Flathead Lake Monsters bring home four state championships

The Flathead Lake Monsters Swim Club completed an outstanding weekend at the 2026 Montana Long Course State Championships, bringing home four individual state championships along with numerous medals, finals appearances and personal-best performances.

The weekend began with Hannah Harriman earning the team’s first medal by placing second in the 400-meter freestyle. Harriman finished altitude-adjusted in 5:00.41, dropping more than nine seconds from her previous best time in a highly competitive field.

Harriman continued her strong meet by placing second in the 200 backstroke with another personal best. She also finished seventh in the 200 freestyle before ending the weekend as the 2026 Montana Long Course state champion in the 1,500 freestyle. Harriman added a seventh-place finish in the 100 freestyle and also earned eighth place in the 50 freestyle with a best time.

Annie Kleinmeyer captured two individual state championships during an exceptional all-around meet. Kleinmeyer won the 200 individual medley and later claimed the state title in the 50 breaststroke, prevailing in a race where four swimmers finished within one second of one another.

Kleinmeyer also finished second in the 100 butterfly with a personal-best time, third in the 50 freestyle, fourth in both the 100 breaststroke and 50 butterfly, and fifth in the 100 backstroke.

Joey Kinnick joined Kleinmeyer atop the podium by winning the boys’ 200 individual medley and becoming a 2026 Montana Long Course state champion. Kinnick also brought home two additional medals, finishing fourth in the 50 freestyle and fifth in the 50 backstroke.

Eight-year-old Eion Deiser made his presence felt against the best young swimmers in Montana. Deiser finished fourth in the 8-and-under 50 breaststroke and later earned a seventh-place medal in the 50 freestyle.

Caelan Cummins produced one of the team’s biggest improvements of the weekend. After entering the 200 freestyle seeded well outside the top eight, Cummins dropped nearly 15 seconds from his time in late June, qualified for the championship final and finished seventh overall.

Avery Harriman also reached a championship final and earned an eighth-place medal in the 50 butterfly, dropping over 4 seconds in the process. Cora Salomon and Emily Salomon contributed strong performances of their own while representing the Lake Monsters throughout the weekend.

“This was an incredibly rewarding weekend for our swimmers,” said Lake Monsters head coach Pat Gilmartin. “They endured some very difficult practices as we worked toward this meet, and their diligence and consistency over the course of the past year has paid off when it mattered most.”

The Lake Monsters train exclusively in a short-course pool and have limited opportunities to practice or compete in a 50-meter long-course facility.

“We don’t get to train long course, and our opportunities to race it are infrequent, so our swimmers have learned to adapt and overcome,” Gilmartin said. “They held their own against the best swimmers in Montana and represented our team and community with tremendous competitive spirit.”

For Gilmartin, the weekend’s accomplishments represented far more than the final standings.

“Years of hard work, dedication and consistency from these athletes and their families led to these moments,” he said. “The state championships and medals are exciting, but I am most proud of how our swimmers stepped up, supported one another and competed with courage. They swam their hearts out, and their coach could not be prouder.”

“These accomplishments are going to become more frequent with this group, so stay tuned,” Gilmartin said. “Special things are happening at Mission Valley Aquatics in Polson. We invite our community to follow these athletes, cheer them on, and if you're looking for a place to swim, come see what the Lake Monsters are all about.”

The Flathead Lake Monsters finished the championship meet with four individual state titles: Kleinmeyer in the 200 individual medley and 50 breaststroke, Kinnick in the 200 individual medley, and Harriman in the 1,500 freestyle.