Great Bend Post Sports
The waters of Salina have been good to the Lady Panther swim team this season. In March, Great Bend opened the season in Salina with the 200-yard medley relay team punching its ticket to state. At Friday's meet, senior Emilee Hall swam state times in two events, and the 200 free relay team of Hall, Josephine Mazouch, Sydney Kruckenberg, and Meredith Mazouch also secured a spot at state.
The 200 free relay won its race by just more than two seconds in 1:50.60. Hays finished second in 1:52.68, just 0.02 seconds faster than the state qualifying time. Great Bend's team of Avah Holden, Madelynne Siefkes, Ellie Lutt, and Clarise Snapp placed eighth in 2:06.42.
Southeast of Saline's Ali Richardson blew out the field in the 100 fly with the win in 1:00.68. Hall claimed the silver in 1:06.74, beating the automatic state qualifying time by nearly a second. The 100 back was also loaded with McPherson's Danica Brunk taking the gold by better than two seconds in 59.53. Hall placed third in 1:06.65, less than half a second faster than the state qualifying time.
Josephine Mazouch swam another state consideration time in the 50 free, placing second in 27.28, more than a second off gold-medal pace. Meredith Mazouch finished sixth in 28.49, and Lutt swam 11th in 30.92. Josephine placed third in the 100 free in 1:00.39, another state consideration time and just 1.18 seconds from automatic qualification. Kruckenberg placed seventh in 1:04.05. Snapp swam a state consideration time in the 100 breast, placing second in 1:20.01 to miss automatic qualification by more than three seconds.
The 400 free relay team of Hall, Kruckenberg, Josephine Mazouch, and Braylee Carper placed second in 4:13.16, 12 seconds behind the winners from McPherson. Great Bend's time was just three-quarters of a second from state qualification. The squad of Holden, Lutt, Sidney Gilkison, and Shatarah Newton finished ninth in 4:59.27.
Kruckenberg swam fifth in the 200 free in 2:24.24 to miss the bronze by four seconds. Carper placed seventh in 2:26.64. Snapp finished seventh in the 200 IM in 2:52.65 to miss the bronze by 10 seconds. Ava Gregg finished ninth in 2:55.60.
Carper placed sixth in the 500 free in 6:42.94 to miss the bronze by 21 seconds. Lutt followed in 10th in 7:03.99, and Katelyn Mermis finished 11th in 7:05.70.