An Austin senior swimmer is getting closer to his goal.

After swimming a season’s best time on Saturday, Zach Rausch took .15 more seconds off his 50-yard freestyle time to win the event with a time of 23.21 seconds as the Packers swimming and diving team came up with a 94-92 win over Rochester John Marshall at Ellis Middle School Thursday.

Rausch’s time on Thursday is just .01 seconds off the state cut time for Class ‘A.’

“It’s been my goal to hit the cut time for awhile,” Rausch said. “I was surprised I got this close so soon.”

Rausch, who is hoping to swim the 50-free as fast as 22 seconds this year, won the race by a good distance, but he still finished full throttle.

“I can’t see anyone in the 50, either way so I’m racing against myself,” he said.

Michael Thorsheim cruised to a first place finish in the 200-yard individual medley and freshman Nick Brehmer was strong in the 200-yard freestyle, where he led for most of the race before JM’s Austin Cook took over in the last two laps.

“Nick’s progressing and he’s doing good for a freshman,” Austin head coach Lynn Gulbrandson said. “He’ll improve as the year goes on.”

Michael Thorsheim cruised to a victory in the 200-yard individual medley, which he won by 22 seconds, and he won the 500-yard freestyle by 10 seconds.

Austin’s Vinny Askelson won the 100-yard butterfly by 16 seconds and Jordan Stasi won the 100-yard breast-stroke.

Rausch, Brehmer, Thorsheim, and Stasi all swam on the 400-yard freestyle relay team that took first.

AUSTIN RESULTS

200-medley relay: Tucker Besel, Jordan Klein, Vinny Askelson, Jordan Bentley (second, 1:58.12); Nick Carlson, Chris Brown, Mark Thorson, Carson Hackel (fourth, 2:06.31)

200-freestyle relay: Nick Brehmer (second, 1:57.49); Jacob Carrol (fourth, 2:10.44); Sawyer Meyers (sixth, 2:18.17)

200-individual medley: Michael Thorsheim (first, 2:12.85); Jordan Stasi (second, 2:19.33); Jordan Klein (sixth, 2:43.38)

50-freestyle: Zach Rausch (first, 23.21); Jordan Bentley (third, 26.27); Mark Thorson (fourth, 26.43)

Diving: Caleb Bentley (third, 155.90); Alec Anderson (fourth, 124.15)

100-butterfly: Vinny Askelson (first, 1:03.95); Tucker Besel (third, 1:07.81); Gabe Franta (fifth, 1:17.08)

100-freestyle: Zach Rausch (second, 51.77); Jordan Bentley (fourth, 58.57); Joe Johnson (fifth, 1:00.80)

500-freestyle: Michael Thorsheim (first, 5:19.91); Nick Brehmer (third, 5:33.94); Jacob Carroll (fourth, 6:05.80)

200-freestyle: Zach Rausch, Jordan Stasi, Michael Thorsheim, Nick Brehmer (second, 1:37.12); Carson Hackel, Chris Brown, Mark Thorson, Jacob Carrol (third, 1:48.66); Jordan Klein, Ryan Rasell, Alex Knoll, Tanner Iseminger (fifth, 1:53.79)

100-backstroke: Tucker Besel (second, 1:07.31); Nick Carlson (third, 1:09.59); Joe Johnson (sixth, 1:15.65)

100-breast-stroke: Jordan Stasi (first, 1:12.52); Jordan Klein (third, 1:15.06); Chris Brown (sixth, 1:19.37)

400-freestyle relay: Zach Rausch, Nick Brehmer, Michael Thorsheim, Jordan Stasi (first, 3:33.82); Jordan Bentley, Tucker Besel, Vinny Askelson, Joe Johnson (fourth, 3:55.33); Mark Thorson, Carson Hackel, Nick Carslon, Jacob Carrol (fifth, 4:06.99)