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Tough Ending In The Pool For The Lakers

By Tom Schardin, 02/23/20, 9:30PM CST

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The Section 2AA finals didn't go the Prior Lake boys swimming team's way.

The No. 10-ranked Lakers ended up fourth in the team standings Feb. 21 at Pioneer Ridge Middle School in Chaska with 231.5 points, but failed to qualify any individuals or relays to the Class AA state competition.

It's not exactly how Prior Lake wanted the season to end, but the team did win the South Suburban Conference title with a perfect 9-0 dual record and had a program-best sixth-place finish in the Class AA State True Team back in January.

Second-ranked Minnetonka won the section crown with 529.5 points, followed by No. 3 Chaska/Chanhassen (439) and No. 6 Eden Prairie (350.5). Shakopee was fifth (186) ahead of Waconia (141), Bloomington Jefferson (121) and Burnsville (60.5).

Senior Jaden Chant nearly qualified for state in two individual events for the Lakers, while ninth-grader Blake Wallen missed a diving berth by one spot.

The diving competition was held Feb. 20 with the top-four finishers making the state field. Wallen ended up fifth with 329.75 points.

Chant ended up fourth in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:46.53, which was just over a second off the state cut time (1:45.37). In the 100 freestyle, Chant finished seventh (48.48), missing the qualifying mark by .24.

The Lakers' 200 freestyle relay team of Chant, senior Owen Mattila and juniors Nicholas Wiedemann and Gunnar Anderson ended up fourth (1:29.75), and was .19 off the cut.

The 400 freestyle team of Chant, Mattila, Wiedemann and junior Tyler Buss finished fifth (3:17.52), missing state by 1.16. The 200 medley team of Buss, Anderson and juniors Nicholas Archambault and Jackson Mishuk was fourth (1:40.93) with the state cut being 1:38.95.

Buss was in the finals (top eight) in both the 200 individual medley and the 100 breaststroke, finishing fifth (2:00.21) and sixth (1:01.04), respectively. He was more than a second off the state cut in both races.

Mishuk ended up eighth in the 100 butterfly (53.93) for the Lakers.

Other finishes for Prior Lake included:

  • Mattila in the 200 freestyle (11th, 1:48.38) and the 100 freestyle (12th, 48.93)
  • Junior Connor Thayer in the 200 freestyle (12th, 1:49.21) and in the 500 freestyle (11th, 4:56.10)
  • Ninth-grader Owen Dwyer in the 200 individual medley (16th, 2:06.51) and the 100 buttefly (16th, 56.72)
  • Anderson in the 50 freestyle (11th, 23:01)
  • Wiedemann in the 50 freestyle (12th, 23.40) and the 100 freestyle (15th, 51.66)
  • Eighth-grader Kaiden Cheung in the 100 butterfly (15th, 56.46) and the 100 backstroke (13th, 59.49)
  • Archambault in the 100 backstroke (10th, 57.90)
  • Mishuk in the 100 backstroke (15th, 1:00.03)
  • Sophomore Alexander Beck in the 100 breaststroke (14th, 1:06.61)
  • Senior James Haas in diving (10th, 290.65)
  • Sophomore Matthew Wienberger in diving (14th, 204.60)

The Class AA state meet is Feb. 27-29 at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center. Edina is the defending champion.