Getting swept in a pair of meets may not sound like a good way to start a season, but in the case of the Austin girls’ swim team, it is.

The Packers were topped by Lakeville North, 95-83 and Lakeville South, 95-89, both Class AA teams, Friday night at Ellis Middle School. While the loss gives them an 0-2 start to 2010, the scores showed Austin picked up where it left off at.

“We were looking for a starting spot,” coach Lynn Gulbrandson said. “A lot of them were only a couple seconds off their best times and that’s a great way to start a season.”

Austin’s state qualifying team in the 200 yard medley from 2009 of Brooke Johnson, Kelli Bednar, Averi Splinter and Lauren Edwards, with a time of 1:58.61, fell just a second behind to take second to the team of Erin Kleiner, Elizabeth Kleiner, Julia Bodnaruk, and Erin Mahre from Lakeville North who notched a time of 1:57.12.

“A lot of us were close to our times from last year,” Johnson said. “We need to work on things. We need confidence. Confidence is so important.”

Johnson also finished first by four seconds in the 100 yard backstroke with a time of 1:05.39 and was part of the 400 yard freestyle relay that took first with Splinter, Helen Heimark and Meredith Fritz in a time of 4:08.34.

“I was really nervous to see how close I was to last year,” Johnson said. Now we know what to work on the rest of the season.

In the diving portion, Austin’s Autumn Laury, a freshman, took second with ascore of 138.65 behind the commanding win of Valerie Rappe of Lakeville North who won with a score of 186.40.

Lakeville North 95, Austin 83

Lakeville South 95, Austin 89

200 yard medley relay: 1, Lakeville North, 1:57.12; 2, Austin (Brooke Johnson, Kelli Bednar, Averi Splinter, Lauren Edwards), 1:58.61; 4, Austin (Tori Grev, Emily Johnson, Anna Smith, Mikayla Finney), 2:06.79; 8, Austin (Courtney Bogle, Lauren Stasi, Emily Bachmeier, Megan Brown), 2:13.32.

200 yard freestyle: 1, Christen Young, Lakeville North, 2:00.73; 4, Helen Heimark, Austin, 2:09.28; 7, Lindsay Halsey, Austin, 2:21.11; 9, Amanda Zahradik, Austin, 2:24.87.

200 yard IM: 1, Alena Bodnaruk, Lakeville North, 2:15.91; 4, Averi Splinter, Austin, 2:31.48; 5, Merideth Fritz, Austin, 2:34.41; 9, Tori Grev, Austin, 2:45.05.

50 freestyle: 1, Julia Bodnaruk, Lakeville North, 25.81; 3, Mikayla Finney, Austin, 27.51; 5, Lauren Edwards, Austin, 27.88; 9, Ashley Wilson, Austin, 29.68.

Diving: 1, Valerie Rappe, Lakeville North, 186.40; 2, Autumn Laury, Austin, 138.65; 6, Bailey Corey, Austin, 123.10; 7, Michelle Erdahl, Austin, 99.40.

100 yard butterfly: 1, Elizabeth Kleiner, Lakeville North, 59.94; 5, Anna Smith, Austin, 1:09.27; 8, Brooke Johnson, Austin, 1:09.98.

100 yard freestyle: 1, Alena Bodnaruk, Lakeville North, 56:05; 4, Kelli Bednar, Austin, 59.87; 7, Mikayla Finney, Austin, 1:01.72; 8, Lauren Edwards, Austin, 1:01.78.

500 yard freestyle: 1, Christen Young, Lakeville North, 5:20.03; 4, Helen Heimark, Austin, 5:58.99; 6, Merideth Fritz, Austin, 6:06.62; 8, Amanda Zahradik, Austin, 6:24.97.

200 yard freestyle relay: 1, Lakeville North, 1:45.86; 3, Austin (Kelli Bednar, Lauren Edwards, Merideth Fritz, Helen Heimark); 6, Austin (Mikayla Finney, Anna Smith, Lindsey McAlister, Amanda Zahradik); 8, Austin (Lauren Stasi, Emily Johnson, Ashley Wilson, Megan Brown), 1:59.15.

100 yard backstroke: 1, Brooke Johnson, Austin, 1:05.39; 4, Tori Grev, Austin, 1:13.50; 5, Lindsay Halsey, Austin, 1:13.87.

100 yard breastroke: 1, Brianna Alexander, Lakeville South, 1:12.88; 2, Kelli Bednar, Austin, 1:16.42; 3, Emily Johnson, Austin, 1:20.35; 6, Lauren Stasi, Austin, 1:26.77.

400 yard freestyle relay: 1, Austin (Averi Splinter, Helen Heimark, Merideth Fritz, Brooke Johnson), 4:08.34; 2, Austin (Anna Smith, Amanda Zahradik, Tori Grev, Lindsay Halsey), 4:15.91; 3, Austin (Megan Brown, Emily Bachmeier, Heather Johnson, Lindsey McAlister), 4:29.52.