Swimmers eye section meet

Talk about it

The Two Harbors-Silver Bay girls swim team first step to the state meet begin at sections Thursday and Saturday.

“I think the team will do well at sections,” said head coach Tara Kasell. “Three teams that we have beat in dual meets this year are in our section, but we also go up against some really strong programs like Hibbing and Grand Rapids. In big meets like this we like to focus more on how the girls will place as individuals, and look for individual best times.”

Kasell is hoping the team’s regular season results will transfer over to sections.

“For the overall season I think this team did excellent,” Kasell said. “As with many other teams this fall we struggled with many of the girls being out sick, sometimes for over a week, with the flu. We also lost

five swimmers, one senior and four for other various reasons, who didn’t come out for swimming this season so our numbers were a little down from last season. So with all that being said the girls still won several key meets. We won the Babbitt Triangular for the first time, and many of the girls improved their best times this season.”

In the Thursday meet, the top 16 finishers have the opportunity to move on and swim in Saturday’s section finals meet.

The top eight swim for the chance to go to the state meet.

“This in itself is very difficult and a huge accomplishment,” Kasell said.

At the section finals the top two finishers in each event (top four in diving) move on to state.

“In the 500 freestyle Brooke Fletcher is seeded in fourth place and Jennie Dwyer is seeded in sixth,” Kasell said. “Brooke is also seeded eighth in the 200 freestyle, and Heather Fyn-

boh is seeded 10th in the 100 butterfly. We have several other girls who are in the top 16, and our three relays will hopefully move on to finals.”

Last season, Rebecca Ronning qualified for state in diving.

If you go

Swimmers at sections

- The section preliminaries for the Two Harbors swim team will begin at 5 p.m. Thursday at Grand Rapids High School. The diving preliminaries begin at 11 a.m. Saturday and the swimming and diving finals will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday in the same location.

Tags: two harbors, silver bay, sports, swimming