WILLMAR -- A Willmar team that will lean on its youth made an impressive debut finishing just one and a half points behind first-place St. Cloud Tech at the Cardinals' own invitational Saturday.
On a team with just two seniors -- Samantha Crow and Mary Morris -- Willmar got buckets of points from three eighth graders -- Ashley Alvarado, Valor Gorans, Shantel Kelly -- and a trio of seventh graders -- Shelby Stevens, Sarah Tinklenberg, Emily Zondervan -- marking their varsity debut.
No surprise, freshman Alissa Tinklenberg won both the 200- and 500-yard races and anchored the Cardinals' winning 400 freestyle relay unit with Aleasha Blokzyl, Sarah Frank and Morris to conclude the afternoon event. Blokzyl, a freshman sprinter, posted four top 4 finishes.
Willmar placed four relays in the top 16 in the final event to come within an eyelash of overtaking the meet favorite. The Tigers finished with 569.5 points to 567 for Willmar. Melrose was next at 350.5.
Willmar showed its stroke skills in the individual medley placing four in the top 10 (Morris fourth, Zondervan fifth, freshman Anna Fuglestad ninth and Gorans 10th).
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Willmar also had four in the top six of the breaststroke: Katie Pakola third, Kristen Daniels fourth, Zondervan fifth and Gorans sixth.
Alissa Tinklenberg won the 500 by over 25 seconds in 5:41.29. Megan Michaelis and Ashley Alvarado followed in fourth and seventh place, respectively. Laura Polman in eighth and Alicia Alvarado in ninth led the Willmar diving team.
Kelly Morford and Ali Domeier each won two individual events for the Tigers.
Montevideo, which took sixth, was not at full strength. The Thunder Hawks were missing senior mainstays Casey Schulte and Madi Eid for the opener.
Team scoring
(10) St. Cloud Tech 569.5 (2) Willmar 567 (3) Melrose 350.5 (4) Sauk Centre 312.5 (5) Bemidji 267 (6) Montevideo 157.5 (7) Minnewaska/Morris 101
200 MEDLEY RELAY - (1) St. Cloud Tech 1:59.09 (2) Willmar: Alissa Tinklenberg, Katie Pakola, Mary Morris, Aleasha Blokzyl; 2:01.22 (5) Willmar B: Sam Crow, Valor Gorans, Anna Fuglestad, Shantel Kelly; 2:12.2 (8) Minnewaska-Morris: Laura Moe, Brittany Opdahl, Alison Moore, Tess Cotter; 2:12.55
200 FREESTYLE - (1) Alissa Tinklenberg, Wil, 2:08.26 (2) Ashley Hunstiger, SC, 2:12.78 2 .... (6) Ashley Alvarado, Will, 2:18.24 (9) Megan Michaelis, Wil, 2:21.66 (11) Amy Brandt, Wil, 2:24.61 (12) Sam Crow, Wil, 2:25.24
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200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY - (1) Kelly Morford, Tec, 2:23.47 ... (4) Mary Morris, Wil, 2:32.69 (5) Emily Zondervan, Wil, 2:34.63 (7) Ashley Briones, Mon, 2:38.48 (9) Anna Fuglestad, Wil, 2:44.37 (10) Valor Gorans, Wil, 2:47.06 (12) Katie Burns, Mon, 2:47.93 (15) Sarah Tinklenberg, Wil, 2:52.80
50 FREESTYLE - (1) Kirsten, Mel, 25.27 ... (4) Aleasha Blokzyl, Wil, 27.07 (6) Melissa Varpness, Mon, 27.8 (8) Sarah Frank, 27.8 (9) Ali Rongstad, Mon, 27.99 (10) Shantel Kelly, Wil, 28.65 (14) Tess Cotter, MM, 29.23
DIVING - (1) Tasha Harr, Tec, 154.4 ... (4) Angi Buchanan, MM, 143.2 (8) Laura Polman, Wil, 128.2 (9) Alicia Alvarado, Wil, 125.9 (16) Brooke Barrett, Wil, 97.45
100 BUTTERFLY - (1) Kirsten Koetter, Mel, 1:03.66 .... (6) Mary Morris, Wil, 1:09.73 (7) Alison Moore, MM, 1:10.79 (8) Ali Rongstad, Mon, 1:14.41 (10) Anna Fuglestad, Wil, 1:15.36 (14) Katie Burns, Mon, 1:18.91 (15) Megan Blomme, Mon, 1:19.34
100 FREESTYLE - (1) Ali Domeier, Tec, 56.65 ... (4) Aleasha Blokzyl, Wil, 1:00.13 (8) Shantel Kelly, Wil, 1:03.21 (11) Mel Varpness, Mon, 1:3.84 (13) Tess Cotter, MM, 1:04.56 (16) Laura Moe, MM, 1:05.94
500 FREESTYLE - (1) Alissa Tinklenberg, Wil, 5:41.29 (2) Kim Haffner, Bem, 6:07.02 ... (4) Megan Michaelis, Wil, 6:19.22 (7) Ashley Alvarado, Wil, 6:24.9 (9) Ashley Briones, Mon, 6:31.31 (10) Sam Crow, Wil, 6:41.34
200 FREESTYLE RELAY - (1) St. Cloud Tech 1:47.44 ... (5) Willmar: Jaimie Orsten, Sarah Frank, Megan Michaelis, Shantel Kelly; 1:55.48 (6) Montevideo: Ali Rongstad, Kayla Eklund, Liz Devorak, Mel Varpness; 1:57.75
100 BACKSTROKE - (1) Kelly Morford, Tec, 1:05.58 (2) Alison Moore, MM, 1:10.25 (5) Shelby Stevens, Wil, 1:11.23 ... (13) Amy Brandt, Wil, 1:16.69 (16) Ashley Zondervan, Wil, 1:17.74
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100 BREASTSTROKE - (1) Ali Domeier, Tec, 1:17.7 ... (3) Katie Pakola, Wil, 11:19.43 (4) Kristen Daniels, Wil, 1:21.5 (5) Emily Zondervan, Wil, 1:21.98 (6) Valor Gorans, Wil, 1:22.1 (9) Liz Devorak, Mon, 1:22.94 (11) Kendra Sietsema, Wil, 1:23.92 (14) Katie Kroona, Wil, 1:25.21 (16) Brittany Opdahl, MM, 1:27.59
400 FREESTYLE RELAY - (1) Willmar: Mary Morris, Aleasha Blokzyl, Sarah Frank, Alissa Tinklenberg: 3:55.96 (2) Bemidji 4:02.20...(7) Minnewaska-Morris: Dani Boutain, Tess Cotter, Laura Moe, Alison Moore; 4:23.39
