If you want to be the best, you have to face the best. So that’s what the Hutchinson boys swimming and diving team did Saturday when they hosted Breck/Blake in the final meet before sections.
Breck, the four-time defending Class A state champion, took down the previously undefeated Tigersharks 107-74. But the ’Sharks knew that would probably be the outcome even before the meet. For them, it was all about getting ready for the final push to sections and state.
“We’re going to have to swim against that level of competition for the guys that get to the state meet,” head coach Rory Fairbanks said. “It’s good for them to be able to see what it’s going to take and where they’re at.”
“We knew coming into this meet that the team is the best in the state,” senior Matthew Olberg said. “But I told the guys before the meet that doesn’t mean we can’t swim fast and try to get our records. For some of the swimmers it was their last meet of the season, and I made the point to them that they have to swim fast and swim their hearts out. It’s our last home meet, so I told them to make me proud and they did.”
Breck started off the meet by breaking a 20-year-old pool record in the 200-yard medley relay and didn’t let up, but Hutchinson held its own in several events. Olberg took first in the 50-yard freestyle, Alex Oestreich won the diving event, Noah Tague was the top swimmer in the breaststroke, and Conner Hogan set a new team record in the butterfly with his winning time of 52.13, breaking the old record of 52.31 set by Gary Plotz in 1998.
It was a fitting end to the regular season, and just what the ’Sharks needed as they prepare for the postseason. With the Section 3A championship less than two weeks away, The Tigersharks now have a better idea of where they stand against some of the top swimmers in state. They’ll be able to take that information with them as they taper and aim to defend their section title, and maybe even send a busload of swimmers to the state meet.
“We’d like as many people as we can to qualify for state,” senior Tristin Nelsen said. “We’re thinking we’re going to have one of the biggest state teams we’ve had in a long time this year.”
Breck/Blake 107, Hutchinson 74 (Feb. 27)
200 medley relay: 1. Breck A (Charlie Crosby, Charlie Egeland, James Pan, Mitchell Brown) 1:36.71; 2. Hutch A (Conner Hogan, Noah Tague, Tristin Nelsen, Alex Oestreich) 1:40.6; 5. Hutch B (Anthony Witte, Charlie Jenum, Ethan Field, Dane Thovson) 1:52.05
200 freestyle: 1. James Pan (B) 1:45.84; 4. Carter Johnson 2:02.26; 5. Dane Thovson 2:02.78; 6. Ethan Field 2:04.84
200 IM: 1. Charlie Egeland (B) 2:01.5; 3. Noah Tague 2:04.07; 4. Riley Yerks 2:13.69; 6. Theo Lakovic 2:22.74
50 freestyle: 1. Matthew Olberg (H) 23.1; 5. Charlie Jenum 25.04; 6. Anthony Witte 25.4
Diving: 1. Alex Oestreich (H) 407.6; 2. Cameron Wagner 349.5
100 butterfly: 1. Conner Hogan (H) 52.13; 5. Tristin Nelsen 56.68; 6. Ethan Field 1:03.45
100 freestyle: 1. James Pan (B) 47.65; 4. Jackson Kramer 53.65; 5. Riley Yerks 54.24; 6. Max Einck 54.61
500 freestyle: 1. Mitchell Brown (B) 5:01.33; 3. Carter Johnson 5:21.24; 4. Dane Thovson 5:27.16; 6. Anthony Witte 5:48.24
200 free relay: 1. Breck A (Charlie Crosby, Jack Schurtz-Ford, Charlie Egeland, Henry Webb) 1:31.70; 2. Hutch A (Matthew Olberg, Riley Yerks, Noah Tague, Dane Thovson) 1:35.46; 5. Hutch B (Max Einck, Cameron Wagner, Jackson Kramer, Anthony Witte) 1:43.41
100 backstroke: 1. Charlie Crosby (B) 50.71; 2. Conner Hogan 54.23; 5. Tristin Nelsen 1:00.19; 6. Jackson Kramer 1:07.59
100 breaststroke: 1. Noah Tague (H) 1:02.73; 4. Alex Oestreich 1:07.39; 5. Theo Lakovic 1:09.19
400 free relay: 1. Hutch A (Conner Hogan, Tristin Nelsen, Alex Oestreich, Matthew Olberg) 3:30.08; 2. Hutch B (Jackson Kramer, Charlie Jenum, Ethan Field, Riley Yerks) 3:48.57
