Al aboarrrrrrrd. Train’s leavin’ for the Big Show! Next stop, University of Minnesota Natatorium.

The Winona Winhawks head out Thursday for Minneapolis. They have a date with the best divers and fastest swimmers in the state. 

After an acclimating warm-up in the same pool Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte and Rebecca Soni were just in last weekend, the first Winhawk to see action is Junior Diver Crystal Franzwa. Class AA Diving Preliminaries are Thursday Night at 6PM. With 8 School sections and the top 4 divers from each qualifying, the field includes 32 divers from all around the state. It will be a tough field with the defending Champion, the runner up AND the third place finisher all returning. Half the field are seniors, nine more are fellow Juniors. It will be a very seasoned and experienced bunch. They will perform their first 8 of 11 dives on Thursday night, leaving the final 3 to perform in front of a PACKED University of Minnesota Natatorium grandstand that holds just shy of 3,000 people. Like its male swimming championship counterpart and the Boy’s HS Hockey Tourney, these are the only HS tourneys where Tournament passes are not allowed. Everyone has to get their hands on a ticket.

Friday night comes the Class AA Swimming Preliminaries. 

The Winhawks swing right into action in the first event, the 200 Medley Relay. The team of Cotter Senior MacKenzie Brosnahan (BK) Cotter Junior Alexandra Zuelke (BR), Winhawk Sophomores Reese Galewski (Fly) and Haley O’Neill (FREE) will be in lane 2 of the 3^rd heat where there are 4 total heats. That makes them the 14^th seed where only 16 get to return on Saturday. The next four teams behind them are within 8 tenths of a second but you can bet all 11 teams behind them are each gunning to not be watching from the bleachers on Saturday. 

Next Winhawk Appearance, Cotter Senior MacKenzie Brosnahan in the 50 Freestyle. MacKenzie is swimming in Lane 3 in the 3^rd and final heat. Her 9^th overall seed puts her in the precarious position of needing to move up, but so will a number of girls right behind her. Only 15 hundredths separate her seed from the 12^th seed. 

After a few events and a break where diving would have been, MacKenzie is back at the blocks for the 100 Freestyle. She is again swimming in the 3^rd and final heat, but now sits in the number 4 seeded spot in Lane 5. Here there is still little breathing room, the time gap between her and the 10^th seed is only 8 tenths of a second. 

The 200 Freestyle Relay, perhaps the layperson’s surprise Winhawk entry at State (Coach Burt may have known better) is next up. The girls, Alexandra Zuelke, Hailey O’Neill, Emily Thurow, and MacKenzie Brosnahan are swimming in the 3^rd and final heat. Their time from Sections has them seeded 13^th in a field of 23 teams. The next six teams behind them span only 79 hundredths and will be after them hard. 

Last up for the preliminaries, Cotter Junior Alexandra Zuelke swimming the 100 Breaststroke. Alex is in Lane 8 of the 3^rd Heat, there are 4 heats total. Qualifying on time, Alex will need to dig deep and make the most of her taper to make this State meet a two appearance show. 

The only thing we do know going into Thursday’s Prelims, is that these seven girls will revel in the opportunity to share water with the best high school swimmers and divers in the state. 

While there they get to take in the pageantry and excitement that is the Minnesota State High School League 2011 Girls State Swimming & Diving Championships.