Boys Swimming: Tired, but still second

Christopher Kirchmann won 50 freestyle

Less than 48 hours after winning the first-ever Missota Conference Relays the Tigers were back in the pool, taking second in Saturday's seven-team Prior Lake Invitational.

Despite the second place finish coach Ryan Hamen said his troops felt the strain of two competitions in essentially two days.

"The boys swam pretty tired," he said. "We had very few great times but we are satisfied with the result. 

"At this time of the year the boys should be tired and learning how to swim through it. At the end of the year when they will feel strong and rested they can look forward to great times...Right now I am encouraging the boys to swim with a lot of effort with a determined mind set. Many boys swam with great effort but lacked in the determination like we saw Thursday."

Host Prior Lake won the team title with 478.5 points, followed by Farmington 402, Cretin-Derham Hall 309, Apple Valley 258.5, Waterville-Morristown/Delano/Waconia 194.5, White Bear Lake 192 and Shakopee 178.5. 

Farmington scored two first place finishes. Christopher Kirchmann led the field in the 50 freestyle and Evan Carufel won the one-meter diving competition. Kirchmann also scored the only Farmington second, finishing runner-up in the 100 freestyle.

Two Tiger relay teams scored third place points: the 200 medley relay quartet of Cameron Molnar, Nick Stephan, Brandon Dion and Kirchmann and the 200 freestyle foursome of Oliver Chow, Carufel, Christian Bell and Dahlton Bell.

Chow took fourth place in the 100 butterfly and Austin Kueck ranked fourth in the 500 freestyle The 400 freestyle relay team of Eric Schimmel, Kirchmann, Stephan and Dahlton Bell also came in fourth..

The Tigers placed fifth in five other events: Aaron Cochanauer, 200 individual medley and 100 butterfly; Christian Bell, 50 freestyle; Schimmel, 100 freestyle and Chow, 100 backstroke.

Other Farmington top 10 finishers:
200 freestyle: 6. Schimmel
200 individual medley: 6. Kueck
50 freestyle: 8. Dan Berg
One-meter diving: 9. Jonathan Bovee
100 freestyle: 8. C. Bell
500 freestyle: 7. Ian Alexander
100 backstroke: 8. David Bovee; 9. Molnar
100 breaststroke: 7. Spencer Kabran

Thursday the Tigers entertain Hopkins in a non-conference dual meet at the Dodge Middle School pool.