SALINA — The Great Bend High School girls’ swim team was short-handed on Thursday when they started their season at Salina.
It didn’t matter much as Great Bend claimed first place in Salina South’s meet, and second place in Salina Central’s meet.
Both Salina teams have the same coach, so when they host a meet, it is split into two with Central and South not competing against one another.
The Lady Panthers finished with 472 points against South, topping second-place Hutchinson, which scored 391.5 points.
Central topped Great Bend with 434 points with the Lady Panthers right behind them with 423 for second.
“We swam well considering our conditioning is nowhere near what it needs to be,” GBHS head coach Steve Beaumont said. “We had some good times, though, so that is really encouraging and I’m very pleased with how the girls competed.”
Great Bend was without several upperclassmen swimmers due to the success of the girls’ basketball team.
“Team wise, to finish first and second was sure a surprise considering we had several swimmers not compete,” Beaumont said. “(Hannah) Hildebrand, (Maddie) Vesta, (Kylee) Spray, (Morgan) Harwood, (Carly) Boyd and (Sarah) Mauler are just coming off basketball season and just haven’t had enough time in the water to be ready to compete. We expect them to be ready for our first home meet next Thursday.”
Great Bend had six first-place finishes — all three relays and three individual events.
Michaela Cape, Brianna Schartz, Jessica Freund and Kira Cook combined to win the 200-meter medley relay at 2:10.92.
Schartz, Emma Williams, Hadley Murphy and Katy Jerke clocked in at 2:00.41 for first place in the 200 freestyle relay.
In the 400 freestyle relay, Cook, Jerke, Brenna Haines and Cape timed in at 4:21.81 for first.
Cook seized first place in the 100 freestyle, clocking in at 1:01.26.
Cape touched in at 1:10.13 for first in the 100 backstroke.
Jerke won the 200 freestyle with a time of 2:26.39.

                           — Kevin Price

HIGH SCHOOL SWIMMING
Salina meet

GIRLS

At Salina

Thursday

Team scores (Salina South meet)
1. Great Bend, 472; 2. Hutchinson, 391.5; 3. Salina South, 342; 4. Hays, 247; 5. Junction City, 224.5

Team scores (S. Central meet)
1. Salina Central, 434; 2. Great Bend, 423; 3. Hutchinson, 377.50; 4. Hays, 232; 5. Junction City, 199.5

Great Bend results
200-meter medley relay — 1. GBHS ‘A’ relay (Michaela Cape, Brianna Schartz, Jessica Freund, Kira Cook), 2:10.92; 5. GBHS ‘B’ relay (Emma Williams, Brenna Haines, Kalyn Blessing, Anna Frizell), 2:24.51; 9. GBHS ‘C’ relay (Karah Stewart, Rachel Bussen, Michala Bieker, Kaitlin Adams), 2:45.10
200 freestyle — 1. Katy Jerke, 2:26.39; 3. Hadley Murphy, 2:31.19; 4. Williams, 2:32.49; Taylor Huslig, 3:17.97; Bieker, 3:22.85
200 individual medley — 4. Haines, 2:51.12; 5. Freund, 2:58.09; Cook, 2:35.33
50 freestyle — 2. Cape, 28.61; 7. Schartz, 30.82; Stewart, 34.50; 13. Frizell, 34.51; Magdiel Rodriguez, 38.06
100 fly — 2. Blessing, 1:23.71; 3. Freund, 1:29.34; 7. Adams, 1:37.50
100 freestyle — 1. Cook, 1:01.26; 5. Jerke, 1:06.24; 9. Bussen, 1:16.43; Bieker, 1:31.76
500 freestyle — 4. Haines, 6:59.48; 5. Murphy, 7:03.10; 7. Frizell, 7:24.43
200 freestyle relay — 1. GBHS ‘A’ relay (Schartz, Williams, Murphy, Jerke), 2:00.41; 6. GBHS ‘B’ relay (Stewart, Huslig, Rodriguez, Bussen), 2:20.70
100 backstroke — 1. Cape, 1:10.13; 3. Williams, 1:18.21; 6. Stewart, 1:27.21
100 breaststroke — 2. Blessing, 1:24.66; 3. Schartz, 1:27.29; 6. Huslig, 1:33.71
400 freestyle relay — 1. GBHS ‘A’ relay (Cook, Jerke, Haines, Cape), 4:21.81; 3. GBHS ‘B’ relay (Freund, Frizell, Adams, Murphy), 4:52.67