Kingsford junior David Arcand swims the boys 100 butterfly during a meet against Westwood Tuesday afternoon at the NLYMCA Dickinson Center pool. Arcand finished second and was also second in the 200 freestyle. (Ron Deuter photo)

IRON MOUNTAIN — Even illness working its way through the Kingsford High School swim team wasn’t enough to slow the Flivvers in a meet against Westwood Tuesday afternoon at the Northern Lights YMCA Dickinson Center pool.

The Flivvers finished first in all but three of the 24 events and swept the Patriots. Kingsford’s boys won 87-29, and the girls triumphed 111-55.

“We were down several of our better swimmers,” Flivvers head coach Jim Lindstrom said. “It was a great chance for some of our developing swimmers to step up, and that is just what they did.”

Freshmen Allison Deuter and Bryce Johnson (Iron Mountain High School), and sophomore Thomas Gibbons all tallied a pair of individual wins for the Flivvers.

Deuter continued her dominance in the freestyle, clocking a personal best of 26.92 in the 50, which is now the fastest high school time in the U.P. this season. She won the 100 free at 59.81, more than 10 seconds ahead of the rest of the field. She also anchored two of the Flivvers relay wins, the 200 medley and 200 freestyle.

Johnson had little competition in the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke. He posted 1:06.34 in the fly, winning by 14 seconds, and he was 10 seconds faster than the rest in the backstroke with a time of 1:04.40.

Gibbons posted a convincing victory in the 100 breaststroke at 1:13.28, and he collected a U.P. qualifying time with a win in the 200 free (2:16.45).

Other individual winners for KHS included senior Petra Kaad who claimed her first ever first in the 200 IM, finishing in 2:58.25 — which also qualifies for U.P. Finals. Junior Quinten Smith won the boys 50 free in 26.90; senior Sierra Scott’s 1:10.10 won the 100 butterfly; and a late push by junior Sam Lamirand was just enough to eek out a victory in the 100 free with a 58.71, just .25 seconds ahead of Westwood’s Isak Ruspakka in what was the closest finish of the meet.

Junior Marley Dixon took the 500 free in 6:52.74, while senior Alex Nieschulz captured the boys 500 in 7:41.78. Sophomore Ella McLean posted another victory in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:19.41.

Several other Kingsford swimmers showed improvements, including junior David Arcand who was second in the butterfly and 200 free, and –as an alternate — anchored the boys winning 200 free relay. Sophomore Olivia Sage swam the 100 butterfly for the first time and placed third. She is already a U.P. qualifier in the 100 backstroke. Sophomore Emma Strom dropped more time with a third in the 100 breaststroke and is now on the cusp of a UP time in the event.

“I am very happy with where this team is right now,” Lindstrom said. “I just wish the bug running through the team right now would clear up. Most of the team has been swimming sick and they are still dropping time. The grit and determination of this team is amazing to watch. This has been one of the worst years in my 20 plus years of coaching that there has been this much illness.”

The Flivvers head to Houghton today.