Austin Packers boys’ swimming and diving team falls to Mankato East Tuesday evening 96-81

The Austin Packers boys’ swimming and diving team was looking to go to 2-0 early in the 2020-2021 season as they played host to Mankato East in a Big 9 Conference dual meet at Bud Higgins Pool, but the Cougars had other ideas as they came away with a 96-81 win.

Austin’s 200 medley relay team of Winston Walkup, Logan Kelly, Joseph Hilkin and Riley Haugen took first place with a time of 1:44.03, and the team of Kyle Mayer, Jackson Barry, Matthew Grush and Adam Pike finished third with a time of 1:59.02. Tate Miller took third in the 200 freestyle with a final time of 2:10.34, and Winston Walkup and Joseph Hilkin were second and third, respectively, in the 200 individual medley with times of 2:13.13 and 2:30.92.

Logan Kelly was first for Austin in the 50 freestyle with a time of 22.12 seconds, and Hilkin was first for the Packers in the 100 butterfly with a time of 1:03.60.  Tate Miller took third in the 500 freestyle with a final time of 6:16.27.  Austin’s 200 freestyle relay team of Winston Walkup, Adam Pike, Riley Haugen and Logan Kelly was first with a time of 1:37.61, and Walkup took second in the 100 backstroke with a final time of 1:00.13.  Kelly claimed first in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 57.63, which was more than eight seconds better than second place finisher Dave Wedzina of Mankato East, who finished with a time of 1:05.15, and the Packers 400 freestyle relay team of Tate Miller, Kyle Mayer, Joseph Hilkin and Matthew Grush took first with a time of 4:00.24.  The team of Thomas Asmus, Zachary Evenson, Samuel Langstaff and Joseph Garry took second with a time of 4:47.89.

Austin is now 1-1 on the young season, and the Packers return to action Thursday in a virtual meet with Faribault, with the B-Squad action set to start at 6:00 p.m.