By Tiffany L. Rehbein
The number of competing schools might be small, but the level of competition high, as the Havre Blue Ponies host the Class A meet on Saturday.
The Hardin Bulldogs, Billings Central Rams, and Havre Blue Ponies will be competing.
"This is not a divisional meet, it is a Class A Invitational," head coach Chris O'Donnell said. "The Class A schools wanted a meet for all the Class A teams, and Havre got the bid this year."
Only five Class A schools in Montana offered swimming this year.
The Hardin boys' team is the defending State Class A champion, and three state swimmers returned from last season's squad.
Jose Mejias, Jeremy Gregory, and Skeeter HeDoesIt are tough for Hardin. Mejias will be competing in the 200 IM, Gregory in the 50 free, and HeDoesIt in the 100 butterfly.
Billings Central, the defending state girls' team, lost the core of its state team, but returned backstroke champion Meg Brinton.
The Rams will be bringing just seven swimmers, and two big guns will be missing from the lineup. Havre boasts 32 swimmers on the squad.
"That is our strongest asset," O'Donnell said. "Other teams are coming with 13 kids, and, in a meet like this, we can go ahead and have two-to-three relays. It is really neat to have an opportunity for all the kids to swim in a relay."
The Havre girls' 200 yard medley relay, with Erin Lynch, Cara Holmquist, Maureen Porter, and Elizabeth Stuker, posted the fastest qualifying time at 2:04.07.
The "B" relay -- Bethanie Keim, Brittany O'Connell, Jen Forsyth, and Carly Toldness -- posted a time of 2:33:26.
The "C" relay -- Jen Dibblee, Jen Vaughn, Alicia Rundquist, and Jen Beckstead -- posted a time of 3:03.23. Billings Central will also compete in the relay.
The boys' 200 medley consists strictly of Havre teams. The "A" team is comprised of Nick Porter, Donovan Ewing, Tyler Croft, and Ryan Bennett. The "B" team is Brian Ehlert, James Howland, JJ Albertson, and Cliff Cunningham. Joey Howland, Tyler Abdallah, Mario Pizzini, and Marvin Franson make up the "C " team.
"Our goal is to win the meet for both the boys and the girls," O'Donnell said. "I think we are capable of that."
The Ponies are still trying to qualify all its racers for the state meet, and this invite offers that opportunity.
"I put some kids in events they have a great chance of qualifying in," O'Donnell said. "The kids who have already qualified, we are looking to take time off and get our times down, so that we are more competitive at state."
Individually for the boys, Bennett, Croft and Porter are strong. On the girls' side, Stuker, Porter, Lynch, and Holmquist are tough.
Butte Central, who had been consolidated with Anaconda last season, broke the consolidation, and, this season, lost its head coach, said Mike Moodry, athletic director.
Sara Polmer, the head swimming coach at Butte High, took over head responsibilities for the Maroons. Because the two schools share a coach, Butte Central will be traveling to Missoula with Butte High Saturday, Moodry said.
The Maroons, who boast eight swimmers (four boys and four girls) will be competing at the state meet, which will be held at Hardin on Feb. 4-5.
Colstrip, who offered only a girls' program in the past, dropped its program this winter because the coach resigned, said Athletic Director Mark Ator.
Dillon chose not to compete this weekend at Havre.
Swim meet matchups:
Girls 200 Yard Medley Relay -- Havre, C, 3:03.23; 3. Havre, A, 2:04.70; Havre, B, 2:33.26; BCHS, A, NT
Boys 200 Yard Medley Relay -- Havre, C, NT; Havre, A, 1:48.93; Havre, B, 2:05.00
