The Winhawk Girls head to Rochester to lay it all on the line at Sections.

Thursday afternoon the Winona Winhawks jump in the Rochester Recreation Center Pool with a trip to State on the line. All the dual meets, invitationals, and even the Big 9 Conference Meet have no bearing on the potential offered swimmers by the Section 1AA meet. When they enter the pool for their 100, 200 or even 500 yard swims, at the end of the event the State Meet waits for a select few. The top two finishers at Sections and any that can swim beneath the qualifying standard get to reach that promised land, the MSHSL Girls’ State Swimming & Diving Championships. The second tier of opportunities offered a swimmer at Sections is the finals. The Sections meet is a prelim and finals meet, the only one of the season for the Winhawks. There is a gratitude offered a swimmer by going up against 20 to 30 other swimmers, and finishing in the elite group that get to swim the Finals two days later. In the case of the divers, they get a double dose. Divers have to make the first cut from prelims to semi-finals, and ultimately a second cut to get into finals.


Certainly All Big 9 Conference Winhawk swimmers Junior Bridget Bawek 50 & 100 freestyle), Junior Samantha Quandahl, (100 Butterfly) Sophomore MacKenzie Brosnahan (50 & 100 Freestyle) and Freshman Alexandra Zuelke (100 Breaststroke) have the potential to punch their ticket to the U of M Aquatic Center and next week’s State meet. Senior Co-Captain Aimee Peterson an Honorable Mention Big 9 has the potential to pull off a big surprise and go along to State in the 50 Freestyle. The 400 Free Relay of Bawek, Sophmore Olivia Staats, Brosnahan and Zuelke has an excellent chance of heading to State if they can make safe exchanges and execute turns. The same can be said for the 200 Free Relay of Bawek, 8th Grader Haley O’Neil, Peterson and Brosnahan, but they will have to upset Owatonna to do it, which in itself is a desirable goal much less a State Meet slot.

There are a good number of Winhawks that may get that return trip to Saturday’s Finals. Sections is a pseudo repeat of the Big 9 less Austin, Albert Lea, Mankato East & West which all compete in Class A. Added to the picture is Missota Conference Team Farmington. Accounting for the positions vacated and then re-seeded, some young Winhawks have a real chance of swimming Saturday in the Finals. Some Winhawks that can work their way to the Finals and swim/dive Saturday night include:

8th Grader Reese Galewski in the 200IM and 100Fly
Junior Taylor Johnson in the 50 Free and 100 Breaststroke
8th Grader Crystal Franswa in Diving
Junior Erin Bernardy in the 100Butterfly
Junior Mallory Porter in the 100 Butterfly
7th Grader McKenzie Porter in the 500 Freestyle
8th Grader Gabby Kleinow in the 500 Freestyle
8th Grader Haley O’Neil in the 200 Free

The Section 1AA meet will be a meet of surprises, excitement and drama. That much is guaranteed, the remaining fruits to be realized are left up to desire.

Section 1AA Teams
Farmington High School
Owatonna High School
Rochester Century High School
Rochester Mayo High School
Coop: 160 "Faribault"
                    Bethlehem Academy
                    Faribault High School (HOST)
                    Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf
Coop: 376 "Rochester John Marshall"
                    Byron High School
                    Rochester John Marshall (HOST)
                    Rochester Lourdes High School
Coop: 490 "Winona H.S."
                     Cotter High School
                      Hope Lutheran High School
                      Winona High School (HOST)