The Winhawks lost Tuesday night to a very tough Albert
Lea Team. AL finished 7th at State Class A last year. Their entire
Medley Relay is back (all sophomores), having finished 2nd at State
last year. The 200 Free Relay are all back (all sophomores) after having
finished 8th at State last year. They have a returning state record
holder that makes multiple events a slam-dunk. AL was picked by the coaches to
finish in the top four in the Big 9 conference. In spite of all that, the meet
came down to the last event, the Winhawks needing a 1-2 finish to pull it out.
YET, the meet was oh so much closer than that. Across 6 different events, the
Winhawks dropped 6 points to AL by a CUMULATIVE time of, wait for it……. 95
hundredths of a second! Flip flop those points and the score is Al 82.50 Winona
88.50 going into the final event and the Winhawks only need a 2nd
place finish to win.
GREAT JOB WINHAWKS! YOU ARE A TEAM COACHES WORRY ABOUT
COMING TO THEIR POOL.
When I get the chance to officiate outside of Winona I
always take it. Not only because I really enjoy officiating but because I will
very likely get to judge diving. Two months ago when I was asked to officiate
in Rochester, I saw that the Winhawks were swimming in AL the same night, but
the allure was too great. Now, I wish I had not gone to Rochester. I do not
officiate so I can be in charge. Any of you that know me know that I am
anything but a power junkie; I am actually a highly functioning introvert. I ENJOY
the competition, or more accurately the
competitive drama. I grew up watch ABC’s Wide World of Sports, “Spanning the globe to bring you the
constant variety of sport... the thrill of victory... and the agony of
defeat... the human drama of athletic
competition...” Before I began officiating, I went to my daughters’
swim meets and watched racing. I did not bring a book, a laptop, or the Sunday
paper. I loved to watch the racing. Being on deck, I get to be that much more a
part of it. Missing out on what some of you got to experience Tuesday night, I
am very very jealous.
The 200 Medley Relay was the start of a very calculated
evening. Winona essentially concedes the A relay, saving swimmers for later
events. Albert Lea on the other hand holds nothing back. Hoping for a 2nd
place finish, the result for the Winhawks is a 3-4-6 finish and they start out
in a good sized hole.
Winhawks 2 Tigers 12
The 200 Freestyle sees Sr. Co-Captain Haley O’Neill
swimming once again, the event she has not swum most of the year. She lands a solid
2nd place. The same goes for Sr. Greer Kosidowski placing 3rd.
7th Grader Morgan Drazkowski was in a great race for the final point
up for grabs and she swims a personal best for the second time in four days BUT
gets touched out by 31 hundredths! That is the first point the Winhawks miss
out on.
Winhawks 9 Tigers 21
The 200 IM was the
first appearance of AL’s Lindsey Horejsi, leaving finishing places 2-5 up for
grabs. Sophomore Alex Arnold swims to 3rd place, Sr. Reese Galewski
touches in 4th and in a repeat of the 200 Free result, Sr. Razil
Campbell swims a season low but gets touched out by 10 hundredths of a second
for the 5th place point! That’s the second point the Winhawks miss out
on. And the hole gets deeper, Winona is down by 18 points!
Winhawks 14 Tigers 32
The 50 Free is the
first event the Winhawks stand up and say enough is enough. Sr. Emily Thurow
swims to a season low for eth second time in 4 days to take the win by 14 hundredths.
Sophomore Morgan Whyte in a rare sprint appearance swims a personal best tying
for 2nd place. Sr. Abbey Quandahl gets touched out by 5 one
hundredths of a second and just misses out on the point for 5th,
which make the total 3 points the Winhawks have missed out on by a total of 46
hundredths.
Winhawks 23.5 Tigers 38.5
1 Meter Diving was
expected to go the Winhawks’ way and that is what happened. Sr. Co-Captain Janelle
Mueller leads the way with the win and Jr. Sarah Scherbring is right behind her
in 2nd. Wrapping up the points glut is Sophomore Emilee Degnan in 5th.
The Winhawk Divers bring the Tigers back into reach with an 11-5 points spread.
