Austin Packers boys’ swimming and diving team edges Winona 90-89 to kick off winter sports season

A winter storm warning Thursday forced the postponement of most high school athletic contests around southeastern Minnesota, Austin High School included.  Despite the inclement weather, the Austin Packers boys’ swimming and diving team was able to take on Big 9 Conference foe Winona in a virtual meet at Bud Higgins Pool, and it was the Packers edging the Winhawks 90-89 to start the 2020-2021 season with a win.

In the 200 yard medley relay, Austin teams took first and third as sophomore Winston Walkup, senior Logan Kelly, sophomore Joseph Hilkin and senior Riley Haugen took first place with a time of 1:47.71, and the team of juniors Kyle Mayer and Jackson Barry, sophomore Kenny Cabeen and junior Matthew Grush were third with a time of 1:56.86.  Senior Tate Miller was third in the 200 yard freestyle for the Packers with a time of 2:11.95, Walkup took first for Austin in the 200 yard individual medley with a final time of 2:15.25 and teammate Matthew Grush was third with a time of 2:35.02.

Riley Haugen and Kenny Cabeen finished second and third for Austin in the 50 freestyle with times of 24.85 and 25.09 seconds, respectivley, and the Packers swept the top two spots in 1 meter diving as freshman Riley Ferguson was first with a final score of 152.72, and eighth-grader Isaiah Cabeen was second with a final tally of 99.53.  Logan Kelly was over five seconds better than freshman Julius Hanson of Winona for first in the 100 butterfly with a time of 53.21, Kenny Cabeen was second for the Packers in the 100 freestyle with a final time of 55.64 and Matthew Grush was third for Austin in the 500 freestyle with a time of 6:20.61.

The Packers were first and third in the 200 freestyle relay, as the team of Adam Pike, Kenny Cabeen, Riley Haugen and Tate Miller took first with a final time of 1:46.17, and the team of seventh-grader Thomas Asmus, Kyle Miller, Jackson Barry and Joseph Hilkin took third with a time of 1:50.80.  Winston Walkup earned first for Austin in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 57.73, while teammate Jackson Barry was third with a final time of 1:14.39, and the team of Walkup, Tate Miller, Adam Pike and Logan Kelly took second in the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 3:49.34.

Austin returns to action next Tuesday in another Big 9 virtual meet with Mankato East, with the action set to start at 6:00 p.m.