Waconia girls swimming season preview

Head coach: Ashley Westphal

Assistant coaches: Drew Sodey, Hannah Fuller, Jessi Stockstead

Captains: Olivia Engkjer and Mallory Haas

Team goals: “Chanhassen, Benilde-St. Margarets, and New Prague will be really competitive Metro West Conference duals we’d like to win,” said Westphal. “Winning the St.Peter Invite will also be an early season goal. Getting more comfortable in Section 2AA and hopefully sending a group to State again this year.”

Strengths/areas to work on: “Our primary strengths include our butterfly and backstroke events,” said Westphal. “We return a couple state entrants in those events and several others who add to our depth. We will be looking to add some depth in the sprint and distance freestyle events specifically. We return several veterans who will be called upon to fill much elevated roles for our team. Our divers are also continually improving each year.”

Conference outlook: “Orono will be really tough again this year and look to be the preseason favorites,” said Westphal. “Benilde, New Prague, and Chanhassen will also give us some great races and close meets. The Conference is tough and we have to be “on” every night. We return 5 All Conference honorees from last season.”

Section outlook: “We have high expectations in returning five members of our State team from a year ago,” said Westphal. “We relish the challenge in competing against the best competition in the State regardless of class. Might as well compete against the best in order to earn yourself a spot at the State Meet.”

Olympic year: “Being it was an Olympic year it feels like the excitement around the sport and our team is high, so we are going to enjoy and take advantage of that,” said Westphal.

Key returnees: Hailey Stotko — State entrant, School record holder, All Conference

Laura Stockinger — Team MVP, State entrant, All Conference

Amalia Schaefer — State entrant, All Conference

Ava Pavek — All Conference

Ella Flooeter — All Conference, State team member