Prior Lake will try to complete the mission and defend its section crown Feb. 27 in the finals at the same venue at 6 p.m.

The Lakers' top three swimmers - juniors Marshall Heskin, Alex Leff and Craig Robrock - were not fully rested for sections, so they are expecting bigger time drops at state.

Heskin is the defending Class 2A state champion in the 100 butterfly. He qualified second in that event in the section prelims with a time of 52.24. He was also third in the 200 freestyle (1:48.10).

Robrock was third in the 200 individual medley (2:01.24) and fourth in the 500 freestyle (4:57.59), while Leff was third in both the 50 freestyle (22.44) and 100 freestyle (49.04).

The top finishing relay team and top two in individual events automatically qualify for state, which is March 6-7 at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center. The other way to get there is beating the state time standard.

Meanwhile, junior Jack Dessler earned a pair of fourth-place finishes for the Lakers in the 200 freestyle (1:49.61) and 100 freestyle (49.09). Junior Jens Lund was third in the 100 breaststroke (1:03.18).

Sophomore Colin Dwyer finished sixth in both the 200 freestyle (1:50.40) and 500 freestyle (4:59.04). Ninth-grader Henry Skinner was seventh in both the 50 freestyle (22.86) and 100 backstroke (59.93).

Junior Jonas Lemke was eighth in the 100 backstroke (1:00.00), while eighth-grader Sean Dwyer was seventh in the 100 breaststroke (1:05.45) and senior Zak Jung was eighth (1:06.68) in that event.

The Lakers' best relay finish in the prelims was second by both the 400 freestyle team of Robrock, Colin Dwyer, Leff and Heskin (3:26.45) and 200 medley team of Sean Dwyer, Lund, Jung and Skinner (1:46.96).

The 200 freestyle team of Dessler, Robrock, Leff and Heskin was third (1:33.58).

Earning consolation swims (top 16) for the Lakers for the finals: junior Austin Beck in the 200 freestyle (13th, 1:54.91) and 500 freestyle (12th, 5:18.06), senior Caleb Torvik in the 200 individual medley (9th, 2:07.63) and 100 butterfly (14th, 57.54), Sean Dwyer in the 200 individual medley (12th, 2:11.03), Lemke in the 50 freestyle (11th, 22.96), Jung in the 100 butterfly (12th, 56.35), Lund in the 100 freestyle (12th, 52.57), sophomore Michael Heile in the 100 freestyle (13th, 53.24) and 100 backstroke (16th, 1:02.52) and ninth-grader Jerry Kalinowsk in the 100 backstroke (14th, 1:01.18).