The Orono Spartans Boys Swim & Dive team celebrated their season at their annual awards banquet on March 17 in Medina. Coaches Ben Hanson, Isabelle Kalb and Chad Johnson (Diving) recognized all the athletes individually and handed out awards as voted on by the team. Eighth grader Henry Parks won the Hardest Worker award, eighth grader Hunter Ratfield was voted Most Improved, Freshman Gideon Fish took home the Most Valuable Diver award and Senior Walter Royal was voted Most Valuable Swimmer. For the fifth straight year Senior Caden Barnes won the Team Spirit award.
Metro West All-Conference awards were also announced. Making the cut were seniors Walter Royal and Owen Gagne, juniors Stewart Royal and Justin Barry, Sophomores Eli Fish and Bjorn Jaenchen, and Freshmen Ben Mitchell, Gideon Fish, and Mitchell Volk. Receiving Honorable Mention were Freshmen Davis Kelly and Ethan Weiss.
Several records were broken this year as well. Owen Gagne set a new Orono team record in the 100 Breaststroke at the state meet with a 57.79, breaking a decades old mark set by Orono’s Jon Pocock in 2003. Diver Gideon Fish broke six records: the Orono team and pool records for both 6 and 11 dive meets, the meet record at the Maroon and Gold Invite, and the Waconia pool record.
The Spartans had a very successful season: they went 4-1 in conference competition and were Metro West Conference Runner-up; for the first time in program history, they won the True Team section 2A meet, taking down perennial powerhouse Breck-Blake; they placed fourth at the Class A True Team State meet; they were MSHSL Section 2A Runner-up, and placed fifth at the MSHSL Class A State Championship meet. Their success is a testament to their hard work both in and out of season and their dedication to their sport and each other.
Juniors Justin Barry, Liam Donahue and Stewart Royal were voted in as team captains for the 2024-25 season. Though the team is losing a pair of top-scoring seniors, they hope to build on their core of young swimmers and divers and team depth for continued success next season.
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