GREAT FALLS — The Bozeman High girls' reign atop the Class AA swimming ranks continues.
The Hawks dominated the Class AA state swim meet on Friday at Great Falls High, seizing first place in the final team standings with 245 points, nearly 100 more than second-place Great Falls CMR, to earn back-to-back team titles a year after dethroning Missoula Hellgate, which had won the previous six titles.
The state swim meet was the first time swimmers had competed directly against each other after the regular season was conducted virtually.
The Rustlers took second with 152 points followed by host Great Falls High in third with 133 points.
In its first year, the Bozeman Gallatin High girls earned fourth place (110) followed by Missoula Sentinel in fifth (107).
Gallatin freshman Julia Huffmaster established herself as one of the most promising swimmers in the state as she took home a pair of wins. Huffmaster won the 100 fly (56.79 seconds) and set a record in the 200 IM (2:05.21), toppling a mark that had stood since 2018.
Kalispell Flathead's Lily Milner kept both of her titles as she won the 100 backstroke (56.58) and the 100 free (50.98).
Bozeman senior Sara Guillen defended her title in the 500 free with a time of 5:11.67. Guillen also took first place in the 200 free (1:55.07).
The 50 free was a tightly contested event, with the top three swimmers finishing less than a half-second apart. Missoula Big Sky sophomore Addy Lewis won with a mark of 24.32, Sentinel's Delaney Carlson took second (24.66) and Gallatin freshman Danika Varda claimed third (24.74).
BOYS MEET
The Helena High boys claimed first place in the boys meet with 234 points to topple defending champ Bozeman and prevent the Hawks from earning a sweep.
Great Falls High took second place with 221 points followed by CMR with 158. Missoula Sentinel earned fourth (131) while the Hawks settled for fifth place (121).
Rob Wagner, a Bengal senior, won the 50 free at 21.75. Great Falls senior Isaac Woldtvedt took second in the event (21.85) and CMR's Adonai Gray placed third (22.01). Wagner also won the 100 fly (51.35) to give the Bengals a double medalist.
Quade Oser, a senior, also delivered a first-place finish for the Bengals as he won the 100 breast in 1:01.92.
Sentinel senior Bremer Deaton successfully defended his 100 backstroke title, clocking a winning time of 53.69. Deaton also won the 200 IM with a mark of 2:00.23.
Great Falls junior Ben Woldtvedt, the defending 200 free medalist, settled for third in the event with a time of 1:47.09 as Sentinel junior Jackson Moe won with a mark of 1:43.69. Woldtvedt's teammate, senior Pete Anderson, took second in the event (1:44.62).
The high school swimming season wraps up Saturday with the Class A-B meet at Mission Valley Aquatics in Polson.
