Ponies ready to dive in at state

For 17 Havre High athletes, the next two days in the University of Montana’s Grizzly Pool are the biggest two days of their prep careers so far. That’s because all of those Blue Ponies will be competing in the 2015 Montana State Swimming Championships.

Starting with this afternoon’s prelims, the HHS boys and girls swim teams will be trying for personal bests, top six and top 12 finishes, and the Blue Ponies will be trying to catch Billings Central for team trophies.

The state meet, which is combined with Class AA and A teams, will run through Saturday’s finals in Missoula, but there are team titles awarded for both Class AA and A. Meaning, from a team-points standpoint, the Ponies will compete with boys and girls defending champion Billings Central, as well as Hardin, Whitefish, Bigfork and Columbia Falls.

“The team has worked hard this year,” said second-year HHS head coach Jill Cammon, who guided the pony girls to a second-place finish last year, and the pony boys to a third-place finish, “Overall they look strong and ready for competition.”

The Havre girls, who have actually out-scored Billings Central in one meet this season, should be particularly strong. Though HHS has gone through some injury problems of late, the Ponies still boast a talented team and have several individuals who could find themselves in Saturday’s finals.

Sophomore Aubri McCann has an excellent chance to place in the 100 breaststroke, and getting into the finals is key for the Class A swimmers, who compete in the same races as the AA’s. Senior Hannah Pepprock will also swim the 100 breaststroke and the 200 free, while junior Jackie Martin will swim the 50 free, and she specializes in the 100 butterfly. She, too, could swim her way into the final in that event. Senior Lieza Reighard will swim the 100 free for the Ponies, while a pair of freshmen could have a big impact on the HHS squad this weekend. Amelia Miller will swim the 200 and 500 free, while Jillian Reighard will swim the 50 free and the 100 backstroke. Both girls have had a strong first season for the Ponies.

Rounding out the HHS lineup in individual races is junior Hailee Kilgore in the 100 backstroke, senior Jade Korb in the 50 and 100 free, senior Carleigh Rennick in the 50 and 100 free and junior Alara Vogel in the 100 free and 100 breaststroke.

As for Havre’s relay teams, which are always strong, Cammon said that McCann and Lieza Reighard will swim all three relays, while Pepprock, Martin and Miller will also fill spots, but the relay lineups aren’t set as of yet.

And as for how HHS will fare this weekend, Cammon is confident her Ponies can compete with the Rams for a state championship. It will all come down to how well the Ponies do in the individual races.

“There are several promising swims,” Cammon said. “Aubri is ranked 10th and Hannah 12th in the 100 breast. Amelia is ranked in the top 15 in both the 200 and 500 freestyle events. We’re hoping to see each of them land a spot in the finals.”

Catching the powerful Billings Central boys won’t be something a young Havre High boys team will likely be able to do. Regardless of classification, the Billings Central boys have been as dominant as any swimming program in the state in recent years.

But the Ponies have made big strides in the pool this season, and they are now ready to make even bigger strides at the state meet. Led by senior Ben Seigel, who will swim the 50 free and the 100 free, Havre should have a much stronger showing than it did a year ago. The emergence of senior Jamie Lieberg, who will swim the 200 free and 100 free, as well as the recent addition of Mason Sandstrom, who will swim the 50 and 100 free, have really given the Ponies a boost.

So, too, has Havre’s sophomore class. Shandon Oberquell has had a strong season in the 100 breaststroke, while Zach Barnes will swim the 100 butterfly and the 100 free. Jimmy May will swim the 50 free and Clayton Twombly will swim the 50 free and the 100 breast.

“Ben is in the top 15 for the 50 and 100 freestyle, so we’re hoping to see him land spots in those finals,” Cammon said. “The boys also look strong in their 200 and 400 freestyle relays.”

Indeed, the Havre boys have gotten stronger as the season has gone, while the HHS girls have grown into a powerful swim team, much like the ones when the Ponies won the Class A state title for more than a decade. So, it should be a very exciting weekend for the Blue Ponies in the pool.

The 2015 Montana State Swimming Championships begin this afternoon at the Grizzly Pool in Missoula. The finals are set to get underway Saturday morning. Fans can follow the finals live on the Internet by going to http://www.mhsa.org.