 184

GBHS results
200 medley relay
1. GBHS “A” relay (Hannah Hildebrand, Brianna Schartz, Madeline Vesta, Allison Damm), 2:08.84; 2. GBHS “B” relay (Michaela Cape, Brenna Haines, Kylee Spray, Katlin Fuel), 2:15.57; GBHS “C” relay (Tasha Davis, Rachel Bussen, Malia Disque, Anna Frizell)
200 freestyle
1. Allison Damm, 2:18.38; 3. Tasha Davis, 2:56.66; 5. Malia Disque, 2:58.56
200 individual medley
2. Michaela Cape, 2:54.63; 3. Katlin Fuel, 2:59.81
50 freestyle
2. Kylee Spray, 30.33; 5. Jessica Freund, 32.79; 7. Rachel Bussen, 39.93; Kara Stewart, 37.65; Jenna Hertel, 38.13; Anna Frizell, 38.56; Jillian Martin, 40.50; Amber Basden, 40.59; Mari Erb, 41.82
100 fly
1. Hannah Hildebrand, 1:08.36; 2. Madeline Vesta, 1:17.09; 3. Kylee Spray, 1:21.38
100 freestyle
2. Michaela Cape, 1:09.43; 4. Malia Disque, 1:17.91; Jessica Freund, 1:18.17; Jenna Hertel, 1:27.07; Karah Stewart, 1:27.53; Mari Erb, 1:38.71; Amber Basden, 1:42.58
500 freestyle
1. Allison Damm, 6:16.28; 2. Brenna Haines, 6:42.62; 4. Madeline Vesta, 7:24.95
200 freestyle relay
1. GBHS “A” relay (Kylee Spray, Michaela Cape, Katline Fuel, Madeline Vesta), 2:01.73; 3. GBHS “B” relay (Rachel Bussen, Anna Frizell, Jillian Martin, Jessica Freund), 2:31.26; GBHS “C” relay (Karah Stewart, Mari Erb, Jenna Hertel, Amber Basden), 2:42.43
100 backstroke
1. Hannah Hildebrand, 1:08.75; 5. Tasha Davis, 1:27.35; 6. Anna Frizell, 1:44.37
100 breaststroke
1. Brenna Haines, 1:23.99; 2. Brianna Schartz, 1:26.71; 4. Katline Fuel, 1:37.04.
400 freestyle relay
3. GBHS “B” relay (Tasha Davis, Malia Disque, Jillian Martin, Jessica Freund), 5:33.93; GBHS “C” relay (Amber Basden, Mari Erb, Jenna Hertel, Karah Stewart), 6:15.03