HAYS — The Great Bend High School girls’ swim team won the Western Athletic Conference title on Thursday evening.
The Lady Panthers finished with 445 points, blasting second-place Garden City, which captured 368 points.
“I couldn’t be happier for these girls,” GBHS head coach Steven Beaumont said. “They have worked so hard. For our seniors, this is the way you want to send them out, as WAC champs.”  
Our relays were so good today,top to bottom,  and individually we were solid in every event.
Great Bend won eight of 12 events.
Kira Cook won the 200-meter freestyle at 2:16.73.
Michaela Cape won the 50 freestyle (28.05) and the 100 backstroke (1:11.38).
Hannah Hildebrand claimed first place in the 200 individual medley (2:22.72) and the 100 freestyle (57.69).
Madeline Vesta won the 100 fly (1:12.30).
Great Bend won two relay events.
Cook, Cape and Hildebrand joined Kylee Spray to win the 200 freestyle (1:51.60).
Katy Jerke, Cape, Spray and Hilebrand combined to win the 400 freestyle (4:06.17).
 
                    — Kevin Price
 
HIGH SCHOOL SWIMMING
Western Athletic Conference meet

GIRLS

Thursday

At Hays

Team scores
1. Great Bend, 445; 2. Garden City, 368; 3. Dodge City, 175; 4. Hays, 156; 5. Liberal, 140

Great Bend results
200 medley relay — 2. GBHS “A” relay (Michaela Cape, Brianna Schartz, Madeline Vesta, Katy Jerke), 2:09.15; 3. GBHS “B” relay (Emma Williams, Kalyn Blessing, Jessica Freund, Brenna Haines), 2:16.33; 8. GBHS “C” relay (Karah Stewart, Taylor Huslig, Rachel Keenan, Sarah Mauler), 2:51.33
200 freestyle — 1. Kira Cook, 2:16.73; 2. Jerke, 2:20.41; 4. Hadley Murphy, 2:31.33
200 individual medley — 1. Hannah Hildebrand, 2:22.72; 5. Haines, 2:46.89; 7. Blessing, 2:48.98
50 freestyle — 1. Cape, 28.05; 4. Kylee Spray, 29.06; 5. Freund, 30.05; Schartz, 31.06; Carly Boyd, 31.67, Magdiel Rodriguez, 37.20
100 fly — 1. Vesta, 1:12.30; 2. Spray, 1:13.85; 6. Freund, 1:24.13; Stewart, 1:34.75; Keenan, 1:36.48
100 freestyle — 1. Hildebrand, 57.69; 3. Cook, 1:00.63; 7. Williams, 1:08.81; Mauler, 1:12.18; Bussen, 1:14.60
500 freestyle — 2. Haines, 6:34.48; 4. Murphy, 6:35.51; 6. Anna Frizell, 7:01.63
200 freestyle relay — 1. GBHS “A” relay  (Cook, Cape, Spray, Hildebrand), 1:51.60; 3. GBHS “B” relay (Vesta, Schartz, Blessing, Freund), 2:01.42; 7. GBHS “C” relay (Boyd, Bussen, Frizell, Mauler); GBHS “D” relay (Keenan, Rodriguez, Bieker, Huslig), 2:28.76
100 backstroke — 1. Cape, 1:11.38; 2. Jerke, 1:13.81; 6. Williams, 1:16.60; Stewart, 1:25.82
100 breaststroke — 3. Blessing, 1:23.70; 5. Schartz, 1:30.04; 7. Huslig, 1:32.53
400 freestyle relay — 1. GBHS “A” relay (Cook, Spray, Jerke, Hildebrand), 4:06.17; 3. GBHS “B” relay (Vesta, Haines, Murphy, Williams), 4:31.49; 8. GBHS “C” relay (Bussen, Boyd, Frizell, Mauler), 4:49.99