The Havre High swimmers traveled a familiar route to Great Falls Saturday, the Ponies' last meet of the year before heading back to Great Falls on Jan. 4.
The Ponies competed against 14 other teams, only four of which were from Class A. Havre placed sixth overall, but took first among the other Class A teams present. Billings West, Billings Senior, Billings Skyview and Dillon were unable to make the meet due to weather.
Leading the way for the boys was the 200 backstroke relay, taking sixth with a time of 2:12.23. Ryan Gilbreath, Joey Howland, Chris Chandler and Philip Schatzka were members of the relay. The boys 200 freestyle relay team, behind members Andrew McLain, Chandler, Howland and Gilbreath, earned a ninth- place finish with a time of 1:47.21. The B team in the 200 freestyle relay took 19th, finishing in 2:09.07. Members of the B team were Brian Childree, Mario Pizzini, Sam Soyer and Tyler Thompson.
Taking a 10th-place finish in the 400 individual medley relay with a time of 5:01.95 were Gilbreath, Soyer, Howland and McLain. The same four Ponies earned an 11th-place finish for Havre in the boys' 200 butterfly relay, finishing in a time of 2:11.16.
Gilbreath, Pizzini, McLain and Howland continued a very busy afternoon with another 11th-place finish in the boys 200 medley relay with a time of 2:03.16. Schatzka, Marc Dahl, Soyer and Chandler raced to a 16th-place finish as the B team in the 200 medley relay with a time of 2:20.48.
The girls also had a successful Saturday with seven top 10 finishes. Elizabeth Stuker, Gwen Porter, Alicia Rundquist and Maureen Porter raced to a fourth-place finish in the 200 breaststroke to lead the team with a time of 2:28.34.
Taking one of three sixth-place finishes for the Ponies were Stuker, Gwen Porter, Katie Hartman and Maureen Porter in the 200 butterfly with a time of 2:12.15.
The second sixth-place finish for Havre came in the 200 backstroke relay. The A team members included Stuker, Bethanie Keim, Danielle Barton and Brittne Zimmer. The A team came away with a time of 2:14.92, while the B team finished in 16th with 2:47.00. The B team members included Stephanie Mariani, Rylee O'Connell, Katie Toldness and Emily Kostelecky.
The third and final sixth-place finish came in the 200 freestyle relay. Stuker, Gwen Porter, Kasie Teske and Maureen Porter finished in a time of 1:55.26. The B team in the 200 freestyle relay took 10th in 2:06.01. Hartman, Zimmer, Keim and Kostelecky were members of the team.
The 200 medley relay A team with Barton, Gwen Porter, Maureen Porter and Stuker took seventh in 2:07.25. The B team followed closely behind with a 16th-place finish and a time of 2:20.08. Keim, Rundquist, Hartman and Teske swam for the B team.
Gwen Porter, Maureen Porter, Stuker and Hartman also capped a very busy day with an eighth-place finish in the 400 individual medley relay with a time of 4:55.53. The B team for the 400 medley team finished 12th with 5:30.53. Zimmer, Kostelecky, Barton and Teske swam for the B team.
Three teams swam for Havre in the 200 mixed medley relay. The A team finished 13th in 2:04.87, the B team 19th with a 2:13.89 and the C team 25th with a 2:28.63. The A team was comprised of Ryan Gilbreath, Mario Pizzini, Elizabeth Stuker and Maureen Porter. Danielle Barton, Sam Soyer, Gwen Porter and Joey Howland swam for the B team, and Philip Schatzka, Chris Chandler, Brittne Zimmer and Kasie Teske swam for the C team.
Each school was allowed two entries per event except for the 200 mixed medley, where three entries were allowed.
"We swam some great races with kids being entered in events that they don't normally swim," head coach Chris O'Donnell said.
The following are the overall team results from the Great Falls Invitational:
1. Flathead 258; 2. Bozeman 226; 3. Missoula Hellgate 223; 4. Great Falls High 100; 5. Helena High 75; 6. Havre 74; 7. Missoula Sentinel 69; 8. Capital High 64; 9. CMR 39; 10. Butte High 33; 11. Hardin 25; 12. Missoula Big Sky 21.
