Falcons are made for speed and clear of vision. It will take a focused and dedicated effort to outwit this huntress.

Tuesday evening the Faribault Falcons (1-2, 0-2) come to swim & dive against the Winona Winhawks(1-1, 0-1) to avenge their dual meet loss of last year. The pre-season analysis has the Winhawks and Falcons ranked right next to each other and I would say that is a good assessment. This may very well come down to the final relay! Aside from last year's results, the Falcons may be vividly remembering last week's contest. Faribault saw a 19 year dual meet winning streak end against Owatonna last week. They gathered their things while watching the Huskies celebrate including sending their coach into the pool! I am guessing Faribault will be in no mood to mess around. 

Sporting an evenly balanced team of seniors, juniors and freshman, it’s the sophomore class an opposing coach may want to sit up and notice. Losing some quality seniors to graduation including diving standout Chelsea Borwege, Head Coach Ken Hubert can see some light at the end of the tunnel. In his first 3 meets of the year, Hubert has been switching some young swimmers around to see where they best fit, or more importantly, where they can plug in when the need arises. A well-seasoned coach, Hubert is masterful at managing a meet line-up and plugging in the right swimmers to score points. Scoring points with swim times is what high school dual meet swimming is all about. Watch during the meet, you may just see the Falcon Coach making some trips to the scorer’s table mid-meet. As Winona’s Coach Burt reveals his hand as to what swimmers are in what events, Coach Hubert may react and make some on-the-fly entry changes. As a counter, the Winhawks’ Head Coach Steve Burt will have to possibly mix things up as well to catch Faribault over thinking the situation and possibly add an advantage for the Winhawks. 

The 200 Medley Relay sees the Winhawks swimming some great times and quicker than Faribault has put together to date. 

The 200 Freestyle may be hotly contested. Falcon swimmer Dani Behrens has clocked a 2:10 this season, quicker than any Winhawk to date, but the Winhawks' best is just a hair off that mark. 

The 200 IM sees Winona with more weapons than in past years so the Falcons will have to either contest this hard or concede it saving a swimmer for a later event. Both Falcon Sophomores Caity Angell and Dani Behrens have swum 2:34’s this season. 

The 50 Freestyle will have its usual “everyone to the wall together” aspect to it. Falcon Sophomore standout Cecilia Hake is doing 25’s at this point in the season and the Winhawks will have to make the most of their starts and turns if they are going to outlast her to the wall. 

Diving will have a different look without the Falcon’s Chelsea Borwege but don’t think the Falcons are starting at square zero. Coach Charlie Fuller has two divers scoring 180, 170 respectively this season so Coach JJ will need to inspire Crystal, Janelle and Sarah will have to bring their A game. 

The 100 Butterfly could be a good opportunity for the Winhawks. The Falcons have a couple of 1:13 swimmers in Adriana Stepaniak and Caity Angell but unless Coach Hubert pulls some strength from elsewhere, the Winhawks could gain a points advantage. 

The 100 Free will require the Winhawks to buckle down. Their sights will be on Cecilia Hake and her 56 she has been swimming Unless Coach Hubert saves her for the 100 Backstroke!

The 500 Freestyle will be a great race with a main contest for the lead and then the battle for the middle points. Faribault’s Dani Behrens has recorded a couple 5:50 range times. That is faster than any present Winhawk, but not out of reach if they want the win bad enough. The rest of the event is a toss-up not knowing who the coaches will plug in where. 

The 200 Freestyle Relay, based on times recorded so far this year, could be the Winhawks’, but they will have to earn it. 

The 100 Backstroke is the other spot that the Falcons may plug in sophomore sensation Cecilia Hake with her nearly state qualifying time of 1:01. If that happens, the Winhawks will look to buckle down for the 2-3-4 which would still out point the Falcons.  

The 100 Breaststroke always sets up the end of the meet. The Winhawks need to do well in the middle swims, to set up the Final Relay. 

If the meet comes down to the 400 Free Relay, put in your ear plugs and hunker down. This will be a GREAT race between two evenly matched YOUNG relays. It may be a function of whose SECOND relay, which many times doesn't factor in, is prepared to dig hard and step up to win for their team.