Girls 200 Yard Freestyle -- Jamie Habeger, Hav, 2:40.00; Bethanie Keim, Hav, 2:33.00; Carly Toldness, Hav, 2:36.00; Brittany O'Connell, Hav, 3:05.57
Boys 200 Yard Freestyle -- Skye Sinclair, Hav, NT; Tim Smells, Hard, 2:49.00; Nick Porter, Hav, 2:04.00; Brian Ehlert, Hav, 2:17.00; Marvin Franson, Hav, NT
Girls 200 Yard Freestyle -- Maria Gilleece, Hav, 2:44.00; Cindi Shields, Hard, 2:30.00; Elizabeth Stuker, Hav, 2:33.56
Boys 200 Yard IM -- Jose Mejias, Hard, 2:30.15; James Howland, Hav, 2:45.00
Girls 50 Yard Freestyle -- Heat 1 -- Whitney Zollner, BCHS, 37.57; Darcy Snively, Hard, 32.80; Bina Peters, BCHS, 30.08; Megan Ferderer, Hard, 32.40; Jen Dibblee, Hav, 35.50; Heat 2 -- Christy Franson, Hav, 29.99; Kiera Pattison, Hard, 28.50; Maureen Porter, Hav, 25.99; Heather Bruschwein, BCHS, 26.74; Lindsey Corbin, Hard, 29.80; Kathy McShane, Hav, 29.99
Boys 50 Yard Freestyle -- Heat 1 -- Mark Solberg, BCHS, 34.50; Jeff Fitzgerald, BCHS, 33.57; John Ehresman, BCHS, 29.34; Tom Billingsley, Hav, 30.90; Bill Smells, Hard, 34.20; Heat 2 -- Adam Knuston, Hard, 27.90; Donovan Ewing, Hav, 23.99; Tyler Croft, Hav, 23.75; Jeremy Gregory, Hard, 23.85; JJ Albertson, Hav, 24.99; Chase Stolz, Hard, 28.15
Girls 100 Yard Butterfly -- Meg Brinton, BCHS, 1:09.59; Cindi Shields, Hard, 1:00.00; Elizabeth Stuker, Hav, 1:07.50; Cara Holmquist, Hav, 1:13.00
Boys 100 Yard Butterfly -- Donovan Ewing, Hav, 1:04.00; Ryan Bennett, Hav, 1:01.50; Nick Porter, Hav, 1:02.50; Skeeter HeDoesIt, Hard, 1:34.00
Girls 100 Yard Freestyle -- Heat 1 -- Alicia Rundquist, Hav, 1:40.00; Bina Peters, BCHS, 1:19.83; Darcy Snively, Hard, 1:20.30; Heat 2 -- Christy Franson, Hav, 1:07.00; Maureen Porter, Hav, 57.99; Erin Lynch, Hav, 1:04.00; Lindsey Corbin, Hard, 1:13.00
Boys 100 Yard Freestyle -- Heat 1 -- Tyler Abdallah, Hav, 1:23.48; Clayton Arnold, Hard, 1:16.00; Mark Solberg, BCHS, 1:18.52; Heat 2 -- Joey Howland, Hav, 1:07.00; JJ Albertson, Hav, 58.99; Jeremy Gregory, Hard, 54.35; Jose Mejias, Hard, 56.40; Chase Stolz, Hard, 1:04.21; Tom Billingsley, Hav, 1:08.00
Girls 500 Yard Freestyle -- Brittany O'Connell, Hav, 8:00.00; Maria Gilleece, Hav, 7:00.00; Jamie Habeger, Hav, 7:30.00; Jen Beckstead, Hav, 9:10.00
Boys 500 Yard Freestyle -- Cliff Cunningham, Hav, 7:28.00; Brian Ehlert, Hav, 6:13.00; Skeeter HeDoesIt, Hard, 7:00.00
Girls 200 Yard Freestyle Relay -- Havre, C, 2:40.11; BCHS, A, 2:13.10; Havre, A, 1:58.39; Hard, A, 2:00.00; Havre, B, 2:30.00
Boys 200 Yard Freestyle Relay -- Havre, B, 2:12.00; Hard, A, 1:47.32; Havre, A, 1:51.38; Hard, B, 2:15.00
Girls 100 Yard Backstroke -- Carly Toldness, Hav, 1:25.00; Kiera Pattison, Hard, 1:19.00; Meg Brinton, BCHS, 1:08.50; Erin Lynch, Hav, 1:16.00; Bethanie Keim, Hav, 1:20.00; Jen Vaughn, Hav, 1:44.00
Boys 100 Yard Backstroke -- Tyler Abdallah, Hav, 1:40.00; Ryan Bennett, Hav, 1:01.50; Skye Sinclair, Hav, 1:35.62; Marvin Franson, Hav, NT
Girls 100 Yard Breaststroke -- Heat 1 -- Whitney Zollner, BCHS, 1:49.81; Heather Bruschwein, BCHS, 1:40.38; Alicia Rundquist, Hav, 1:47.00; Heat 2 -- Jen Forsyth, Hav, 1:25.00; Cara Holmquist, Hav, 1:16.28; Kathy McShane, Hav, 1:24.50; Megan Ferderer, Hard, 1:38.72
Boys 100 Yard Breaststroke -- Heat 1 -- Tim Smells, Hard, 1:52.00; Jeff Fitzgerald, BCHS, 1:24.55; Clayton Arnold, Hard, 1:45.00; Bill Smells, Hard, 2:00.00; Heat 2 -- Adam Knutson, Hard, 1:20.60; James Howland, Hav, 1:17.00; Tyler Croft, Hav, 1:05.00; Cliff Cunningham, Hav, 1:16.00; John Ehresman, BCHS, 1:19.60; Mario Pizzini, Hav, 1:24.00
Girls 400 Yard Freestyle Relay -- Havre, B, 4:40.40; Havre, A, 4:18.00; Hard, A, 4:38.00; Havre, C, 5:11.00
Boys 400 Yard Freestyle Relay -- Havre, B, 4:42.00; Havre, A, 3:41.00; Hard, A, 3:55.00; Hard, B, 4:50.00
