Austin Packers girls swimming and diving team felled by Mankato East 95-88 Thursday evening

The Austin Packers girls swimming and diving team traveled to Mankato Thursday evening for a Big 9 Conference meet with the East Cougars, and it was East coming away with a 95-88 win.

High finishers for the Packers Thursday night included the 200 medley relay team of Gracie Greenman, Addison Tobak, Sydney Tobak and Ailvia Hemry, who took second with a time of 2:04.94, and Abbie Boysen was first in the 200 freestyle with a time of 2:13.32.  Gracie Greenman finished first in the 200 individual medley Thursday night with a final time of 2:27.63, and Alivia Hemry and Anna Kossman were 2-3, respectively, in the 50 freestyle with times of 27 seconds flat and 27.88.

Alayna Kennedy and Reese Norton had huge nights for Austin in 1-meter diving, as Kennedy took first with 235.45 points, and Norton was second with a total of 223.80 points, with the next closest diver, Claire Braswell of Mankato East a distant third with 166.30 points.  Madison Tauger earned a third-place finish in the 100 butterfly with a time of 1:15.76, and Abbie Boysen took first for the Packers in the 100 freestyle, as the freshman swam a time of 58.65 seconds.

Austin’s Hallie Burke took third in the 500 freestyle Thursday evening with a time of 6:42.79, and the 200 freestyle relay team of Abbie Boysen, Gracie Greenman, Anna Kossman and Alivia Hemry took second with a final time of 1:47.29, while the team of Sydney Tobak, Anita Rao, Addison Tobak and Leah Pischke was third with a time of 1:56.05.  Greenman was first for the Packers in the 100 backstroke Thursday evening with a time of 1:05.49, and Hemry was third in the 100 breaststroke with a final time of 1:22.73.  And, Austin’s 400 freestyle relay team of Abbie Boysen, Leah Pischke, Madison Tauger and Sydney Tobak was second with a time of 4:16.26.

The Packers return to Mankato East Saturday for their next meet, a 7-team invitational with the host Cougars, Faribault, Mankato West, Owatonna, St. Peter and Tri-City United, with the diving competition getting underway at noon, and the other events are scheduled to start at 2:00 p.m.