Swimming: Cougars remain unbeaten in SSC; North earns 1st victory

South takes down Rosemount, improves to 4-0

Both Lakeville teams earned victories in Week 4 of the South Suburban conference girls swimming and diving season.

Lakeville South defeated Rosemount at home at the Blanchard Aquatic Center at Century Middle School, 101-85. Lakeville North defeated Eagan 96-82 on the road at Dakota Hills Middle School.

Lakeville South

The Cougars started off strong by cruising to first place in the 200-yard medley relay. The winning team consisted of ninth-grader Madi Parent, sophomore Gracie Weishaar and juniors Ana Clemon and Karly Trewin.

Sophomore Taylor Hintz kept the momentum going by getting first place in the 200 freestyle with a season-best time. In the 200 individual medley, first place went to Madi Jennen of the Irish but Weishaar, sophomore Hailey Gross and junior Julia King came in second through fourth for the Cougars.

Clemon took in the 50 freestyle to keep the Cougars in the lead before diving. Rosemount dominated the diving competition but two Cougars scored points – senior Quinn Weaver (third) and sophomore Bella Moritz (fourth).

The 100 butterfly saw the Cougars’ Parent taking first place. Clemon out-touched Rosemount’s Annika Arlandson by 0.04 seconds to win the 100 freestyle. Another close finish in the 500 freestyle had Rosemount’s Isla George hitting the wall just 0.23 seconds ahead of the Cougars’ Hintz.

The Lakeville South 200 freestyle relay team of Trewin, ninth-grader Lily Wilkinson, Hintz and Clemon scored first place with their fastest time of the season, 1 minute, 44.78 seconds.

The 100 breaststroke saw South’s Weishaar and Parent taking the top two spots with lifetime-best times.

The final event, the 400 freestyle relay, was a race to the finish, with Rosemount coming in 0.22 seconds ahead of the Cougars. The second-place South team consisted of Hintz, Wilkinson, Weishaar, and Parent.

“We anticipated a very close meet with Rosemount this week and were excited to race such a quality team,” South head coach Erik Knutsen said. “Our team stepped up when it mattered the most and we as a coaching staff are very proud of them.”

Lakeville South also won the junior varsity meet against Rosemount. South won the 200 medley relay (seventh-grader Kate Rivers, junior Lillian Launsbach, sophomore

Lauren Hawkins and eighth-grader Lauren Moldestad). Rivers took first place in the 200 individual medley. The 50 freestyle saw Cougars coming in the first three positions with senior Hannah Butler first, senior Megan Wiltjer second and Hawkins third.

Junior Gina Schonthaler got a first-place finish in the 100 butterfly. Junior Taylor Johnson came in first in the 100 freestyle followed by teammate Launsbach in second. The team of Launsbach, Johnson, eighth-grader Allie Strege and sophomore Neenu Yericherla came in first in the 400 freestyle relay.

Lakeville North

Lakeville North teams took first and second in the 200 medley relay to open the dual meet against Eagan. Swimming on the first-place relay were eighth-grader Lauren Colbert, sophomore Justine Anderson, senior captain Addie Marsolek and junior Payton Hultgren; the second-place team consisted of sophomore Kaitlyn Carlson and ninth-graders Theresa Anderson, Chandler Offerman and Adry Sallander.

Junior Whitney Szorcsik came in first in the 200 freestyle, followed by teammate CC Kinny in second. North girls swept the top three places in the 200 individual medley, with first going to Hultgren, second going to Colbert and third going to sophomore Sydney McCusker.

In the quickest race of the night, the 50 freestyle, winner Sallander and second place Justine Anderson had season-best times.

Eagan swept the top three places in diving, with North eighth-grader Grace Maakestad and ninth-grader Lily Larson coming in fourth and fifth.

When swimming resumed, the Panthers’ Offerman, Justine Anderson and Theresa Anderson took the top three places. North had the top two spots in the 100 freestyle with Szorcsik getting to the wall first, followed by sophomore Kirsten Dunbar.

All three North swimmers in the 500 freestyle had personal-best times, with Offerman taking first, Marsolek second and Kinny third.

Szorcsik, Marsolek, Justine Anderson and Offerman came in first in the 200 freestyle relay to clinch the meet for the Panthers. The meet went to exhibition scoring starting with the 100 backstroke, but Hultgren and Sallander touched first and second, both with season-best times. Theresa Anderson punched the wall first in the 100 breaststroke, swimming a season-best time as well.

The team of Colbert, Szorcsik, Sallander and Hultgren had the fastest time in the 400 freestyle relay.

“The girls had a good meet with many lifetime- and season-best swims,” Lakeville North head coach Dan Schneider said. “It was also great to see them win their first meet of the season.”

The team of seventh-grader Olivia Garner, sophomore Madison Lenzmeier, seventh-grader Lucy Anstadt and eighth-grader Audrey McClain won the junior varsity 200 medley relay, sending North on its way to victory in the JV dual.

Senior captain Emma Ruff and Garner came in first and second in the 200 individual medley.

Eagan’s Eden Wolf took first in the JV 50 freestyle and North’s Madison Lenzmeier swam a personal best to finish in second place.

Seventh grader Lucy Anstadt also swam a personal best in the 100 butterfly to come in first, with second place going to junior Brennah Kosobud. The 100 backstroke saw Anstadt taking first place and Garner coming in second, both swimming personal bests.

Junior Grace Wells, ninth-grader Aditi Patel, sophomore Hayden Regier and Garner were winners in the JV 400 freestyle relay.

Coming up

Lakeville South, 4-0 in South Suburban Conference dual meets, travels to Burnsville on Thursday to take on the Blaze. Lakeville North (1-3) hosts Farmington at

Blanchard Aquatic Center, also on Thursday. Both meets begin at 6 p.m.