Five Austin swimmers in six events will be competing at this week’s Class A State Swimming and Diving Meet at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center in Minneapolis.

Monday, November 22, 1999

Five Austin swimmers in six events will be competing at this week’s Class A State Swimming and Diving Meet at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center in Minneapolis. Austin is competing in two relays – the 200-yard medley relay and the 400 freestyle relay – and four individual events.

Freshman Meghan Walsh will be competing in two individual events, the 200 individual relays and the 100 yard butterfly, and the two relays. Senior Becky Sanford is in the two relays and the 500 freestyle. Eighth-grader Lauren Goettsch swims in the 50 freestyle and both relays. Senior Amy Martin swims the 50-yard breaststroke leg of the medley relay and junior Sara Heins is the fourth member of the 400 freestyle relay.

The Class A meet is in its third year of existence. Section 1A Champion Northfield is the defending state champion. This, however, is the first time that the Packers will compete in Class A. Heretofore, Austin swam in Class AA.

The Class A Preliminaries are Tuesday beginning at noon. The first event of the day is the 200 medley relay. The Class A Finals are Wednesday once again at noon.

The Medley relay team – Sanford-backstroke, Martin-breaststroke, Walsh-butterfly, and Goettsch-freestyle – comes into the state meet with the 19th fastest qualifying time out of 24 teams. The top time in all of the state was posted by Montevideo/Yellow Medicine East with a time of 1:53.12. Section 1A champion Shakopee had the second fastest time with a swim of 1:53.88 in the Ellis Middle School pool. Last year’s foursome from Montevideo was the state champion with a time of 1:50.69 in the Aquatic Center. They had one girl graduate from that team.

The final event, the last of a dozen, is the 400 freestyle relay. The Austin team posted the 18th best time, 3:50.96, of the 25 qualifiers. Benilde-St. Margaret’s at 3:44.72 is the top qualifier. The Section 1A champion quartet from Northfield looks to defend its state crown in the event with half of its team back, Sarah Perrott and Kristin Ophaug. They are seeded with the fourth fastest time at 3:45.96. Northfield swam a 3:40.03 last year to win the race.

Walsh swam the ninth fastest qualifying time in the 200 individual medley and the 10th fastest time in the 100 butterfly. Her Section 1A final time in the 200 medley was 2:16.98. The top time was posted by senior Patti Wegner of Rosemount with a time of 2:11.13. Wegner finished second in the state last year in this event, the champion was Emily Mondloh of Fridley. Mondloh, a junior this year, posted a time of 2:09.29 in 1998. She is the third fastest qualifier coming in to state this year.

In the 100 butterfly, Walsh swam a 1:02.50 in the section finals. The top qualifying time was put in by senior Samantha Dyshaw of Montevideo/Yellow Medicine East at 58.42; she finished eighth at state in 1998. The defending state champion is Sarah Bohlsen of Sartell at 58.75. She comes into the meet with the second fastest time in the sections at 59.03.

Sanford’s time of 5:35.33 in the section finals in the 500 freestyle was the 18th best time of the 30 state qualifiers. The fastest time was swam by sophomore Katie Wind of Trinity School at River Ridge, Bloomington. Her time of 5:14.96 is more than 9 seconds fastest than the nearest competitor – Section 1A champion Tara Murnane, a freshman from Red Wing who qualified with a 5:23.89. Wind was second at state in 1998 with a time of 5:08.46; Murnane was fourth in 5:21.88. Hutchinson’s Jessica Carlson was the ’98 champion with a time of 5:08.58.

Goettsch’s swim in the section finals placed her with the 14th best qualifying time in the 50 freestyle at 25.51. Dyshaw again had the top time at 24.20. Sophomore Naomi Gregerson of Albert Lea is the defending State champion. She is the fourth fastest qualifier with a time of 24.93 in the section finals. In last year’s state finals she swam the 50 yards in a time of 24.33.