Submitted
The Hays High boys’ swim team picked up right where it left off last season when it broke two school records at the Class 5-1A State Championships.
The Indians recorded three state-consideration times in their season opener last Thursday in Salina and in the process, finished second as a team.
Nearly every swimmer scored points for Hays High, which finished with a whopping 399 points – nearly 100 more than reigning Western Athletic Conference champion Garden City. Haysville-Campus claimed the team title with 472 points.
Several HHS swimmers placed in the top six in four events, led by senior Karsen Flaska with three first-place finishes. He won the 500-yard freestyle and 200y individual medley – in a 2:23.87 state-consideration (SC) time – while also swimming the first leg of the championship 200y medley relay (1:55.21 SC).
Flaska also helped the 400y freestyle place second with another state-consideration time of 3:51.12.
Joining Flaska on both those relay teams were senior Chase Zadina and junior Cedric Durr, all returnees from the foursome that set school records in the 400y freestyle (3:30.5) and 200y freestyle (1:34.39) at state last year.
At Salina, Zadina also placed second in the 100y freestyle and third in the 100y butterfly, while Durr also was third in the 50y
freestyle and fourth in the 100y butterfly.
Completing the first-place 200y medley relay foursome for HHS was senior Noah Schaeffer, who also helped the 200y freestyle relay finish third along with classmates Seth Burkholder, Maison Desaire and Jude Hileman.
Hileman also swam a leg on the runner-up 400y freestyle relay team and also placed third in the 100y backstroke and fourth in the 200y individual medley.
Completing the Indians’ list of top-six finishes was Schaeffer, sixth in the 100y breaststroke.
The Indians will return to action today at Great Bend.