Submitted
GREAT BEND – Hays High’s boys’ swim team benefitted from six first-place finishes as well as numerous other top-four placings to win the Great Bend Invitational Tuesday.
Seniors Karsen Flaska and Chase Zadina each were part of three championship finishes, and junior Cedric Durr recorded two first places, to help the Indians score 482 points – nearly 100 more than second-place Hutchinson.
Another bright spot for the Indians was finishing in front of all four fellow Western Athletic Conference teams, including three-time defending WAC champion Garden City.
Hays High actually would have pushed its point total over 500 had it not been for a disputed call for the Indians’ No. 1 200-yard medley relay team.
A judge ruled a swimmer leaving the line too early, resulting in disqualification of the relay team that had finished first in the event, which would have produced 40 points. A formal protest with video proved futile, but in the long run, it didn’t matter.
Zadina, Flaska and Durr combined to win five individual events. That trio there joined senior Jude Hileman for a championship finish in the 400y freestyle relay to close out the meet.
The Indians also were able to enjoy more depth than in recent years. Even swimmers in their first year with the team, including a couple of freshmen, recording top-six finishes.
That has helped the team finish in the top two in team scoring in its first two meets this season.
The Indians will try to carry momentum from their early-season success into Saturday when they compete at the Wichita Southeast meet.
Hays High results at Great Bend
200y medley relay – 4. (Levi Crisenberry, Jace Herbers, Maison Desaire, Col Lonsdale)
200y freestyle – 1. Chase Zadina
200y individual medley – 1. Karsen Flaska; 3. Cedric Durr
50y freestyle – 2. Jude Hileman; 3. Desaire; 5. Seth Burkholder
100y butterfly – 1. Zadina; 5. Hileman
100y freestyle – 1. Durr; 4. Jace Herbers
200y freestyle relay – 2. (Noah Schaeffer, Herbers, Desaire, Hileman)
100y backstroke – 1. Flaska (1:02.69*)
100y breaststroke – 4. Schaeffer
400y freestyle relay – 1. (Zadina, Hileman, Durr, Flaska [3:50.61*])
* – State consideration times.