(photo by Jim Lindquist)
Visiting Apple Valley led by two points after the opening event but the rest of the night belonged to Farmington as the Tigers opened their 2011 season with a convincing 92-85 win at the Dodge Middle School pool.
After Valley out-pointed them 8-6 in the 200 medley relay, the Tigers went on an 86-44 run before swimming the final two events in exhibition status.
"We are leaps and bounds ahead of where we were last year at this time," Tiger coach Jen Marshall said. "The girls are working their tails off in practice. If they can keep this up it's going to be another surreal season."
Farmington won with depth. It won only four of the 12 events but piled up a large number of second, third and fourth place points.
Kirsten Kracke (200 individual medley), Zoe Avestruz (50 freestyle), Kaitlyn O'Reilly (500 freestyle) and Kendall Novak (one-meter diving) scored the four Farmington firsts.
Five Tiger entrants tallied second place points, including Cory Ruzicka, 100 medley and 100 butterfly; Sara Kintner, 200 freestyle; Nikki Cayard, diving; Robin Ellis, 100 backstroke and Kracke, 100 freestyle.
Finishing third for Farmington were Chloe Holton, 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly; Sarah O'Reilly, 200 individual medley; Ellie Sundet, 50 freestyle; Jade Alm, diving; Hannah Seitzinger, 100 freestyle and Delaney Wright, 500 freestyle.
Other Farmington point-scorers:
200 medley relay: 2. Kracke, K. O'Reilly, Ruzica and Sundet; 3. Ellis, Abby Haugen, Avestruz, Sundet
200 freestyle relay: 2.K. O'Reilly, Abby Haugen, Ruzicka, Kintner; 3. S. O'Reilly, Ellis, Wright, Holton
200 freestyle: 4. Wright
50 freestyle: 4. Ellis
100 freestyle: 4. Kintner
