It is time!

As I heard in a movie once, "it is time" was used to set out on a mission.

On Tuesday the Winona Winhawk Girls’ Swim Team opens its 2011 season traveling to perennial season opening Menomonie to take on the soon not to be Indians. Menomonie is at the end of a selection process to choose a new mascot with final voting taking place as you read this. 

The Menomonie High girls’ swim and dive team completed its 2010 season at the WIAA Division I sectional meet in Hudson, placing ninth of 14 teams. They only graduated two seniors, a diver and their star 200/500 freestyler so they will return a good deal of the talent they showed last season. 

Their 200 Medley (Sara Kralewski, Elaine Kraft, Laura Maki, and Kayla Edgeberg) remains intact this year with 3 of 4 swimmers returning on their 200 and 400 Free Relays (Sara Kralewski, Edgeberg, Brenna Utphall).

Menomonie’s Elaine Kraft is a swimmer to look for in the 200-yard IM and the 100-yard breaststroke.

Other of note include: Lisa Faulhaber (200 free and 100 Backstroke), Tiffany Kostuch (200 IM and 500 free), Destinee Yang (100 butterfly), and Jacky Miller (100 breaststroke).

The Winhawks have been working hard doing two-a-days for two weeks now. Running the lake, abs and weight work in the morning and swimming hard in the afternoon. Thursday the girls got a taste of mock competition running 50 yard time trials in all the strokes to the starting system and scoreboard readout. They went through all the rules on legal suits, deck decorum, the no jewelry rule, and race start protocol. 

The Winhawks themselves are a young team with only 3 seniors splashing the lanes, Senior Co-Captains Kayla and Samantha Berg along with perennial standout Mackenzie Brosnahan. Coaches Steve Burt and Amy Schulz will be looking for additional leadership from rising stars Alex Zuelke, Haley O’Neil and Reese Galewski who all swam hard for the Winona Wizards this summer. 

Swimmers to keep an eye out for include, Sophomores Greer Kosidowski, Abbey Quandahl, McKenna Marg, and Raizl Campbell; Freshman McKenzie Porter, and 8^th graders Hanna O’Neil and Morgan Whyte. 

Don’t forget, this is an away meet so we all know what that means, WE GET TO WATCH DIVING. Winona returns the diving core from Sections last year with all-around athlete Junior Crystal Franswa leading Sophomore Janelle Mueller and Freshman Sara Scherbring to dominate the boards. 

The girls look ready and raring to go; it should be a good meet to kick off a fun season!

Next up, Thursday Sept 1^st at Mankato West. Parents thinking about the trip should talk to coach about a bigger (more comfortable) bus or maybe some carpooling.