Boys Swimming: Tigers take first Missota Relays

Cameron Molnar 2 firsts, second at Missota Relays

Farmington played host to the first-ever Missota Conference Relays Thursday night at the Dodge Middle School pool and decided to keep the inaugural championship at home.


The Tigers won the five-team meet handily, outscoring runner-up Chaska 544-446 for the top spot. Red Wing was third at 385, followed by Northfield 369 and Shakopee 336.

"It was a great meet," Tiger coach Ryan Hamen said of the season opener. "We took first, but. better than that we have some really good swimmers who are coming in with a desire to do well and go far."

Farmington won five of the eight relay events and placed second in the other three.

Defending Missota Conference champion Evan Carufel won the one-meter diving competiiton and teammate Jonathan Bovee finished fourth.

"I am always optimistically apprehensive," Hamen said of his expectaions going into the meet. "I am always given ideas of where some athletes might be after swimming club in the off season and it all sounded great.

"But when you have a home meet versus all of the conference teams this early in the season, it truly brought out some great swims."

The Tigers don't get much time to savor the win as Saturday they head to Prior Lake for the Prior Lake Invitational.

1st place winners
400 medley relay: Cameron Molnar, Nick Stephan, Oliver Chow, Christopher Kirchmann
200 freestyle relay:Christian Bell, Evan Carufel, Dahlton Bell, Eric Schimmel
200 butterfly relay: Brandon Dion, Tyler Lerbakken, Aaron Cochnauer, Spencer Kabran
One-meter diving: Carufel
200 backstroke relay: Molnar, David Bovee, D. Bell, Chow
200 breaststroke relay: Kabran, Stephan, Jonathan Kingsbury, Alex Garofalo

2nd place finishers:
400 x 100 medley relay: C. Bell, Chow, Dion, Austin Kueck
850 freestyle relay: Dan Berg, Schimmel, Molnar, Kirchmann
400 freestyle relay: Schimmel, D. Bell, Berg, Kirchmann