Taking back-to-back state championships is not an easy task for any team and winning three in a row is practically unheard of.
But that very difficult task is exactly what the Havre High swimmers accomplished Saturday in Missoula.
Both the boys and girls teams won their third straight Class A-B state title with easy wins over Hardin. The girls took the title with 29 points, ahead of Hardin, who finished with eight points, while the boys won with 40 points ahead of Hardin's 21. A total of six Class A schools were at the meet, which totaled 19 teams.
The boys 400 freestyle relay team placed sixth in the tournament with a time of 3:47.71. Members of the relay team were juniors Chris Chandler, Ryan Gilbreath and Joey Howland, and freshman Scott Robinson. The 200 freestyle relay team, comprised of the same team members, also added and eighth-place finish (1:38.81).
The boys 200 medley relay team finished 11th with a 1:56.56 finishing time. Gilbreath and Howland were on that team along with junior Mario Pizzini and senior Andrew McLain.
Individually for the boys, Robinson also added an eighth-place finish in the 50 freestyle (23.26) and a 12th-place finish in the 100 butterfly. Howland followed Robinson with an 11th-place finish in the 50 freestyle (24.18).
For the girls team, the 200 freestyle relay team finished sixth in 1:51.61. Members of the 200 relay team include sophomores Kasie Teske and Gwen Porter and seniors Maureen Porter and Elizabeth Stuker. The 200 medley relay team added a ninth-place finish with a time of 2:05.37. Sophomore Danielle Barton along with Gwen Porter, Maureen Porter and Stuker swam on the team.
Stuker also placed 11th in the 100 butterfly (1:08.42) and 12th in the 100 breaststroke (1:15.22).
"It takes everybody to win a state title, not just a few people," O'Donnell said. "We're just one big happy family."
