Great Bend Post Sports
Four of the five Western Athletic Conference schools made up the field of eight at last Thursday's swim invitational at Barton Community College. The Lady Panthers scored 490 points for the win. Salina South scored 374 points for second, and Hays placed third with 306 points.
Great Bend opened with a win in the 200-yard medley relay. The team of Emilee Hall, Clarise Snapp, Braylee Carper, and Josephine Mazouch won by two seconds in 2:09.96. The squad of Meredith Mazouch, Ava Gregg, Darcy Feist, and Ellie Lutt placed fifth in 2:20.21.
The Lady Panthers saw more success in the 200 free relay as Hall, Sydney Kruckenberg, Meredith Mazouch, and Josephine Mazouch beat Hays by six seconds for the gold in 1:49.85. The team of Snapp, Gregg, Lutt, and Sidney Gilkison placed seventh in 2:08.69.
Hall collected an individual gold in the 100 back by nearly five seconds in 1:05.85. Meredith Mazouch finished fourth in 1:21.11 to miss the bronze by 10 seconds, and Katelyn Mermis placed 10th in 1:32.19. Snapp placed second in the 100 breast in 1:23.46, seven seconds off the win. Gregg finished behind her in 1:29.07 for the bronze.
The Lady Panthers took three of the top four spots in the 200 IM. Hall led the trio in 2:34.01 in second, seven seconds off the pace. Gregg finished behind Hall in 2:55.40, and Snapp placed fourth in 2:59.55. Josephine Mazouch placed third behind a pair of Hays swimmers in the 50 free in 27.40, just 0.05 seconds behind the silver with a state consideration time. Kruckenberg placed sixth in 28.91. Avah Holden finished fourth in the 100 fly in 1:34.04 to miss the bronze by seven seconds.
Newton's Angela Ewert swam away with the title in the 200 free in 2:10 but the next three swimmers hit the pad in a photo finish. Kruckenberg placed third in 2:24.08, missing the silver by just 0.07 seconds, and holding on to the bronze by just 0.18 seconds. Braylee Carper placed fifth in 2:29.76, and Meredith Mazouch swam eighth in 2:39.70.
Ewert was again a factor in the 100 free, taking second in 59.77. Josephine Mazouch finished just behind her in 59.92 for the bronze, missing the auto state qualification mark by just 0.71 seconds. Feist swam fourth for the Panthers in 1:04.05.
Great Bend took three of the top five spots in the 500 free. Carper placed third in 6:47.66 to miss the silver by 16 seconds. Lutt swam fourth in 7:15.01, and Mermis placed fifth in 7:15.25.
The Lady Panther 400 free relay team of Mermis, Sheridan Johnson, Cailyn Murphy, and Shatarah Newton placed ninth in 5:50.67.