Six school commits boosting Great Falls High swim applications

The Great Falls High and C.M. Russell High swim applications have earned state championships and state data lately.

But head coach Ed McNamee’s group is outperforming in one other space this yr with the variety of Bison seniors set to compete in school upon commencement.

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“Six is a remarkable number,” McNamee stated. “And to produce that at a variety of levels they are going to is a testament to them. It’s one of those things they can say, ‘Hey, if you want to (compete in college), I’ll help you find a place.’ We’ve had (swimmers) go in other sports, whether it’s baseball or football or something like that, but to have six swimmers when we usually average one or two, it’s pretty remarkable to see that.”

The Great Falls High recruiting class options two from the women’ squad in Ella Kingsland and Lucciana Baarson, and 4 boys’ athletes Jaricho Jay, Ben Ewald, Hudson Wagnild and Jayce Riggin.

Kingsland, who’s heading to NCAA Div. II Westmont College in Santa Barbara, has six particular person All-State finishes in her profession and has contributed on relays for Bison women’ groups that earned two state titles (2022, 2024) and a runner-up end (2023) in her first three years.

Kingsland at the moment has the second-best 100-yard backstroke time within the state (1:01.0) and is third within the 100 butterfly (1:01.72), according to data compiled by 406 MT Sports.

“It’s a great group,” Kingsland stated of Great Falls High. “Really hard workers. It’s definitely a place where you can come and depend on the people next to you to also work hard. You don’t have to go through it alone, even though it’s an individual sport.”

Baarson, dedicated to Div. III St. Catherine College in St. Paul, has additionally been a state competitor who swam a leg on the profitable 400 freestyle relay that clinched final yr’s Bison state title. Baarson, who moved to Great Falls from Washington, D.C., earlier than highschool, is ranked ninth within the state within the 500 freestyle (5:49.0) as a senior.

“It’s awesome, we definitely push each other,” Baarson stated. “It’s super competitive at practice, so when we get to meets, it’s fun. It’s nice to have something to share with each other.”

While the Great Falls High women proceed to be one of many state’s groups to beat, the Bison boys have been on the upswing following a fourth-place state end final yr. While particular person state champion Seth Woldtvedt and standout sophomore Duncan Schroeder are the crew’s heavy hitters, Great Falls High has confirmed depth in its robust senior class.

Jayce Riggin (100 free) and Hudson Wagnild (500 free) are each high 10 swimmers this season of their respective occasions, whereas Jay and Ewald are each veteran state performers.

Riggin, nonetheless undecided in his school dedication, and Jay have been varsity contributors since their freshman yr. Riggin cites Jay as one among his motivators to find a ardour for swimming.

“Jaricho, ever since we started swimming together when we were like six or seven, we’ve been rivals all the way through,” stated Riggin, who earned All-State within the 100 freestyle final season. “I don’t think I would’ve stayed with the sport if it weren’t for people like Jaricho.”

Jay concurs.

“It feels good to see how we’ve grown from when we first started, because I still remember those days about us just having fun,” stated Jay, who’s heading to the NAIA’s College of Idaho. “As we’ve gotten older, we’ve gotten more competitive and it’s really nice to see how we’ve grown and I’m happy that he gets to (compete in college).”

Swimming has not solely helped Ewald make choices for the long run, he stated, however has additionally enriched his highschool expertise since becoming a member of the crew as a sophomore.

“When I joined swimming, I really started to find myself,” stated Ewald, who seems to be to review athletic coaching at a Div. III Connecticut college. “I found a lot of good people, and they helped me figure out what I really wanted to do.”

Wagnild stated he likewise has discovered a powerful assist system in this system.

“For me, it’s meant someone has got my back, and I’ve got theirs,” stated Wagnild, who remains to be weighing his choices on dedication. “We’re not all going to do our best every day, for every meet, but we’re still going to push each other and keep each other’s heads up. Like ‘Hey, we didn’t get it today, we’ll get it on the next one. We’ll work on that on Monday. Don’t worry, we’ve got this.’”

Following the crosstown meet on Tuesday, Feb. 3, the groups play host to the state meet on Feb. 12-14.

With this class main the way in which, McNamee stated he doesn’t want to provide any additional motivation.

“They’re so locked in,” he stated.