DES MOINES — The Marshalltown boys’ swimming squad scored nine of 11 event victories and splashed past Des Moines Lincoln in Tuesday’s season-opening dual meet, 99-70, in Iowa Alliance Conference action.

MHS head coach Mike Loupee said his lineup got a late adjustment when junior Lincoln Barker, one of the Bobcats’ top returners, went home sick from school on Tuesday. An early alteration showed positive signs, Loupee said, in the 200-yard freestyle event.

Sophomore Kade Randall claimed first place in the event with his time of 2 minutes, 2.52 seconds, but Loupee was worried about where the rest of the Bobcats would stack up so early in the meet.

Freshmen Aaron Hunter and Parker Christen both swam their way into the scoring, finishing fourth and fifth respectively, and quelled their coach’s concerns.

“We had to move some things around without Lincoln Barker in the lineup,” Loupee said. “Kade Randall won it, and at that point we’re telling [the freshmen] they’ve got to beat someone. ‘You’ve got to beat the guy next to you’ and they both got the guy they were racing with.

“For two freshmen, they really showed some moxie. I’m really tickled with how those guys competed — it was fun.”

Randall joined in for a pair of freestyle relay victories for Marshalltown. He anchored for Jacob Seberger, Sam Greazel and Hayden Daters in the 200 free relay, and in the finale — the 400 free relay — Kaden Case, Charlie Gilbertson, Randall and Michael Lechnir made off with the winning time of 3:43.40.

Gilbertson won both the 100 butterfly (56.58) and the 500 freestyle (5:41.09); Greazel got the win in the 200 individual medley (2:24.44); and Lechnir finished in the front of the 100 freestyle (55.08).

Cohen Thatcher was first to the wall in the 100 backstroke (1:04.06), and he also led off for the triumphant 200 medley relay. Thatcher, Greazel, Gilbertson and Lechnir clocked in at 1:48.26 to win the first race of the meet.

“You lose one of your stronger swimmers and that messed up the lineup pretty well,” Loupee said. “Des Moines Lincoln looked pretty strong during warmups, but the guys came through. I’m very pleased with how we competed for this point of the season. They did a very good job racing and a very good job competing.

“It was a good all-around effort and a good meet right out of the chute. It showed these guys are going to want to compete and are going to swim to win and score points.”

The Bobcats return after the holiday break with a meet at Des Moines Hoover on Nov. 30.

Marshalltown 99, Des Moines Lincoln 70

EVENT RESULTS

(Champion plus MHS placewinners)

200 MEDLEY RELAY — 1. MHS (Thatcher, Greazel, Gilbertson, Lechnir) 1:48.26; 3. MHS (Snyder, J. Seberger, Case, Coulter) 2:00.45.

200 FREESTYLE — 1. Kade Randall, MHS, 2:02.52; 4. Aaron Hunter, MHS, 2:34.04; 5. Parker Christen, MHS, 2:52.69.

200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY — 1. Sam Greazel, MHS, 2:24.44; 3. Isaac Seberger, MHS, 2:32.85; 5. Hayden Daters, MHS, 2:43.01.

50 FREESTYLE — 1. Harrison Eighmy, DML, 23:04; 2. Michael Lechnir, MHS, 24.60; 4. Kaden Case, MHS, 25.29; 5. Jacob Seberger, MHS, 26.18.

100 BUTTERFLY — 1. Charles Gilbertson, MHS, 56.58; 3. Case, MHS, 1:07.49; 4. Cohen Thatcher, MHS, 1:08.79.

100 FREESTYLE — 1. Lechnir, MHS, 55.08; 4. Lawson Coulter, MHS, 1:02.58.

500 FREESTYLE — 1. Gilbertson, MHS, 5:41.09; 2. Randall, MHS, 5:48.11; 3. I. Seberger, MHS, 6:13.14.

200 FREESTYLE RELAY — 1. MHS (J. Seberger, Greazel, Daters, Randall) 1:45.89; 3. MHS (Snyder, Hunter, Christen, I. Seberger) 1:59.76.

100 BACKSTROKE — 1. Thatcher, MHS, 1:04.06; 4. Coulter, MHS, 1:18.18.

100 BREASTSTROKE — 1. Dylan Marquardt, DML, 1:10.81; 2. Greazel, MHS, 1:11.14; 5. J. Seberger, MHS, 1:16.81.

400 FREESTYLE RELAY — 1. MHS (Case, Gilbertson, Randall, Lechnir) 3:43.40.