Cougars Place Third at Bengal Invite
On Saturday, December 18, the Centennial Cougars placed third at the Bengal Invitational. Head Coach Pete Crawford said that this feat was accomplished by the team’s incredible depth. After the meet, he stated that what the team lacks for “star” swimmers this year, it makes up with by having a very deep roster of “up-and-coming” athletes. For example, Coach Pete pointed out that at this meet the Cougars had six athletes that swam the 100 freestyle faster than 57 seconds (Ben Condon, Ben Loehr, Dominic Stevenson, Connor Herbrechtsmeyer, George Atkinson and Alex Larkin).
When I asked Coach Pete who he thought the “Cougar Swimmer of the Meet” was at the Bengal Invitational, he said that it would be impossible to say because the team turned out many fabulous swims and times for being only in the third week of the season. He likes where the team is heading and expects many exciting things to happen this season and in seasons soon to come.
Despite not taking any first place finishes, the Cougars did take second place in the 200 Yard Medley Relay with the team of George Atkinson, Max Scheurer, Alex Larkin and Connor Herbrechtmeyer. Max Scheurer also took a second place in the 100 Yard Breaststroke while Alex Larkin placed third in the 100 Yard Butterfly.
At the conclusion of the meet, the team rankings were as follows:
- Blaine - 407
- Andover - 404
- Centennial - 360
- Coon Rapids - 271
- Forest Lake - 235
- Irondale - 232
- Champlin Park - 183
- Osseo - 171
