Minnetonka wins Class 2A girls swimming title; Orono ends Visitation’s run in 1A

Minnetonka wins Class 2A girls swimming title; Orono ends Visitation's run in Class 1A

Minnetonka held off Edina after the teams had a rare tie in the first relay race. Orono ended Visitation's streak of 10 consecutive championships.

By Cassidy Hettesheimer Star Tribune

November 16, 2024 — 10:17pm

The first race of Saturday's Class 2A swim meet was a sign of things to come.

Edina and Minnetonka have traded 200 medley relay titles over the past half-decade, with Edina setting a state record last year (1 minute, 41.48 seconds) after Minnetonka won the event from 2019 to 2022.

But to start this year's state swim meet: They tied.

Down to the millisecond, both school's relay teams swam 1:41.78. They huddled together on the top of the podium, a rare but not impossible stalemate at a swim meet.

None of the swimmers in Minnetonka's medley relay had swam in a tied race before.

"It was definitely disappointing to get second in the medley relay last year," senior Annabelle Wentzel said. "So we were really happy to get first, even if it was a tie."

Fittingly, the rest of the meet, the Hornets and Skippers were in a runaway two-team race for the top team total. Edina had won all but one of the past seven Class 2A team titles — that one went to Minnetonka, in 2021.

And again, on Saturday, Minnetonka came out on top at the Gophers' Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center, scoring 325 team points to Edina's 300. Shakopee placed third with 193.

"We knew that we had all the events covered, and if we did our jobs and swam well, we'd be OK," Minnetonka head coach John Bradley said. "They did it right, all night long."

Bradley said a key to the Skippers' fourth state title was their large team, with 80 girls this year. Though less than a fourth of the team swam at state, the others filled the stands.

The Skippers and Hornets split the 200 and 400 free relays, respectively — a testament to the depth of each program.

"Throughout the whole season, we mix it up, who does what relay, and I think that helps," said senior Kendall Schindler. "You get to be on a relay with everyone by the end of it."

Orono ends Visitation's run in Class 1A

Orono unseated 10-time defending champion Visitation on Saturday at Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center, bringing home its first Class 1A state title in girls swimming and diving.

Orono totaled 259 team points, ahead of Visitation's 234 and third-place Monticello's 230.

Junior Graycin Andreen took first in the 200-yard freestyle (25.49 seconds) and was a part of Orono's gold medal 200 free relay with senior Mallory Knutson, junior Lola Schottler and senior Elle Davis (1:36.53). The same relay team finished second in the 400 free (3:33.70).

Andreen also took silver in the 100 butterfly (26.48) and Knutson bronze in the 200 IM (28.03), but the team relied on strong scoring performances across all eight lanes to take the meet trophy.

"It's never depending on one person or a couple people that lead the way," Orono coach Mark Seguin said. "We have a group of some really feisty girls that like to compete, and when you put them together, that just kind of amplifies, and they find ways to just outdo even my expectations for them, and they do it time and time again."

Early in the season, Orono tried something new, scheduling a dual meet against 2A heavyweight Minnetonka. The Spartans normally win most of their 1A meets, so they challenged themselves against dominant competition "knowing we would absolutely get slaughtered," said Seguin.

"But I wanted to see them compete as hard as they could when they knew there was no chance to win," he said. "[Seeing that], I thought they had the makeup of the team that could win a state championship."

Afterward, the teams bought pizza and talked about their goals. For both teams, that was a state title, of course.

Monticello sophomore Adalynn Biegler set state records in the 50 free (22.38) and 100 free (49.20), helping Monticello to a third-place team finish. Edina's Rachel Wittmer set the previous 50 free record (22.54) in 2015, while Chanhassen's Zoe Avestruz swam a 49.22 100 free in 2014.

"When she puts her mind to something, she goes after it wholeheartedly," said Stacy Biegler, Monticello's head coach and Adalynn's mother. "She's just humble but very confident in herself, and she just loves to race and compete."

A swimmer, a pitcher, a winner

Brainerd senior Mya Tautges is the Warriors' first state champion swimmer, but she's going to college for a different sport: softball.

Tautges finished in 22.88 seconds to tie her 50 freestyle school record and take first in the event. This fall, she balanced swim practice with travel softball and next year will head to St. Thomas to pitch.

"I just love sports. I grew up playing a bunch of sports," Tutges said. "Softball and swimming, they both use the shoulders a lot. It's nice having both to balance because then you use different muscles."

Time in Canada contributes to title

Last year, Minnetonka senior Paige Dillon won the 200 free, with teammate Lydia Cameron finishing fifth. The year before that, as a freshman, Cameron finished sixth — both occasions on the podium, but not on top of it.

This year, seeded second in the 200 free as a junior, Cameron walked away with her first individual gold, swimming 1:50.58 to continue the Skippers' streak after Dillon graduated to swim at North Carolina in college.

Some extra experience helped Cameron prepare for high-intensity meets like Saturday's. Her dad was born in Canada, so Cameron is a dual citizen and eligible to compete for the northern neighbor's national swim teams. This spring, she traveled to Toronto for the first time and competed in the Canadian national team trials.

"It definitely helped me with higher-level racing and facing my pre-racing anxiety," Cameron said. "It was a super cool experience."

Repeats and three-peats

Two swimmers and a diver defended individual titles on Saturday. Minneapolis Washburn junior and diving state-record holder Madeline Kohel won her second 1-meter title, then Shakopee senior Arianna Zelen defended her 100 freestyle gold.

But St. Michael-Albertville senior Lily Van Heel was the only swimmer up for a three-peat, which she completed in the 100 backstroke. She also finished second in the 200 IM, which she won last year.

"It's honestly stressful, throughout the season. [Defending my state title] is always in the back of my mind," Van Heel said. "But I just know if I give my best and trust my taper, it all works out."

Across three years, one constant for Van Heel was her pre-race mantra: "I'm strong. I'm powerful. I'm fast." At a coach's suggestion, she started the ritual in seventh grade and used to write the words on her foot.

As of Wednesday's signing day, Van Heel and Zelen are both officially committed to swim at Wisconsin next year, just one pair in a crowd of Minnesota swimmers going to compete with Division I programs.