Austin Packers boys swimming and diving team competes at Hutchinson Invitational Saturday

An Austin Packers boys swimming and diving team with only 10 swimmers and two divers competed at the Jerry Campbell Memorial Invitational from Hutchinson Saturday, and it was the Packers taking 7th place overall with 194 points.  St. Thomas Academy took the team title with 459 points, the host Tigers were second with 414 points, and Mankato East/Loyola was third with 328 points.

Head Coach Ryan Kelly reported that although the Packers were shorthanded, they still had 10 finishes in the top eight, highlighted by a third-place finish for Riley Ferguson in 1-meter diving with 179.15 points, and Brent Dahl in the 100 backstroke, as the sophomore took second with a time of 56.20.  Other high finishers for the Packers Saturday included Zach Evenson, who was fifth in the 100 freestyle with a time of 53.23 seconds, the 200 medley relay team of Dahl, Hunter Peters, Lucas Meyers and Noah Holt was seventh with a final time of 1:48.62, and Meyers was sixth for the Packers in the 100 butterfly with a time of 1:01.83.

Brent Dahl finished fourth for Austin in the 500 freestyle Saturday with a time of 5:04.50, Hunter Peters swam to a fifth-place finish in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:07.98, and the 400 freestyle relay team of Zach Evenson, Noah Holt, Brent Dahl and Hunter Peters was sixth Saturday with a final time of 3:40.17.

The Packers return to action at Bud Higgins Pool at Ellis Middle School Tuesday evening for a Big 9 Conference dual meet with Rochester Century, with the varsity action scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m.