The Big 9 Swimming & Diving Championship is a
roller coaster. There are high points, there are low points, there are VERY high
points, and a few very low points. In the end, it’s appreciating the ride in
its totality that determines if you decide to ride again or not!
The Winona Winhawks traveled to Rochester to participate in
the Big 9 Swim & Dive Championships. Like all mid-season swim meets, and
that is all Big 9 is, a mid-season swim meet, swimmers have good days and bad
days. They have been training hard, Sections is still two weeks out, but yet,
it is Big 9.
If you were to gage the Winhawks’ performance overall based
on their post-meet body language, you would think it as so-so to disappointing
meet. Perhaps they are being a bit hard on themselves. Reviewing the swims and the
scores, there were some VERY high points and just a few low, and in TOTAL, they
BEAT early season expectations!
Might I remind you:
BIG 9
PRESEASON COACHES POLL Big
9 Championships Final Results
1. Rochester
John Marshall 1.
Rochester Mayo 376 1/2
2. Rochester
Mayo 2.
Albert Lea 309
3. Mankato
West 3.
Mankato West 294
4. Albert
Lea 4.
Rochester JM 273
5. Rochester
Century 5.
Winona 219
6. Faribault 6.
Faribault 210
7. Winona 7.
Rochester Century 185 8. Owatonna 8.
Owatonna 122 1/2
9. Austin 9.
Austin 122
10. Mankato
East 10.
Mankato East 51
Based upon
the assumption that everyone knows Big 9 is a moral victory and that Sections
is the true measure of team success, The Winhawks did PRETTY DARN WELL.
The 200
Medley Relay saw the veteran group of Sophomore Morgan Whyte, Senior Greer Kosidowski,
Sr. Co-Captain Reese Galewski and Senior Emily Thurow seeded 4th
finish in that same spot just as all the top four seeds did. Their time was a season
best and slightly improved their 7th fastest Winhawk time ever from
weeks earlier!
The 200
Freestyle was the first indication that the young Winhawks were going to have a
great day! Sophomore Harper O’Neill crushed her seed time by over 12 seconds on
her way to swimming a new personal best finishing 36th. 7th
Grader Morgan Drazkowski, seeded 22nd, improved that by 3 spots in the
final tally, swimming a new personal best time in her young but rosy looking
career. Greer Kosidowski swam her seed looking solid and Morgan Whyte swam a
personal best to better her 9th seed into an appearance on the
podium in 8th overall!
The 200 IM also
has some good performances. Junior McKenzie Porter seeded 27th went
out FAST finishing the fly leg with a good body length and a half lead. She
extended it through the backstroke but paid the price during the breaststroke yielding
practically all of it and fading in the freestyle. In the end she still beat
her seed time by a half second and held her seeded position as well. Swimming right
next to McKenzie in the better seed was Sr. Razil Campbell. She swam her own
race touching 3rd after the fly and backstroke then gaining ground during
her specialty the Breaststroke. She out sprinted the field in the freestyle to
touch well in front for first in her heat improving on her seed by two
positions! The final two Winhawks to
swim were Sophomore Alex Arnold and Reese Galewski the 9th and 11th
seeds overall. Reese meant business from the start taking the lead in her
signature fly and never relinquished it. Her time was a new personal best, 4
seconds faster than any other time this year, and moved her up to the 8th
fastest Winhawk IM on record! Right beside her was Alex who slowly gained
ground on Reese after the fly to finish tenths behind her in a new personal
best as well which retains her the 9th fastest Winhawk IM on record!
The 50
Freestyle had Winhawks spread through the final four heats. Sophomore Hanna O’Neill,
swimming the 50 for the second time all year swims her seed at 29th
but does a new personal best while at
it! The next heat featured Senior Abbey Quandahl. Since her return from her
year off schooling in Europe she has looked like a girl making up for lost time
and Big 9 was no exception. Swimming out of Lane 7 she set a new personal best
finishing over a half a second ahead of the field in a race usually decided by
fingernail length! Her time vaulted her up to 12th overall scoring
some unexpected points for the Winhawks. Senior Emily Thurow scored for the
Winhawks finishing 16th just
off her seed time and Sr. Co-Captain Haley O’Neill got to visit the podium matching
her 5th seed in a new personal best time.
