On Feb. 6 and 7, Flathead’s girls’ and boys’ swim teams got second and third at the state meet in Missoula, but the teams was unsurpassed when it came to personal bests and morale, according to team members. “Everyone had personal bests,” said Ober. “The team, I thought, was much more unified than other teams I’ve been on and we all seemed to peak right at state.” FHS swimmers continued to give strong support to their teammates throughout the meet and everyone played a role in the team’s success. “It was pleasing to be there and see a lot of Flathead kids cheer us on,” said senior Steve Satterly. “It was a good way to end my senior year.” “The entire team, even those who didn’t swim in finals, were still there, and they totally supported us,” said senior Kristin Rygg. “We couldn’t have done it without them.” Despite persistent pain in her shoulders, Rygg inspired her teammates with outstanding times in finals and got second in both her events — 5:26.61 in the 500 free and 2:03.78 in the 200 free. “Kristin did awesome,” said senior Chelsea Edwards. “She really bit the bullet and did awesome.” Senior Amanda Hartmann, juniors Becca Welling and Julie Cummings, and sophomore Jenni Nerison took the 200 medley relay, setting a new state record at 1:53.60. Hartmann also set another record in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:12.46 in preliminaries on Friday, breaking the old record of 2:12.87 set in 1984. “It was awesome to win the 200 medley relay,” said junior Danielle Deisenroth. “Those who didn’t swim the second day really helped the rest of the team by being cheerleaders and supporting their teammates.” Junior Beck Henning said her favorite memory of state was when she finished the consolation final 100 breast stroke and was surrounded by her teammates at the end of the race. “I didn’t swim very well, but every girl on the team came up to me and gave me a hug and told me they were proud of me,” said Henning. “I really appreciated how they rallied around me and made me feel good after I felt like I disappointed the team.” With hard work and support, the boys’ team improved to third place from sixth last year and the girls’ team held fast on to a solid second. “We did good considering we only had 10 break into finals,” said sophomore Sam Dauenhauer. “I knew we’d place in the top three ‘cause it’s the best we’ve done since I’ve been on the team.” Many FHS swimmers, however, felt disappointment when they got into the consolation finals, since seventh place was the best they could get even when their times were better than the final swimmers’ times. “I think Flathead really got robbed,” said senior Andy Christofferson. “But we all took off time and it’s the best we’ve placed in 10 years.” Despite some disappointment felt, the state meet stands out in the minds of the swimmers because of the way FHS swimmers and supporters shined in Missoula. “Everyone supported each other and the Flathead parents were awesome,” said Edwards. “I was concentrating on making it the best meet ‘cause it was the last.” |
