St. Thomas, Wayzata Claim Minnesota HS State Championship Titles

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota, March 2. SAINT Thomas Academy earned their third straight Class A title, and Wayzata placed first in Class AA action after finishing in tenth last year, at the Minnesota State High School Swimming and Diving Championships. The meets were held February 28-March 1 at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Class A
The Cadets dominated the Class A portion of the meet with their 417 points. Breck/Blake placed second with 235 points, followed by Fergus Falls (150), Faribault (147) and Fridley (129).

St. Thomas swept hte relays. The quartet of Sam Johanns (junior), Zach Litwin (senior), Tommy Weiss (sophomore) and Michael Conners (senior) combined for a 1:36.03 in the 200 medley relay. Hunter Nielsen (junior), William Mayleben (freshman), Connors and Mac Brown (senior) took the 200 free relay with their 1:27.23. Weiss, Nielsen, Brown and Johanns finished up the meet with their 3:10.19 triumph in the 400 free relay. Johanns’ 51.42 gave him the 100 back title.

Fridley had two double-event champions. Senior Tanner Alms, who is headed to the University of Illinois-Chicago this fall, repeated as champion of the 500 free (4:37.26) and also grabbed first in the 200 free (1:41.28). Classmate Colter Allen, who will compete at Iowa next year, took charge in both the 200 IM (1:52.95) and the 100 fly (49.74).

Isaac Erickson, a senior at Virginia, splashed to victory in the 50 free (21.27), just ahead of Faribault junior Brady Bresnahan (21.31) and Chaska’s Sean Donnelly, a junior (21.36). The 100 free title went to Cal Mouritsen, a Fergus Falls senior (46.15).

The Blake School’s Humphrey Pruett, a junior, took first in the 100 breast (56.90). Pruett’s classmate, Brandon Pearson, scored 410.00 points to take first in the diving competition.

Class AA
Last year, the Wayzata Trojans scored a mere 79 points and found themselves in tenth place. They tripled their point total to 237 and claimed their first-ever team title. East Ridge placed second with 194 points. Last year’s champion, Eden Prairie, fell to third with 169 points, followed closely by Hastings (165). In a very close battle for the fifth spot, Minnetonka won out with 131 points, just ahead of Prior Lake (130.5) and Lakeville South (130).

Wayzata’s depth proved to be key to their victory; only junior Greg Arnold finished in first with his 45.48 in the 100 free. East Ridge junior James Tidd posted a winning 20.75 in the 50 free, and swam on both winning Raptor relays. Tidd led off the 200 medley relay of senior Sam Scholz, junior Kent Rabideaux and senior Ryan Schferl, who combined for a 1:35.60; junior Garrett Verhoeven joined Tidd, Rabideaux and Scholz for a victorious 3:07.69 in the 400 free relay.

Hastings’ quartet of seniors Hayden Schmitt, Brandon Underwood and Thomas Everson–with junior Jack VanZee taking the third slot–grabbed the 200 free relay title with their 1:25.53.

Mitch Herrera, who will be competing for Columbia University next year, swept the distance free races. The Lakeville South senior posted times of 1:40.85 in the 200 free and 4:33.55 in the 500 free.

Eden Prairie junior Sam Hansen held off Maple Grove senior Mike Rouleau for first in the 100 back, 51.22 to 51.29. Hansen’s teammate, sophomore Griffin Back, put together a 1:52.63 in the 200 IM to claim first.

Brenner Hohenstein, a junior at Maple Grove, finished first in the 100 breast with his 57.08. Prior Lake sophomore Marshall Heskin’s 50.09 gave him the top time in the 100 fly.

Daniel Monaghan, a Rosemount senior, nabbed his second straight diving award with this year’s total of 439.25 points.

Results For: High School State Championships: Minnesota A Boys

Results For: High School State Championships: Minnesota AA Boys

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