Minnesota Girls Class A/AA State Championships

By Lauren Sampl, Swimming World intern

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota, November 23. RACHEL Bootsma of Eden Prairie shattered the National High School record in the 100 back, racing to a time of 51.53 at the Minnesota Class AA State Championships, held Nov. 18-20. The previous mark was 51.85, set by Cindy Tran last year. Edina took home the team title with 247.50 points, followed by Eden Prairie with 223, and Stillwater Area with 220 points.

In the opening 200 medley relay, Eden Prairie broke the Minnesota all-time state record with a time of 1:44.80. Katie Bootsma (26.74), Rachel Bootsma (27.94), Sarah Coolidge (26.12) and Ellie Suek (24.00) comprised the record-breaking relay. Edina (1:46.61) and Stillwater Area (1:47.67) rounded out the top three.

Fast times continued to roll in as Cre-Der Hall's Kiera Janzen cracked the 1:50 barrier to win the 200 free in 1:49.70, well off her Minnesota all-time state record of 1:47.86 from two years ago. Nikki Larson of Edina was right on her heels in 1:50.13.

Another state record went down in the 200 IM, as Abby Duncan of Champlin Park set a new Class AA record with her preliminary time of 2:01.38. Duncan won finals in 2:01.97.

Stillwater's Hannah Bowen rocketed to the 50 free state title, swimming a time of 22.99. She just missed her all-time state record of 22.73, set back in 2008.

In the diving well, it was Jenna Karrow of East Ridge taking home a state title. Karrow scored 453.10 points on her way to victory.

Following the diving break, Eden Prairie's Rachel Bootsma continued the record-setting rampage with a new Minnesota all-time state record in the 100 fly. Bootsma flew to a time of 52.73, just missing Misty Hyman's National High School record of 52.41 set in 1996.

Hannah Bowen of Stillwater picked up her second win of the meet with a 49.94 in the 100 free. It was just off her own Minnesota all-time state record of 49.78 from the 2008 season.

Kiera Janzen of Cre-Der Hall, winner of the 200 free, raced to another win in the 500 free, recording a time of 4:56.71.

In a tight battle for the 200 free relay state championship, the quartet of Heather Arseth (23.44), Laura Peterson (24.58), Kelly Caprio (24.84) and Sarah Deis (23.21) of Wayzata snared victory in 1:36.07. Stillwater (1:36.39) and Edina (1:36.45) duked it out for second and third place.

Rachel Bootsma of Eden Prairie returned to her record-setting ways in the 100 back, recording a 51.53 en route to breaking Cindy Tran's National High School record of 51.85, set in May 2010. Bootsma also broke her own Minnesota all-time state record of 52.99 in the process.

200 IM champ Abby Duncan of Champlin added another title to her collection, racing to a time of 1:01.16 in the 100 breast. Duncan's prelim effort of 1:01.08 established a new Minnesota all-time state record. In the battle for second place, three Edina swimmers finished two-tenths apart, as Heather Laedtke (1:04.01), Olivia Anderson (1:04.05), and Madeleine Eden (1:04.25) rounded out the top four finishers.

Wayzata closed out the championships with another relay victory, as Heather Arseth (51.26), Emma Paulson (51.03), Anna Petty (53.71) and Sarah Deis (50.89) combined for a 3:26.89. Eden Prairie, led by Rachel Bootsma's 48.34 anchor split, finished runner up in 3:28.13. Stillwater Area, paced by Hannah Bowen's 49.87 anchor split, finished third in 3:28.92.

In the Class A portion of the meet, Hutchinson High (213 points) won by a narrow margin over Monticello (205 points) and Sartell-St. Stephen (191 points). New Class A state meet records were set in eight events.

Anna Jensen (27.42), Kieran Bender (31.13), Caley Oquist (25.44) and Amanda Paulson (22.69) of Monticello kicked off the meet with a 1:46.68 in the 200 medley relay, establishing a new Class A state record.

Marisa Wood of Sartell-St. Stephen added her name to the record books with a new Class A state record of 1:49.69 in the 200 free.

Monticello's Caley Oquist then took the 200 IM state crown in another Class A state record time of 2:03.65. She just missed the Minnesota all-time state record of 2:02.85, set in 1996 by Katy Christoferson.

Another Monticello swimmer added her name to the record books as Amanda Paulson sprinted to a new Class A state record in the 50 free with a speedy time of 22.97. It was just off the Minnesota all-time record of 22.73 set by Hannah Bowen in 2008. Heidi Busack of Fergus Falls was close behind at 23.10

The 1-meter diving competition was won by Michole Timm of Sauk Rapids-Rice. Timm scored 438.75 points en route to victory.

Melissa Paakh of Detroit Lakes led a trio of swimmers under 57 seconds in the 100 fly, winning the event in 56.38. Hutchinson's Audrey Kumm swam to second place in 56.51, and third went to Marcela Sanchez-Aizcorbe of Marshall in 56.88

Heidi Busack of Fergus Falls added to her second place finish in the 50 free with a victory in the 100 free. Her time of 50.56 established a new Class A state record.

Sartell St.-Stephen's Marisa Wood broke her second state record of the day with a swim of 4:55.44 in the 500 free. Wood also set a new Class A record in the 200 free earlier.

Fresh off her 500 free win and new state record, Marisa Wood threw down a 22.72 anchoring split to lead Sartell-St. Stephen to a win in the 200 free relay. Tarin Anding (24.33), Molly Peichel (25.26), Lauren Martens (25.10) and Marisa Wood (22.72) teamed up for a time of 1:37.41, just touching out the team from Northfield (1:37.69).

Caley Oquist of Monticello, the 200 IM state champion, added another state record and first place finish to her collection as she swam to a 55.35 in the 100 back. Oquist broke her own record of 56.62 from last year on her way to victory.

In the 100 breast, Kathryn Ostrom of St. Louis Park took home the state title, winning with a time of 1:05.53.

The meet concluded with another record-setting performance, as Hutchinson's tandem of Haley Cassens (53.82), Rebecca Lauer (53.03), Kaylee Kucera (51.54) and Audrey Kumm (52.05) posted a 3:30.44 to set a new Class A record. Monticello finished just over a half second back at 3:31.19, while Sartell St.-Stephen rounded out the top three in 3:33.30.

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