Swimming & Diving: Willmar takes home 3 state medals
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Willmar Cardinals came home with three medals on Saturday at the Class A Swimming and Diving Championships.
Senior Kyle Rozendaal took fourth in the 100 backstroke, holding his seed after preliminaries. He dropped another .15 off his school-record effort on Friday, establishing the new standard at 54.33.
Bennett Woltjer placed sixth in diving with a score of 298.0, moving up from 15th place last year as a sophomore.
Michael McLain won a medal in the 200 freestyle. He was eighth in 1:49.24. Willmar's 400 freestyle relay team of Robert Brau, Nick Aaker, Rozendaal and McLain took second in the consolation heat.
Montevideo picked up a medal with Chase Testa eighth in diving with 283.80 points. In the 200 medley relay, Montevideo won the consolation heat and Willmar was second. Willmar's 200 freestyle relay was disqualified.
Eric Dahlseng of Dassel-Cokato/Litchfield was eighth in the 100 breaststroke in 1:01.74 to earn the team's lone medal.
Led by Mike Hurley who won two events, Fergus Falls won the meet by one point, 205-204, over runner-up St. Thomas Academy.
Willmar placed 13th and Montevideo was 20th.
Team scores
(1) Fergus Falls 205 (2) St. Thomas Academy (3) Breck/Blake 201 (4) Monticello 168 (5) Richfield 162 (6) Simley 150 (7) Sartell 140 (8) Orono 105 (11) Detroit Lakes 79 (12) Bemidji 69 (13) tie, Willmar, Virginia 68 (15) Fridley 63 ... (20) Montevideo 36 (29) Dassel-Cokato/Litchfield 11
Individual results
(Champion ... area entrant top 16)
200 MEDLEY RELAY - (1) Breck/Blake 1:36.45* ... (9) Montevideo: Jack Spaeth, Aaron Erickson, Tommy Payne, Calvin Pender; 1:42.06 (10) Willmar: Kyle Rozendaal, Josh Kelly, Ben Fuglestad, Mason Kluver; 1:43.62
200 FREESTYLE - (1) Paul Fair, Monticello, 1:42.68 ... (8) Michael McLain, Willmar, 1:49.24
200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY - (1) Mike Hurley, Fergus Falls, 1:49.20*
50 FREESTYLE - (1) Cameron Hyde, Sartell, 20.61
DIVING - (1) Jon Melgaard, Detroit Lakes, 423.05 ... (6) Bennett Woltjer, Willmar, 298.60 (8) Chase Testa, Montevideo, 283.80
100 BUTTERFLY - (1) Paul Fair, Monticello, 51.07
100 FREESTYLE - (1) Mike Hurley, Fergus Falls, 45.34
500 FREESTYLE - (1) Tanner Alms, Red Wing, 4:39.02* ... (16) A.J. Derouin, Willmar, 5:17.76
200 FREESTYLE RELAY - (1) Monticello 1:27.39 ... Willmar, disqualified
100 BACKSTROKE - (1) Mitch Foster, Breck/Blake, 49.35 ... (4) Kyle Rozendaal, Willmar, 54.33 (10) Jack Spaeth, Montevideo, 57.12
100 BREASTSTROKE - (1) Max Hamilton, Richfield, 58.50 ... (8) Eric Dahlseng, Dassel-Cokato/Litchfield, 1:01.74
400 FREESTYLE RELAY - (1) Monticello 3:13.95 ... (10) Willmar: Robert Brau, Nick Aaker, Kyle Rozendaal, Michael McLain; 3:20.85
*Class A state meet record