Winhawks 34.5 Tigers 43.5
The 100 Fly comes
up and the Winhawks look to their Sr. Co-Captain Reese Galewski to keep the
momentum going. Reese does not disappoint placing 1st. Behind her,
Sophomore Alex Arnold is in the race of her life and sets a new personal best
but is touched out by 16 one hundredths placing 3rd. (That is the
fourth point the Winhawks have been touched out for, now the total time is a
whopping 62 hundredths!) Still the 1-3 finish has the Winhawks on the positive
side of the point total 9-7.
Winhawks 43.5 Tigers 50.5
The 100 Free has
the Winhawks strength appear in the old and the new. Sr. Co-Captain Haley O’Neill
paired with Sr. Emily Thurow and 8th Grader Alex Lofgren. Haley
lands 2nd, Emily swims a season low for 3rd and Alexa
touches in a solid 4th. The three Winhawks make up some more ground
on the Tigers, the deficit is only 5 now!
Winhawks 52.5 Tigers 57.5
The 500 Freestyle
has been troublesome for the Winhawks all season. Sr. Razil Campbell is touched out by 9 one hundredths
of a second in placing 3rd. Senior McKenna Marg places 4th. Seventh Grader Morgan Drazkowski also having a great night goes along
for the ride with McKenna setting a new personal low by over 10 seconds to
place 5th! (The missed point for 2nd is the fifth point
of the night the Winhawks have not been able to grasp and by a total of 71
hundredths of a second!)
Winhawks 58.5 Tigers 67.5
The 200 Free Relay
has Coach Burt throwing his big guns at AL. The “A” Relay of Galewski, Whyte,
Thurow and O’Neill come through like the champions they are out touching AL for
a change by 2 tenths of a second and swimming the 9th fastest relay
in Winhawk history! Behind them the “B” Relay of Quandahl, Arnold, Lofgren and
Kronebusch easily touch in 3rd for a huge 10-4 point spread and the
Winhawks pull to within 3.
Winhawks 68.5 Tigers 71.5
The 100 Backstroke
has the Winhawks fans worried. Just as they are getting close, AL’s state
record holder comes to the blocks. Her record may be in the breaststroke, but
she is fast across the board. When the water settles, Winhawk Sophomore star
Morgan Whyte has the win in a near personal best but season low time! Sr.
McKenna Marg out touches AL for 3rd place and Sr. Abbey Quandahl
takes her revenge for the 50 Free by touching out her AL opponent by 3 one
hundredths for the 5th place point! The Winhawks outscore AL 10-6
and the Winhawks have made up an 18-point deficit to pull into the lead by a
point!
Winhawks 78.5 Tigers 77.5
The 100
Breaststroke has an ominous feel to it. Al has the state record holder, but also
3 more quality breaststrokers to go with her. Taking up the challenge, Sr.
Greer Kosidowski goes out and swims with the Tigers. She works it hard and
swims to a new personal best only to be touched out by 24 hundredths to place 3rd
overall (the 6th point the Winhawks have missed out on over six
races by a now TOTAL difference of 95 hundredths of a second!!!!) 7th
Grader Annika Anderson tags long for the ride swimming inspired! She touches in
5th but in a new personal best that is nearly 3 seconds better (the
second PB in four days)!!! Sadly two great times still leave a 3-5 finish and puts
the Winhawks on the lacking side of the point spread 4 -12.
Winhawks 82.5 Tigers 89.5
It is the 400 Free Relay and the Winhawks find themselves
in the unenviable position of having to place 1-2 to win the swim meet. AL only
needs a relay team to place 2nd or higher. (Those lost 6
points would have totally reversed the tables and swapped those scenarios). As such,
BOTH “A” relays have to go as fast as they can and NEITHER team can afford to DQ.
The Winhawk Relay of Arnold, Galewski, Whyte, and O’Neill swim valiantly and
set the 6th fastest time in Winhawk history, only to place 2nd!
The “B” Relay of Drazkowski, Lofgren, Marg, and Kosidowski also swim well and
touch in 3rd. The Winhawks are on the wrong side of the 6-8 point
differential.
Final Score:
JV
Winhawks
59 Tigers 110
Varsity
Winhawks 88.5 Tigers 97.5
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