Austin Packers boys swimming and diving team downs Red Wing 94-77 Thursday night

The Austin Packers boys swimming and diving team played host to the Red Wing Wingers in a Big 9 Conference dual meet at Bud Higgins Pool Thursday evening, and it was the Packers opening 2023 with a 94-77 win.

High finishers for the Packers Thursday night included both the squads’ 200 medley relay teams, as the team of Brent Dahl, Lucas Meyers, Joey Hillkin and Noah Holt were first with a time of 1:51.71, and the team of Jackson Hillkin, Hunter Peters, Zach Evenson and Zach Voogd were second with a final time of 2:04.31.  Seniors Winston Walkup and Kenny Cabeen went 1-2 in the 200 freestyle with times of 1:55.45 and 1:58.85, respectively, Lucas Meyers and Hunter Peters went 1-2 for the Packers in the 200 individual medley with times of 2:21.65 and 2:26.97, and Joey Hillkin was second in the 50 freestyle with a time of 24.64 seconds, and teammate Carter Holt was third with a time of 25.43.

Junior Riley Ferguson was second for Austin in the 1-meter diving competition Thursday night with a final score of 159.85, Brent Dahl and Hunter Peterson were second and third, respectively, in the 100 butterfly with times of 1:00.65 and 1:15.03, and Kenny Cabeen and Zach Evenson went 1-2 for the Packers in the 100 freestyle with times of 52.36 and 53.42.  Austin swept the top three spots in the 500 freestyle as Winston Walkup was first with a time of 5:37.41, Noah Holt took second with a final time of 6:26.88 and Thomas Asmus was third with a time of 6:44.40, plus the 200 freestyle relay team of Kenny Cabeen, Brent Dahl, Joey Hillkin and Winston Walkup were first Thursday evening with a time of 1:35.59.  Junior Zach Evenson was first for the Packers in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:02.28, Dahl was third in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:11.32, and the 400 freestyle relay team of Walkup, Evenson, Lucas Meyers and Cabeen took third with a time of 3:40.39.

Austin returns to action in an 8-team invitational they will host at Bud Higgins Pool on Saturday, with the action starting at 12 noon.  Other squads slated to compete include Cedar Falls, Iowa, Mankato East, Mason City, Iowa, Northfield, Owatonna, Rochester Century, Rochester Mayo and Rochester John Marshall.