PHS swimming falls to Lander; But coach happy with state qualifications

Posted 12/16/14

Several Panthers decided their first meet of the season was as good a time as any.

Although Lander Valley cruised to a 131-54 dual victory over the young Panthers, PHS managed to qualify six swimmers for state, including a couple who had …

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PHS swimming falls to Lander; But coach happy with state qualifications

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During the Powell High School boys swimming team’s preview day, head coach Stephanie Warren said one team goal this season is to qualify as many swimmers for state as quickly as possible.

Several Panthers decided their first meet of the season was as good a time as any.

Although Lander Valley cruised to a 131-54 dual victory over the young Panthers, PHS managed to qualify six swimmers for state, including a couple who had surprising performances.

“I was very happy with what our kids did on Friday,” Warren said Saturday. “They worked hard and are already showing improvements. And getting so many kids qualified for state gives us something to build on for the rest of the season.”

With two seniors (Billy Baker and Alex Bjornestad) unavailable Friday, it was senior Ben Wetzel who shined bright for PHS. Last year’s Class 3A 500-yard freestyle state champion picked up where he left off a year ago, winning the 200 freestyle (4A qualifying time of 1:58.30) and the 500 (5:34.82). Wetzel qualified in those events, as well as the 50 and 100 free.

Wetzel was pleased with his qualifications, but turned the focus to his teammates.

“I’m happy with what I did, but we had a lot of positive efforts from some of the younger guys,” Wetzel said. “There were some things that need to be cleaned up ... guys drifting into other lanes and guys losing their goggles, but overall they made progress, and the state berths are huge.”

One of those “younger guys” was freshman Kasey Creed. Coming off a middle-school swimming career, Creed appeared to be in his element right away. He earned state spots in two events, posting a 4A qualifying time of 2:20.66 in the 200 individual medley and a time of 1:05.50 to qualify in the 100 fly.

“I think it’s really cool,” Creed said of his state berths. “I’ve been swimming for about seven years now, so it was pretty exciting to get my first high school season started and to qualify for state at my first meet.”

Junior Seth Fuller posted qualifying times in the 50 free (24.67) and the 100 backstroke (4A time of 1:03.62). Fuller was happy to see half a dozen Panthers qualify, including Creed, and said early qualifications take pressure off the team moving forward.

“It’s definitely a relief when you qualify ... as a freshman that’s all you focus on, so you can focus on something else,” Fuller said. “You can focus on trying to be the best in your event instead of just trying to secure your spot. It allows you to focus on a specific event you want to excel in.”

Other PHS state qualifiers were junior Josh Riedhammer (50 and 100 freestyle), junior Tyson Wages (100 backstroke) and sophomore Joe Kuntz (100 fly). Sophomore diver Nate Magill, who returned to the pool this season after wrestling last year, was 13 points shy of qualifying for state, and several other Panthers just missed state slots.

Warren was optimistic with PHS’ first action of the season, and she expects her near misses to swim their way to state sooner than later. The Panthers will get another opportunity Saturday when they travel to Lander for a quad meet.

“Overall, we were very pleased with the performance by all of the swimmers, especially with it being our first week of competition,” Warren said. “We look forward to next weekend where hopefully our entire team can swim and continue to work on building our state team.”

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