The Diving
was contested Friday night at Rochester JM. The divers performed 5 dives in the
preliminaries. The top 20 divers moved on to the semifinals for 3 more dives.
The top 16 divers wrapped up competition in the Finals with 3 last dives. Sophomore
Emilee Degnan finished the preliminaries in 31st , the highlight of
her group being her Back 1 SS with 1 Twist scoring 3.5’s to 4.5’s and 23.75
points. Freshman Claire Conway was in 25th at the end of prelims consistently
scoring 4’s and 4.5’s through all 5 dives. Her performance highlighted by her
Forward 1 SS with 1 twist for 22.80 points scoring 3.5’s to 4.5’s. Junior Sarah
Scherbring came out of prelims in 12th place, her forward 1 ½ ss
pike earned her 5’s to 6.5’s. She exited Semifinals in 10th place on
the strength of her Back 1 ½ ss ½ twist for 4.5’s and 28.35 pts. Sarah finished
up scoring for the Winhawks in 12th overall her Inward Dive pike
scoring 5’s & 6’s for 23.25. Sr. Co-Captain Janelle Mueller finished prelims
in 15th, moved up to 9th on the strength of her Inward 1 ½
ss tuck for 28.60 points scoring 4.5’s and in the Finals scored for the Winhawks
in 11th overall hitting her Inward dive pike for 5’s and 6’s and
23.25 points.
The 100
Butterfly started for the Winhawks in Heat 2 of 5. Juniors McKenzie Porter and
Kailey Kronebusch both swam one better spot than their seeds finishing in 29th
and 26th respectively. Sophomore Hanna O’Neill appeared a bit off sliding
from her 17th seed to finish 22nd. After a gap Sr.
Co=Captain Reese Galewski stepped up to Lane 3 as the 3rd seed overall
in the Final heat. Reese was swimming against the defending champion and
Olympic Qualifier form Mankato West and need to bring it to stay in the game.
Reese swam just off her personal best but stayed with the leaders stepping onto
the Podium in 3rd overall.
The 100
Freestyle was another eye opener, future based that is. Winhawks typically
known as freestylers, did not appear until the 3rd heat of 5. 8th
Grader Alexa Lofgren and Sophomore Alex Arnold appeared at Lanes 4 & 5
respectively. The pair proceeded to decimate the heat finishing over a half
second ahead of their nearest rival. Both girls set new personal best times by 3/4th
of a second and scored for the Winhawks in 13th and 12th
place respectively. Sr. Emily Thurow seeded 14th swims just off her
seed and finishes 18th overall. Lastly Sr. Co-Captain Haley O’Neill,
the 5th seed overall swims to that seed, making her 3rd
Podium appearance of the day!
The 500
Freestyle starts with Freshman Jessica Kohner improving on her see, cutting 4
seconds to swim a personal best and finishes 34th overall. 7th
Grader Morgan Drazkowski swimming the 500 for only the 3rd time all
year, starts out guarded and then negative splits her final 3 laps with the
last 50 being faster than her first 50 to move up 4 spots from 22nd
seed to 18th overall. Sr.
McKenna Marg swims a solid early effort, falling off at the 3/4th
mark but picking it at the end, improving on her seed and scoring for the Winhawks
in 16th overall. Sr. Razil Campbell swimming out of Lane 8 started
strong but maybe paying the price for her stellar IM earlier slides from 16th
seed to 20th overall.
The 200
Freestyle Relay saw the Winhawk “A” relay slightly different than usual but
they held their ground none-the-less. Emily Thurow, Greer Kosidowski, Alex
Arnold and Haley O’Neill also placed fourth with a time of 1:45.47 grabbing them
the 10th fastest Winhawk relay ever.
