MINNEAPOLIS — The Packer swimmers wanted to break some school records and get to the finals and that’s exactly what they did at the Class ‘A’ state swimming preliminaries in the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center Friday.

The Packer 200-yard freestyle relay team of Craig Heimark, Ian Christopherson and Carson Hackel and Nick Brehmer earned a trip to the state finals by taking fifth in the prelims with a time of 1:29.53, which breaks a school record that was set in 1991 by .42 of a second.

Brehmer also broke a 36-year old Austin High School record and he advanced to the Class ‘A’ state finals for the first time in his career. His time of 1:45.38 is three-quarters of a second faster than the previous AHS record that was set in 1977.

The team of Heimark, Christopherson, Hackel and Brehmer will also swim in the 400-yard freestyle relay finals and they are within a second of breaking that school record as well.

Brehmer had to settle for the consolation finals in the 100-yard freestyle, where he took 13th in prelims.

The 200-yard medley relay team of Sawyer Myers, Alex Laury, Seth Clasen and Carson Hackel finished 16th to advance to the consolation finals.

Christopherson made it to the consolation finals by taking 15th in the 50-yard freestyle.

The finals will begin Saturday at noon at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center.

AUSTIN RESULTS

200-yard medley relay: Sawyer Myers, Alex Laury, Seth Clasen, Carson Hackel (16th, 1:44.40)

200-yard freestyle: Nick Brehmer (sixth, 1:45.38); Craig Heimark (17th, 1:50.58)

50-yard freestyle: Ian Christopherson (15th, 22.37)

100-yard freestyle: Nick Brehmer (13th, 48.47)

500-yard freestyle: Sawyer Myers (22nd, 5:08.84)

200-yard freestyle relay: Craig Heimark, Ian Christopherson, Carson Hackel, Nick Brehmer (fifth, 1:29.53)

400-yard freestyle relay: Craig Heimark, Ian Christopherson, Carson Hackel, Nick Brehmer (fifth, 3:16.72)