Austin Packers boys’ swimming and diving team sending three individuals, two relay teams to state swimming and diving meet

The Austin Packers boys’ swimming and diving team took part in the Section 1A meet in Rochester Thursday, and a number of relay teams and individual qualifiers for the Packers will be taking part in the State Class A Swimming and Diving meet March 18th-20th at the University of Minnesota.

Austin’s 200 medley relay team of Winston Walkup, Logan Kelly, Joey Hilkin and Riley Haugen were champions Thursday with a time of 1:39.24, and the 200 free relay team of Kelly, Walkup, Kenny Cabeen and Haugen were also first with the 10th best time in school history at 1:31.17.  Logan Kelly was first for Austin in the 200 freestyle with a final time of 1:43.78, and Kelly also broke his own school record in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 55.06 second to claim first place in that event.  Kelly’s time also broke the Section 1A meet record of 57.62 set by Matt Hoyland of St. Thomas Academy back in 2008.

Also headed to state for Austin is Winston Walkup in the 100 backstroke, as he took third Thursday with the seventh-best time in school history at 57.09, and Riley Ferguson qualfied for the state diving meet with a total of 292.05 points, good for fourth place.

Other medalists for the Packers Thursday were Walkup in the 200 individual medley, as he was fourth with a time of 2:06.42, good for ninth-best all time in Austin High School history.  Tate Miller was 8th in the 500 freestyle for the Packers with a time of 5:24:00, Joey Hilkin earned fifth place in the 100 butterfly with a time of 56.71 seconds and Austin’s 400 freestyle relay team of Kenny Cabeen, Hilkin, Miller and Matthew Grush was fifth with a time of 4:36.36.

The State Class A Swimming and Diving Meet is scheduled for March 18th through the 20th at the University of Minnesota’s Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center.