Great Bend’s girls waited a year to regain the Western Athletic Conference swimming championship.

In a dramatic finish, the Panthers reclaimed the WAC championship 383 to 369 over Garden City, which snapped the Panthers’ 17-year winning streak last year. The Panthers celebrated in traditional fashion with a leap of faith into the pool.

Great Bend coach Kari Carper was crowned WAC Coach of the Year at the Barton Community College pool. The Panthers posted multiple season-best and career-best times when every point mattered.

“The girls swim team are WAC champs,” Carper said. “We had a great meet. Everything came together and we peaked at the right time.  The girls knew we were the underdogs. They knew they were going to have to swim their best races of the season. And they did just that.”  

Panther Emily Hall qualified for state with first place (*1:07.37) in the 100-yard backstroke. The Panthers’ 400-yard freestyle relay (*4:10.23) Ellyson Somers, Kamryn Johns, Josephine Mazouch and Emily Hall qualified for state.

Great Bend won the 200 freestyle relay (*1:50.03) with Hall, Somers, Johns and Mazouch. Runner-up finishes were earned by Hall, 200 freestyle, *2:15.0; Somers, 100 butterfly, 1:09.31; and Mazouch, 100 freestyle, *1:01.94.

Garden City’s Avery Meng was named WAC Swimmer of the Year by winning the 100 breaststroke and 200 IM.

WESTERN ATHLETIC

 *season best

TEAM TOTALS—1—Great Bend 383; 2—Garden City 369; 3—Dodge City 260; 4—Hays 174; 5—Liberal 91

50 freestyle—1—Schmidt, Hays, 25.48; 3—Mazouch, 27.59; 6—Johns,  *28.95; 9—Kruckenberg, *30.33; Irwin, 34.31; Mason, *34.31; Crathorne, *35.59; Chavez, *36.17;  

100 butterfly—1—Rodriguez, GC, *1;08.24; 2—Somers, 1:09.31; 5—Huslig, *1:24.16; 6—Mingenback, *1:26.12; Holden, *1:52.42; Hernandez, 2:07.22

100 backstroke—1—Hall, GB, *1:07.37; 5—Huslig, 1;19.36; 7—Mermis, 1;24.9; Hernandez, 1:40.16; Holden, 1:40.2

100 breaststroke—1—Meng, GC, *1:11.9; 3—Somers, 1:19.26; 4—Snapp, 1:21.75; 5—Gregg, 1:29.67

100 freestyle—1—Schmidt, Hays, 55.82; 2—Mazouch, *1:01.94; 5—Johns, *1:05.43; 11—Caroll, *1:12.75; Irwin, *1:16.98; Mason, *1:17.4

200 freestyle—1—Rodriguez, GC, 2:14.73; 2—Hall, *2:15.0; 5—Mermis, *2:32.16; 6—Lutt, *2:34.79; Gilkison, 2:49.95; Campbell, 3:01.73

200 IM—1—Meng, GC, *2:26.28; 3—Howard, *2:46.9; 6—Gregg, 3:03.6

500 freestyle—1—Chappel, GC, 6:07.65; 4—Howard, 6:50.71; 6—Kruckenberg, *7:14.09; 7—Lutt, *7:14.27; Mingenback, *7:41.15; Campbell, 8:23.22

200 freestyle relay—1—GB A, *1:50.3 (Hall, Somers, Johns, Mazouch: 5—GB B, 2:08.76 (Snapp, Gregg, Kruckenberg, Caroll); 7—GB C, *2:13.92 (Campbell, Hernandez, Irwin, Mingenback)

200 medley relay—1—GC, 1:59.09; 3—GB A, *2:12.15 (Huslig, Snapp, Howard, Kruckenberg); 5—GB B, *2:25.07 (Mermis, Gregg, Mingenback, Caroll); 8—GB C, 2:39.58 (Gilison, Lutt, Holden, Irwin)

400 freestyle relay—1—GC, 4:04.02; 2—GB A, *4:10.23 (Mazouch, Johns, Somers, Hall); 4—GB B, *4:40.23 (Huslig, Lutt, Mermis, Howard); 9—GB C, *5:26.47 (Gilkison, Hernandez, Crathorne, Campbell)