Pony swimmers excited to get in the water

Success has never been an issue for the Havre High swimming program. Year after year, the Blue Ponies always seem to be strong in the pool. And, though HHS has a new head coach this winter, the Ponies will most certainly continue their tradition of excellence.

William Kilgore, who was Havre’s assistant last season, takes over for Jill Cammon as head coach of the Blue Pony program. And with a number of strong returning swimmers, and good overall numbers, Kilgore says things are looking good once again for HHS, which opens its season with Saturday’s Havre Invitational.

“I think the kids are excited. I know I am,” Kilgore said. “I want this team’s goals to be to get better at every practice, keep raising the bar so to speak. We ended our girl’s season last year with a state championship and I think that is the ultimate benchmark goal every year for the Havre Blue Ponies, but you can’t get there without taking the smaller steps of daily improvement.”

The HHS girls did indeed win the Class A state championship a season ago. And though graduation hit the Pony roster hard, they should still be one of the top teams in the water in Class A this season.

“We graduated so much talent from last year’s state championship team,” Kilgore said. “And we are looking to rebuild that core group. The strength of the girl’s team is that we have a dedicated, hardworking group of young ladies that are up to the challenge. If they continue to work hard and put in the extra effort, I would think a top three finish at the state meet is not unrealistic.”

Though Havre did graduate some super star swimmers, the Ponies definitely have one of the best back this season in junior Amelia Miller. A leader in and out of the pool, Miller finished in the Top 5 in the 500-meter freestyle at state a year ago, and will excel in several events this season. Sophomores Ally Padgett and Hannah Lunak are also returning from the state championship team and both will be big contributors this season, while Kilgore also points to first-year swimmers Michelle Rainey, Angela Rhines and Natalie Verploegen as ones who will help the Ponies this winter. Jessica Otto, Kadyn Acor, Aria Pratt, Lacey Huseby and Laura Vance round out the Pony girls’ roster.

On the boys side, Havre has been growing strong as a program in recent seasons, and that growth could lead to big things this year as the Ponies return a very experienced group.

“The strength of the boy’s team this year is our depth,” Kilgore said. “We might not have a standout top state swimmer, but we have many very, very good swimmers that are working hard to improve. With enough work and a tough mental attitude, I believe we can get some of our swimmers into the finals at the state meet. If we can make that happen, we’ll be in the hunt for a strong finish.”

Leading the Ponies are strong returners like Ethan Lines, Shandon Oberquell, Mason Sandstrom and Clayton Twombly, all of whom have plenty of experience. But the Ponies also have depth with returners like Noah Gjesdal and Ammon Lines, while newcomers Jacob Miller, Shane Friede and Barrett Kilgore are expected to help make a splash right away.

Also competing for the HHS boys this season will be, Caleb Allestad, Emilio Bautista, Kabe Burchard, Riley Kilgore, John Klein, Paxtin McCann, Aylan Pratt, Cody Rennick, Trevor Williams and Logan Twombly.

And while Havre is just getting its season started, the Ponies have some exciting goals this season, goals that will lead them to the state meet in February in Great Falls. But overall, coach Kilgore said, his goals for the team are to first and foremost make sure they enjoy and have fun with the challenges that the sport of high school swimming presents.

“My expectations of our swimmers is that they work hard, keep a positive attitude and have more fun in the pool than they thought they would ever have,” he said. “I expect them to look to improve on times and be just a little bit better today than they were yesterday. Swimming is a team sport governed by performances of individuals competing against themselves. I expect them to challenge themselves, improve themselves, and in so doing, help the team. The wins and losses will take care of themselves, my goal is to develop better young men and women in life as well as the pool.”

Havre’s schedule includes several meets in Great Falls, as well as the Class A Invite in Hardin and the Missoula Invitational. Things get going with this Saturday’s Havre Invitational, which will feature the Blue Ponies, Great Falls High and CMR. The meet gets underway at noon at the Havre Community Pool.