Ella Schmiesing receives the gold medal from her coaches for winning the 100 yard breaststroke at the section meet, setting a school and personal best record with a time of 1:06.47. (Ben Camp/Southernminn.com)
Ella Schmiesing receives the gold medal from her coaches for winning the 100 yard breaststroke at the section meet, setting a school and personal best record with a time of 1:06.47. (Ben Camp/Southernminn.com)
Freshman swimming phenom Ella Schmiesing didn't shy away from the expectations in her second Section 1A Championship meet as after qualifying in a pair of events in 2021, she once again qualified for two races in the MSHSL State Championship. With a first-place finish in the 100 yard breastroke and a second-place finish in the 100 freestyle race, Schmiesing punched her ticket to Minneapolis.
Ella Schmiesing racing alongside a swimmer from Mankato East. (Ben Camp/Southernminn.com)
With Schmiesing paving the way, the Titans ultimately earned an eighth-place finish in the Section meet with 101 points.
Other top finishers for TCU included Mallorie Plut who finished 16th in the 100 butterfly race with a time of 1:11.43 and Elli Sladek who finished 16th in the 100 freestyle race with a time of 59.59.
In the 200 medley relay race, the team of Sladek, Schmiesing, Plut and Kendra Westphal set a school record with a time of 2:02.11 to finish sixth in the section.
Kendra Westphal dives into the water as the final leg of the medley relay team. (Ben Camp/Southernminn.com)
The 200 freestyle relay team of Kaylee Berger, Madeline Ruger, Breanna Erickson and McKenna Fredrickson finished 10th with a time of 2:01.61 while the 400 freestyle relay team of Sladek, Schmiesing, Plut and Westphal placed eighth with a time of 4:04.88.
Lilly Traxler eyes the water as she completes one of her diving attempts. (Ben Camp/Southernminn.com)
The diving competition for sections took place Thursday night at Mankato East High School and saw Kaylee Berger and Lilly Traxler compete for the Titans.
Kaylee Berger maintains position as she competes in the dive competition. (Ben Camp/Southernminn.com)
Traxler finished the event in 22nd while Berger placed 29th.
Schmiesing now begins preparations for the MSHSL State Championship which will take place Thursday and Friday at the Jean F. Freeman Aquatic Center on the campus of Minnesota University. The Class A swim competition will begin at noon both days.
