The Bemidji swimming team advanced four individuals and two relays into Saturday's section championship heats and another five swimmers will compete in Saturday's consolation round.
"We had 16 swims and 16 career bests," said BHS coach Woody Leindecker. "We entered the meet as darkhorses with no one seeded higher than ninth. But we had a great showing and who knows what can happen on Saturday."
Friday's top eight finishers in each event qualified for Saturday's final and the ninth through 16th finishers earned consolation heat berths.
All who advanced to Saturday's finals have shots at placing in the top two and earning trips to the state meet. Swimmers can also qualify for state by reaching the state meet standard times and Tyler Hemp swam under that time in the 100 breast stroke Friday, completing the race in eighth in 1:04.3. The medley relay team's time of 1:46.7 was only 0.2 seconds off the state standard.
That medley relay team included Nate Gubbels, Matt Anrdt, Tyler Hemp and Nick Gubbels and the group set Friday's tone by finishing seventh.
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Hemp qualified for Saturday's 200 free final by placing fifth (1:53.4). Nick Gubbels was sixth in the 50 free (23.4) and Eli Wright was eighth in the 500 (5:21.7).
Also advancing to Saturday's finals was the 400 relay unit of Nick Gubbels, Wright, Nate Gubbels and Hemp as it was eighth (3:35.6).
Qualifying for Saturday's consolation heats were Wright who was 13th in the 200 free (1:58.02), Nick Gubbels who was 11th in the 100 free (52.2), Pat Voss who was 16th in the 500 (5:40.1), Nate Gubbels who was 16th in the 100 back (1:04.4), Arndt who was 11th in the 100 breast (1:07.6) and the 200 free relay team of Arndt, Voss, Wright and Wyatt Yartz which was 12th (1:41.1).
Saturday's action will also include the diving. Representing BHS in diving are Sam Howard and Gunnar Nelson.
"The diving competition appears to be wide open and in the swimming, if you have a lane in the championship heat, you have a shot at going to state," Leindecker said.
