Salina South and Salina Central hosted swimmers from across Kansas on Thursday, with the Campus Colts dominating both divisions of the split invitational at Salina Central High School.
The Cougars finished fifth in the South Division with 206 points, while the Mustangs placed seventh in the Central Division with 37 points. As is tradition when both Salina schools host, South and Central competed in separate divisions rather than facing each other directly.
Campus led both divisions — posting 473 points in the South Division and 487 in the Central Division — followed by Hays, Garden City, and Great Bend in both meets.
South Shows Depth
Salina South's best finish came from junior Cooper Hutton, who placed second in the 200 freestyle (2:11.46) and third in the 500 freestyle (6:36.06). Junior Carter Malbrough contributed with a fourth-place showing in the 100 backstroke (1:15.84).
The Cougars' 400 freestyle relay team of Hutton, Malbrough, George Phonthachack, and Wyatt Rector finished third with a time of 4:38.03.
Freshman Reed Ethan provided South's only diving points, placing second with 81.45 points, well behind Campus's Kenton Holmes, who dominated the event with 294.45 points.
Central Swimmers Compete Hard
Salina Central's points came entirely from its top swimmers competing against larger programs. The Mustangs' relay teams showed promise, with their 200 freestyle relay finishing 10th (2:35.22) and the 400 freestyle relay placing seventh (5:58.41).
Senior Jake Schmitz scored individual points for Central, placing seventh in the 100 butterfly (1:18.47) and seventh in the 100 breaststroke (1:24.41).
Visiting Teams Excel
SE Saline's Matthew Whelchel stole the show, winning both the 50 freestyle (23.23) and 100 butterfly (58.66) in both divisions.
Campus junior Cash Pegg-Westerhaus won the 200 freestyle in both divisions with a time of 1:52.80, while Hays senior Karsen Flaska dominated the distance events, capturing the 200 IM (2:23.87) and 500 freestyle (5:57.91).
The Salina schools will continue their seasons with more competition as they build toward the postseason in February.
