Girls Swimming: Tigers end five-year drought

Kaitlyn O'Reilly set pool record in the 200 medley (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Despite a long run of individual and team success success Farmington hadn't beaten Missota Conference rival Northfield in a dual meet since 2008...until Tuesday night, that is, when they pulled away from the Gators late for a 95-89 victory at the Dodge Middle School pool.

"The team was really fired up and ready to go," coach Jen Marshall said. "The result speaks for itself. Amazing performances across the board."

The meet was close through the first seven events when the Tigers erased a two-point Gator lead to build a commanding 95-77 cushion before swimming the final event in exhibition status.

The teams split the 12 events but the Tigers new-found depth proved to be the difference as the winners gobbled up second through fifth place points.

Kirsten Kracke 3 1st place finishes (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Kirsten Kracke played a role in three of the six Tiger firsts, winning the 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke and teaming with Chelsea Gehrke, Cory Ruzicka and Kaitlyn O'Reilly to claim the 200 freestyle relay.

O'Reilly broke one 11-year old pool record in the 200 individual medley with a time of  2:10.07 and would have had another in the 100 breaststroke had Northfield's Sophia Nevin not won the race in an even faster time.

Ruzicka won the 200 freestyle and Catherine Gehrke led the field in the 500 freestyle distance event.

The 200 medley relay team of Kracke, O'Reilly, Ruzicka and Chelsea Gehrke placed second as did the 200 freestyle quartet of Ellie Sundet, Chloe Holton, Grace Roach and Catherine Gehrke.

Two other Farmington individuals scored second place points: Roach in the 500 freestyle and Sundet in the 100 freestyle.

The Tigers added third place finishes in five individual events: Chelsea Gehrke in the 100 individual medley and 100 breaststroke; Ruzicka in the 100 butterfly; Sara Kintner in the 500 freestyle and Kendall Novak on the one-meter board.

"As long as the team keeps focused and working with tenacity in practice," Marshall said, They will have a stellar season."

The Tigers are now off until next Thursday when they resume their Missota Conference schedule with a dual meet at Red Wing.