Lake Monsters scare up top finishes at state tourney
The locally based Lake Monsters Swim Team took to the pool in Butte at the Montana Swimming Short Course State Championships two weeks ago, making the podium several times. The boys accomplished the incredible feat of placing eighth with only five swimmers amassing 92.5 points, and the girls took 10th, notching 44.5 points.
Briggs Delaney had a banner day in the 10 and under division, scoring 61 points for the Lake Monster boys. He notched six first-place finishes, winning the 50-meter backstroke, 200-yard freestyle, 200-yard intermediate, 100-meter fly, 500-meter freestyle and 100-meter backstroke. Delaney was also second in the 50-meter fly.
Teammate Finnian Murphy scored 16.5 points in the 10 and under category, placing third in the 50-meter freestyle and sixth in the 50-meter breaststroke while also notching a fifth-place finish in the 100-meter intermediate and 100-meter breaststroke. Murphy was also sixth in the 50-meter breaststroke.
Hailey Cottet notched 19 points for the team in the 10-and-under category for girls, placing third in both the 100-meter and 50-meter fly. She also took seventh in the 50-meter breaststroke, fifth in the 200-yard intermediate race, and eighth in the 50-meter backstroke.
Teammate Annelize Kleinmeyer notched 25.5 points in the 10 and under category, placing fourth in the 50-yard backstroke, the 100-yard backstroke and in the 50-meter fly. Kleinmeyer was fifth in the 100-meter intermediate, sixth in the 50-meter freestyle race, sixth in the 50-meter breaststroke, and eighth in the 100-meter backstroke.
In the 17-18-year-old boys division, Guz Hertz notched 15 points, placing third in the 50-meter fly, fourth in the 200-meter intermediate race, sixth in the 50-meter freestyle race, eighth in the 100-yard fly race and eighth in the 100-meter freestyle.
In the Montana Short Course B-C Championships, held March 2-3 at Grizzly Pool in Missoula, the Lake Monsters finished seventh. Isaac Kinnick scored 99 points for the Monsters, while Grace Olson scored 95 points, and Thomas Kinnick notched 92 points.
Hannah Harriman scored 71 points, while Rose Szmerglaski had 64 points. Joseph Kinnick scored 58 points, Anastasia Hertz had 59 points, and August Hertz scored 54 points. Shay Morin contributed 45 points, and Avery Harriman had 35 points.
Other swimmers for the Lake Monsters at the event included Cora, Sara and Zayda Dumouchel, Audrey Hall, Allan Niblack, Tenlie Oroake, Leo Reilley, Cora Salomon, Emily Salomon and Braden Wyman.
The Lake Monsters swim team did well at the recent B-C Championships in Missoula. (Courtesy photo)