2023 Girls Swimming and Diving Day 3 Recap

Traditions of excellence continued at the 2023 Girls Swimming and Diving State Meet as Visitation and Edina again claimed team titles. This was Visitation’s 14th championship and Edina’s 19th. The Hornets also set the only all-time state meet record in the 200 medley relay.

Class A

Visitation won its 10th consecutive team title – not including 2020, when no state meet was held – and 14th overall. Orono placed second with 186 points and Monticello was third at 176.

Visitation won only one event on its way to the championship. Junior Katie Miller claimed top honors in the 500 freestyle in 5:03.22. Visitation junior Tessa Lindstrom placed third in the same event with a time of 5:06.64.

Two competitors won two titles apiece. Catherine Dueck, a senior from Mound Westonka/Holy Family Catholic, won the 200 individual medley (2:03.22) and 100 breaststroke (1:02.99). Monticello ninth-grader Adalynn Biegler defended her crown in both the 50 freestyle (22.80) and 100 freestyle (50.25).

Blake senior Carly Bixby was the final 2022 champion to successfully defend her title. She won the 100 butterfly in 54.90.

Orono sophomore Graycin Andreen won the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:50.77 and also competed on both of the Spartans’ winning relay teams. Orono won the 200 freestyle relay (1:36.93) with a team of comprised juniors Elle Davis and Mallory Knutson, senior Lila James and Andreen. The Spartans earned their final points of the afternoon in the 400 freestyle relay with a winning time of 3:34.16. That squad was made up of Davis, sophomore Lola Schnottler, Knutson and Andreen.

No new records were set during this year’s Class A meet.

Class AA

In the Class AA team competition, Edina won its second consecutive title and 19th overall. The Hornets, who finished with 331 points this year, won their first championship in 1984. Minnetonka was second this year with 303.5 points and Stillwater Area placed third with 192.5 points.   

Edina won one individual event and two relays on its way to the championship. Sophomore Libby McCarthy won the 50 freestyle in 23.01. And, McCarthy, eighth-graders Bobbi Simmons and Siggy Nymo and senior Eleanor Hughes started the evening with a new all-time state meet record of 1:41.48 in the 200 medley relay. Nymo, ninth-grader Macy Malinski, sophomore Audrey Peterson and McCarthy then posted a 1:34.72 in the 200 freestyle relay.

Stillwater Area senior Maddie Reed was the only other competitor to win both an individual and relay title. She claimed the top spot in the 100 breaststroke (1:02.73) and then joined ninth-grader Lucy Paczosa, junior Jayla Petersen and senior Norah Naatjes on the championship 400 freestyle relay team (3:27.23).

St. Michael-Albertville junior Lily Van Heel was the only competitor to win two individual titles. She won the 200 individual medley in 2:01.43 and successfully defended her title in the 100 backstroke with a time of 53.85.

For complete state meet results, please visit www.mshsl.org/girlsswimanddive