Bulldogs place second, fifth in pool

Butte High’s boys’ swimming team placed second at the Montana Classic Saturday at the Butte Family YMCA.

The Bulldog girls, meanwhile, took fifth in the nine-team meet.

Billings West swept the team titles. On the boys’ side, the Golden Bears scored 430 points. Butte High was second at 345, followed by Billings Skyview at 253. Butte Central placed ninth at 25.5.

The West girls ran away with the title, scoring 538 points. Belgrade was second at 25, and Missoula Hellgate placed third at 224.

The Bulldogs scored 149 points. BC scored 38 for ninth place.

“Everyone is swimming hard,” Bulldog coach Lynn Shrader said. “It is coming to the end of the season and they are working hard to make state.”

Shrader said her boys showed great improvement.

Senior Nathon Stone placed third in the 100-yard freestyle and ninth in the 50 freestyle for the Bulldogs. Junior Gage Plum paced fourth in the 200 individual medley and fifth in the 100 freestyle.

Sophomore Tucker Kissell took 4 seconds off his best time in the 200 freestyle to place fifth. Junior Ayvahn Mann placed third in the 100 backstroke with a personal record, and sophomore Gunnar Benson placed sixth in the 200 freestyle. Freshman Alex Sonneman placed fifth in the 500 freestyle.

Benson, Kissell, Sonneman and Stone took second in the 200 freestyle, just getting out touched. Plum, Kissell, Mann and Sonnemann finished third in the 400 freestyle relay.

Grayson Lynch, Stone, Benson and Plum swam to fourth place in the 200 medley relay.

Central’s Connor Hardy placed eighth in the 100 freestyle.

Shrader said her girls’ team was hit hard by illness this week, but still competed well.

Seniors Olivia Thurmond and Tatum Trefts led that fight. Thurmond placed third in the 100 freestyle and fifth in the 50 free. Trefts finished second in the 100 breaststroke and sixth in the 200 individual medley.

Junior Alaina Grochowski placed fourth in the 50 free, and sophomore Bryher Fitzpatrick placed ninth in the 100 butterfly and 100 breaststroke. Sophomore Bella Corrales finished eighth in the 200 freestyle.

Thurmond, Trefts, Grochowski and Corrales swam to third place in the 200 medley relay.

The Bulldogs will be back in Butte for a meet on Friday. They head to Missoula on Saturday. The Maroons will join Butte High in Friday’s meet.