Great Bend Post
It's a big deal to make it to the Class 5-1A State Swim and Dive Championships. It's an even bigger deal to make the finals as one of the top-16 teams in preliminary action. A pair of Great Bend relays swam on the final day of the season Saturday in Topeka.
The 200-medley relay team of senior Elly Somers, junior Emilee Hall, and sophomores Josephine Mazouch and Clarise Snapp twice set school records in the event this year. The girls were sitting No. 11 after Friday's preliminary. The Lady Panthers moved up a spot Saturday, finishing 10th in 2:00.11 to miss the final state medal by just over three seconds.
Great Bend also gained a position in the 400-free relay after a 14th-place finish in prelims Friday. The team of Somers, Hall, Mazouch, and freshman Braylee Carp placed 13th in 4:04.78 to miss the final state medal by 10 seconds.
Those were the only two finals events for Great Bend. Hall just missed the finals in the 100-back. Her time of 1:06.07 was good enough for 18th, just 0.62 seconds behind the last finals qualifier. Snapp finished 24th in the 100-breast in 1:21.14. Andover took the final qualifying spot in that race in 1:15.41.
Somers finished 21st in the 100-butterfly in 1:07.38. Bishop Carroll swam a 1:05.84 for the final spot in the finals. Mazouch placed 19th in the 100-free in 58.90, missing the finals by 0.55 seconds.
The 200-free relay team of Hall, Somers, Mazouch, and Sydney Kruckenberg disqualified.