At this
point, the Scoring totals are:
- Rochester Mayo 276 ½
- Mankato West 233
- Albert Lea 199
- Roch JM 194
- Winona 158
- Roch Cent 147
- Faribault 141
- Owatonna
97
- Austin 92
- Mankato East 51
The teams
that were originally picked to finish 5 – 8th in the Big 9 see only
17 points separating 5,6,and 7th place and the final 3 events will
be crucial to determine finishes.
The 100 Backstroke
held the most drama of the meet. Promising to be a points bucket for the
Winhawks, Winona wasn’t swimming until the 3rd heat where 8th
Grader Alexa Lofgren was in Lane 1. It bought her some anonymity as after turning
with the majority of the pack at the 50, she out split the entire field to touch
in 2nd for the heat. She moves herself up from 18th seed
to scoring for the Winhawks in 16th overall. The next heat had Sr.
Abbey Quandahl out in Lane 8 seeded 16th. Perhaps still juiced off
of her 50 free finish, she takes the start underwater dolphining right up to
the 15 meter mark and pops up in the lead. Abbey dolphins off of the first turn
for half the pool and remains in the lead going into the 50 turn with a body
and a half lead. Her third turn is a dolphin past the flags and she maintains
her stroke into the wall at 75. Her final turn is to the flags underwater, she
is going into oxygen debt but her lead is too great for the pack and she
touches first with a half second to spare. Her amazing effort has vaulted her from
16th seed up to a podium finish in 7th overall!!! In the Final
Heat, Sr. McKenna Marg is out in Lane 8 and appears to not have recovered from
her 500 Free swim. McKenna slips past her seeding but still scores for the Winhawks
in 14th overall. In the same final heat Sophomore Morgan Whyte
swimming as the 4th seed has to swim within herself as the swimmers
next to her in 4 & 5 are both sub-minute past conference champions slugging
it out. She turns at the 50 in 5th but out splits her competition
and touches for a nice podium appearance joining Abbey as the 4th
place finisher!!
The 100
Breaststroke sees Winhawks right away in the first heat. Freshman Harper O’Neill
sets a personal best jumping from 39th seed up to finish 34th.
Her
teammate Jessica Kohner swims her 37th seed. 7th Grader
Annika Anderson also swims her seed at 21st seed overall and Sr.
Greer Kosidowski slips a little off her seed to finish 17th overall.
The point
totals now sit at:
- Rochester Mayo 342 ½
- Albert Lea 283
- Mankato West 254
- Roch JM 241
- Winona 187
- Faribault 183
- Roch Cent 163
- Owatonna
104 1/2
- Austin 98
- Mankato East 51
The 400
Freestyle Relay has double point scoring but essentially barring disqualification,
the only finishes in jeopardy are the 5-6 between Winona and Faribault. By
chance they are seeded 4th and 5th swimming on opposite
sides of the pool in 6 and 2 respectively. The Winhawks’ Sr. Co-Captain Reese
Galewski leads off and spots Winona a full one second lead. Sophomore Morgan
Whyte takes over and although even slitting the first 50 holds her pace better
and adds to the lead offering fellow Sophomore Alex Arnold a 1.4 second lead. Alex
does the exact same thing, her Falcon opponent matches her 50 split but buries
her on the backend. At the touch of the final leg Sr. Co-Captain Haley O’Neill
leaps with a 3.5 second lead. The problem is Haley, the 5th fastest
100 freestyler in the conference is pitted against the 3rd fastest 100
Freestyler in the conference as the Falcon anchor. Haley swims valiantly but the
inspired Falcon makes up nearly 1.2 seconds on the first 50. Haley continues to
swim at the same anchor pace that has held up the Winhawks all season, she bends
but does not break! In spite of the Falcon anchor swimming 2 1/2 seconds faster
than the time that got her 3rd in the 100, Haley and the Winhawks
hold on for 4th overall, the 6th fastest Winhawk 4x100
relay ever AND 5th place in the Big 9 Championships.
Next
up, Section 1AA Preliminaries on
Thursday November 7th at the Rochester Rec Center!
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