JAMESTOWN — If you could drum up two words that might describe what it is like competing for the Jamestown High School swimming and diving team, you might come up with something that resembles the words 'fun' and 'challenging.'

"I believe that swimming is just as hard as any other sport," JHS senior Alexes Prasek said. "It's basically like running, but in the water. It's a lot of cardio — using your arm strength, core strength and leg strength ..."

"Using muscles you didn't even know you could move," junior Cloe Nelson interjected with a laugh.

Whatever muscles the Jays were using seemed to work out quite well Thursday evening.

Jamestown took down the Bismarck High in its third swim meet of the season. The Jays won the BBQ Battle 99-86.

"We swam really well," JHS head coach Ben Smith said. "It's just fun to compete and have good competition. Bismarck is a really fun bunch."

While Thursday marked the Demons' first competition of the 2022 season, the Jays already had two competitions under their belt coming into the WDA matchup.

Jamestown defeated Grand Forks Red River 103-78 and tied Grand Forks Central 88-88 at the Grand Forks Duals on Aug. 26. The following day, the Jays hosted Fargo Davies and West Fargo Horace at the Battle of the Birds Invite.

Jamestown came in second, scoring 626 points, while Davies won the competition with 834 points. Horace's first-year varsity program put up an impressive 610 point performance.

The Blue Jays have a three-week competition break ahead of them. Smith's squad of swimmers is set to square off against Mandan on Sept. 22. The meet is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. at the Birdbath.

"We have a lot of girls and we've been really working hard right from the get go," Smith said. "We have a wide range of new girls who have adapted really quickly. They've embraced the sport and fit into our team really well. It's been really fun."

Prasek and Nelson are two of the veterans who are working to guide those newcomers while also strengthening their own swimming game.

Smith said that Prasek and Nelson both kept up their summer conditioning, which has led to some great finishes in the first week of the season.

Prasek earned a first-place finish in the 100 free, breaking the 1-minute mark by 0.39 seconds. She also won the 100 backstroke, touching the wall at 1:06.84.

Prasek and Nelson partnered with Bernadette Belzer and Zoe Bjerke to top the leaderboard in the 200 yard medley relay finishing with a time of 2 minutes, 8.28 seconds.

"Keeping up with our practicing during the summer and physically getting stronger helps in the pool," Nelson said. "Just because you are in the pool during the season, it doesn't mean you are going to keep getting faster."

Nelson went on to win the 100 butterfly with a time of 1:08.03, defeating Bismarck's Isabelle Forde by more than two seconds.

Nelson won event No. 11 — the 100 breaststroke — with a finals time of 1:22.42.

Nelson and Prasek had one more test before the BBQ Invite was over.

Prasek swam the third leg of the 400 freestyle relay while Nelson anchored the affair. The duo, along with Belzer and Ella Brown, clocked a first-place time of 4:17.48

"We've had some switches in relays because some of the girls were injured this week and that gave some of the other girls an opportunity to bump up to an A or a B relay," Smith said. "The girls took that and really performed well."

While swimming and diving might not get the most attention from the community, it doesn't detract from the fun that the Blue Jays appeared to be having.

"I see very good victories and personal records ahead," Prasek said. "I see a good mentality, good friendships and good connections made this year.

"Even though we don't know each other that well, we are still cheering each other on and having a bunch of great teamwork."

Top finishers / Blue Jay results

200 yard medley relay: 1. JHS (Alexes Prasek, Bernadette Belzer, Cloe Nelson, Zoe Bjerke), 2:08.38; 2. JHS (Ella Brown, Sydney Fisher, Marissa Moltzen, Abby Boehm), 2:33.78; 4. JHS (Rhemmi Geinert, Hattie McDonald, Emily Trevithick, Lana Mack), 3:15.25.

200 freestyle: 1. Anna Duckwitz, BHS, 2:26.68; 3. Marissa Moltzen 2:41.42; 4. Mia Berndt 2:46.98; 5. Aliyah Tyson 3:13.51.

200 IM: 1. Madeline VerDouw, BHS, 2:27.19; 2. Brown 3:06.11; 4. Tori Nelson 3:10.50.

50 freestyle: 1. Bernadette Belzer, JHS, 27.03; 3. Bjerke 29.87; 6. Moltzen 31.97.

1-meter diving: 1. Zoe Bjerke, JHS, 207.30; 2. Julia Skari 185.25; 3. Anabelle Cramer 178.05; 5. Jozie Davis 71.90.

100 butterfly: 1. Cloe Nelson, JHS, 1:08.03; 5. Rhemmi Geinert 1:51.59.

100 freestyle: 1. Alexis Prasek, JHS, 59.61; 2. Belzer 1:00.10; 5. Regan Keller 1:14.60.

500 freestyle: 1. Madeline VerDouw, BHS, 5:48.28; 4. Mia Berndt 7:06.11; 5. Brown 7:23.24; 6. Madison Schmidt 7:56.42.

200 freestyle relay: 1. BHS (Anna Duckwitz, Kya Sease, Addy Geerdes, Madeline VerDouw), 1:58.58; 2. JHS (Moltzen, Fisher, Bjerke, Berndt), 2:09.38; 4. JHS (Larkin Kleven, Schmidt, Aliyah Tyson, Mia Kaiser), 2:37.31; 5. JHS (Tori Nelson, Regan Keller, Hattie McDonald, Rhemmi Geinert), 2:37.89.

100 backstroke: 1. Alexes Prasek, JHS, 1:06.84; 5. Abby Boehm 1:29.06; 6. T. Nelson 1:30.29.

100 breaststroke: 1. Cloe Nelson, JHS, 1:22.42; 3. Fisher 1:43.85; 5. Madison Schmidt 2:03.95.

400 freestyle relay: 1. JHS (Bernadette Belzer, Ella Brown, Alexes Prasek, Cloe Nelson), 4:17.48; 3. JHS (Keller, Berndt, Boehm, T. Nelson), 5:11.21.