The Great Bend High School boys’ swimming team hosted their final home meet of the season, a dual against Campus on Thursday night at Kirkman Activity Center.
The Panthers pulled ahead in the second to last event and held on to win with 86 points. Campus finished with 84.
“This was an exciting meet,” GBHS head coach Steve Beaumont said. “We’re making it a habit of winning a meet on the last race, on the 400 (freestyle) relay. I think that’s three times in a row we’ve done that. That doesn’t happen very often, but they’re keeping it exciting.”
The advantage of having a smaller meet is that Great Bend was able to allow several younger swimmers compete.
“For our young kids, I think that fact that they’ve been close meets, we’ve had some young kids go out and swim hard,” Beaumont said. “We had some young kids get out and score some points (in this meet). All in all, it was a good meet.”
As it was the final home meet of the season, Great Bend recognized six senior swimmers — Justin Kuhlman, Cameron Jackson, Chris Seidel, Keaton Elliott, Francesco Ruggeri and Cory Merten, who missed the meet due to another engagement.
“Justin and Cory are really the only two who have been with us for four years,” Beaumont said. “The others are relatively new to swimming, and they’re still learning. But they have come in and helped us a lot. We’ve appreciated their leadership. They’re a good group of seniors.”
Great Bend’s ‘A’ 200-meter relay team — Kuhlman, Michael Raymer, Dawson Clarke and Cody Reed — got things started well, seizing first place with a time of 1:57.99.
Kuhlman claimed first place in the 100 butterfly (57.87) and 100 backstroke (58.97).
Elliott earned a first-place finish, swimming the 50 freestyle in 26.56.
Josh Schridde added a pair of first-place finishes, the 100 freestyle (57.67) and 200 individual medley (2:30.88).
The Panthers’ ‘A’ 400 freestyle relay team — Schridde, Elliott, Connor Furrey, Kuhlman — closed out the dual with a first-place time of 4:03.08.
Great Bend competes on Wednesday at Manhattan, starting at 3:30 p.m.

HIGH SCHOOL SWIMMING

BOYS

Thursday

At Great Bend
Kirkman Activity Center

Team scores
1. Great Bend, 86; 2. Campus, 84

Great Bend results
200-meter medley relay — 1. GBHS “A” relay (Justin Kuhlman, Michael Raymer, Dawson Clarke, Cody Reed), 1:57.99; 4. GBHS “B” relay (Phane Pedigo, Sean Williams, Phillip Otten, Chris Seidel), 2:19.86; 5. GBHS “C” relay (JP Thewes, Kaleb Babcock, Ozioma Ofoma, Francesco Ruggeri), 2:32.97
200 freestyle — 3. Raymer, 2:26.93; 4. Jordan Boone, 2:28.06; 5. Williams, 2:28.61
200 individual medley — 1. Josh Schridde, 2:30.88; 5. Pedigo, 2:50.04; 6. Ofoma, 3:09.26
50 freestyle — 1. Keaton Elliott, 26.56; 4. Connor Furrey, 28:76; 5. Corey Harbaugh, 30.01; Alan Bobbitt, 30.49; Cameron Jackson, 30.62; Seidel, 32.12; Cesar Arteaga, 32.86; Adam Bailey, 36.71
100 butterfly — 1. Kuhlman, 57.87; 4. Ofoma, 1:27.90; 5. Otten, 1:31.52
100 freestyle — 1. Schridde, 57.67; 2. Elliott, 1:01.52; 6. Bobbitt, 1:10.20; Reed, 1:08.85; Harbaugh, 1:08.92; Ruggeri, 1:10.28; Bailey, 1:20.28; Thewes, 1:22.18
500 freestyle — 3. Boone, 7:00.84; 4. Furrey, 7:01.59; 5. Williams, 7:03.93
200 freestyle relay — 2. GBHS “B” relay (Raymer, Clarke, Bobbitt, Reed), 2:00.44; 3. GBHS “C” relay (Arteaga, Thewes, Bailey, Babcock), 2:22.33
100 backstroke — 1. Kuhlman, 58.97; 3. Pedigo, 1:20.72; 4. Otten, 1:27.05
100 breaststroke — 3. Raymer, 1:17.14; 5. Babcock, 1:38.73; Reed, 1:29.64
400 freestyle relay — 1. GBHS “A” relay (Schridde, Elliott, Furrey, Kuhlman), 4:03.08; 3. GBHS “B” relay (Boone, Bobbitt, Otten, Clarke), 4:30.08; 4. GBHS “C” relay (Williams, Ofoma, Arteaga, Ruggeri), 4:48.49