Multi-sport athletes are nothing new, but Faith Koning took that phrase to another level this week, in two very different activities. One is wrestling and the other involves horses. Frenzied air and highway travel are also part of the story.
Breck/Blake (Class A) and Edina (Class AA) both look poised to defend their respective team titles after turning in stellar performances in Friday’s preliminary swim races. Breck/Blake won eight races while the Edina won four.
Wrestling is now a girls sport, with female coaches. The next logical step is seeing female wrestling officials. That may not be far off, based on the experiences of the only two women certified as wrestling officials by the MSHSL.
Simley staked its claim as Minnesota's best wrestling team this season regardless of enrollment size following a powerful run to the Class AA championship.
Chisago Lakes senior Jimmy Nord (Class A) and Rosemount senior Lucas Gerten (Class AA) sit atop the standings after the diving preliminaries. Gerten is defending his title while Nord is in the hunt for his first championship.
No. 3-seeded Hastings staged a stunning rally that included pins in the final three weights to upset No. 1 St. Michael-Albertville 33-32 for the Class AAA championship.
Longtime defending team champions will look to add to their rich tradition of success when the Minnesota State High School League’s Boys Swimming and Diving State Meet this week. Breck/Blake returns as the six-time defending champion in Class A while Edina is looking for its fifth consecutive crown in Class AA.
“Ten years from now, I feel like girls wrestling will be just as big as boys wrestling, if not bigger. Especially with how many girls wrestle now compared to just five years ago."
Ryan Bergeron is an award-winning sports journalist that covers Greenbush-Middle River High School for Page 1 Publications. He is the League's recipient of the Outstanding Media Service Award in the Print Division.
Barry Wortel of KTOE Radio in Mankato calls about 75 high school games during the school year for listeners in the Minnesota River Valley. He is the recipient of the League's Outstanding Media Service Award in the Electronic Division.
