MINNEAPOLIS – Wednesday afternoon’s Minnesota State Class A Swimming and Diving Finals didn’t start out quite the way Meghan Walsh had hoped.

Friday, November 24, 2000

MINNEAPOLIS – Wednesday afternoon’s Minnesota State Class A Swimming and Diving Finals didn’t start out quite the way Meghan Walsh had hoped.

The Austin High sophomore entered the consolation finals of the 200 Yard Individual Medley with the top qualifying time in her heet.The best she could have finished was ninth place, but Walsh ended in 14th place, swimming nearly three seconds slower than her time of 2:16.62 in the preliminary round on Tuesday.

"I wasn’t happy at all with the first race," Walsh said, "but I made up for it."

Walsh did indeed rebound three events later by finishing the 100 Yard Butterfly in a time of 1:01.26.Her time in the butterfly was good for a fourth place finish – Packer coach Lynn Gulbrandson estimated that was the highest a Packer swimmer had placed at state since 1993 – and 15 team points that vaulted the Packers into a ninth place team finish.

"To finish that high as a team is nice," said the Packers’ Amanda Martin, who swam the third leg on the 200 free relay team that placed eighth for AHS. "We have some of the higher places that (Austin’s) ever had at state."

Martin said having competed in Section 1A – one of the more competitive sections in Class A – was an advantage.

"The competiton gets even harder at state because there’s a lot of girls we haven’t seen before," she said. "But we swim in a really tough section."

Two of the top three teams at the state meet came out of Section 1A- state champion Red Wing and third place finisher Northfield. Rosemount was sandwiched between the two in second place.

In all, the Packers placed six girls in the top eight in four different events. Freshman Lauren Goettsch placed in the top eight twice, placing eighth in both the 50 Yard Freestyle and as a member of the 200 Free Relay team with Martin, Lisa Champlin and Tristen Kusterer.

"It was great just to finish in the top eight at state," Goettsch said. "It was enough for me to do that. I’m proud of the way I swam."

Diver Danielle Chapek also finished eighth, using a pair of strong dives in the finals to move up three spots from 11th place to eighth. All six girls who placed in the top eight earned All-State honors.

"I got off to a good start (in Wednesday’s finals) and that helped," Chapek said. "I was just hoping to hold my spot and maybe move up."