Boys Swimming: Another solid showing

MVP Dan Berg made the all-Missota team and qualified for state in three events (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The Tigers had to overcome some unexpected logistical obstacles during the 2013-14 season but when all was said and done  it was another solid year for coach Ryan Hamen and his program.

The Tigers placed second at the Missota Conference Championships, third at the Section 1AA meet and qualified for the state meet in four events.

"The boys did a great job this season," Hamen said. "We had a lot of issues with the pool losing power and having to swim in other pools for a week and then losing our timing system. It was these issues that made the season tough. The boys took it all in stride and did what they had to do."

Hamen and his staff awarded varsity letters to 17 Tigers at the team's post-season awards banquet held Monday night.

Ten of the letters went to senior veterans: Daniel Berg, Brandon Dion, Sean Dougherty, Spencer Kabran, Eric Schimmel, Nick Stephan, David Bovee, Greg Schmaus, Zach Boelter and Alex Garofalo. Senior managers Katie Aaron and Leah Huls also earned varsity letters.

All-conference swimmer Brandon Dion broke the school record in the 100 butterfly (photo by Jim Lindquist)

"These boys were great leaders," Hamen said. "They motivated by example and encouraged others to do the same."

Underclassmen winning monograms included juniors Jake Bauerle, Jonathan Bovee, Robin DeCastro, Garrett Haugen, Devon Webb and Brock Lange; freshmen Austin Kueck, Ben Gunderson and Ian Alexander, eighth-graders Triston Butoi and Nicholas Stivers and seventh-grader Oscar Hanifl.

MVP Berg, who qualified for state in three events, and Dion, who set a new school record in the 100 butterfly, made the all-Missota Conference team. So did diver Bovee and the versatile Schimmel who swam on the 400 freestyle relay team at state. Kueck and DeCastro received all-league honorable mention.

Three swimmers shared the team's Hardest Worker Award: Schimmel, Kueck and Ryan Newton. Gunderson and Noah Budde received the "I Can Do It, Coach" award and Jonathan Bovee and Ben Walz were named co-Most Dependable. Bauerle and Brett Haugen took home the Most Improved Award and Eric Heddinger was named Rookie of the Year.

On the academic front, Boelter and Schmaus earned Academic All-American honors.

Garrett Haugen, Jonathan Bovee, DeCastro and Bauerle were named co-captains for the 2014-15 season.

One of the things Hamen said he appreciated about this year's team was its depth.

"All four of our divers were able to compete at the big meets with 11 dives," he said. Not many schools can do that... All four of our breaststroke swimmers competed in the section consolation and final rounds."

All-Missota diver Jonathan Bovee (photo by J. Lindquist)

Individually, the Tiger coach lauded the performance of Kueck, who became just the second Tiger ever to break the five-minute mark in the 500 freestyle, and Bauerle who knocked eight seconds off his 100 breaststroke time to become the team leader in that event.

As for the future, Hamen said his program should continue to improve.

"We have a number of young athletes who are very promising," he said. "Every year as the boys get bigger, stronger, faster and taller it is not always easy to know.  I hope to find athletes strong in every event and improve our non-freestyle strokes."

The Tigers will leave the familiar confines of the Missota next season when they take up residence in the South Suburban Conference.
  
"We are looking at being in the middle of the pack in the South Suburban," Hamen said.  "Lakeville South, Prior Lake and Rosemount are always big contenders at the state level. I hope we will raise our level of skills and grow so we can be more competitive at the higher levels."


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Boy Swimming: Tigers zero out at state

Jonathan Bovee 17th in state diving

Farmington sent athletes in four events to this weekend's Class AA State Championships held at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center.

The Tiger performers turned in respectable times and scores but none managed to get Farmington on the final team scoreboard.

Diver Jonathan Bovee had the top Tiger performance, finishing one place out of the money with a 17th place effort on the one-meter board.

Dan Berg, who qualified for state in both the 50 and 100 freestyle, finished 20th and 23rd respectively in those events.

The Farmington 400 freestyle relay team of Berg, Brandon Dion, Garret Haugen and Eric Schimmel ranked 22nd in a high-powered field.

Boys Swimming: Berg, Bovee, relay on to state

Dan Berg qualified for state in three events (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington finished third in the team standings and qualified for this week's Class AA Championships in four events at the Section 1AA meet held Saturday at the Rochester Recreation Center.

Rochester Century won the section team title with 437 points, followed by Hastings 420, Farmington 299, Rochester John Marshall 286, Winona 251, Rochester Mayo 193 and Owatonna 151.

Dan Berg had an outstanding  meet for the Tigers, qualifying for state in three events. The speedy senior won the 100 freestyle, took third in the 50 freestyle and teamed up with Eric Schimmel, Garrett Haugen and Brandon Dion for a third place finish in the 400 freestyle relay.

The other Farmington state qualifier was diver Jonathan Bovee, who took third in the one-meter board competition.

"We had a pretty good show at sections," Tiger coach Ryan Hamen said. "We qualified for state in four events and some of our young guys stepped up and showed great promise."

In addition to the state-qualifying performances, a couple of other Farmington entrants barely missed the cut.

Brandon Dion broke Brian Huls' school record in his fourth place finish in the 100 butterfly that was .02 of a second out of third. The 200 freestyle relay quartet of Schimmel, Haugen, Dion and Berg finished third, one place away from state qualification.

Other top Farmington performances:
200 freestyle: 8. Schimmel
200 individual medley: 5. Austin Kueck
500 freestyle: 5. Kueck
100 backstroke: 7. Ben Gunderson
100 breaststroke: 7. Jake Bauerle

The Class AA state championships will be held next weekend at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center.

Boys Swimming: A solid second in the Missota

Daniel Berg Missota Conference 50 freestyle champion (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington wasn't quite able to successfully defend its Missota Conference title but still had a good day at the 2014 league meet, finishing second among six teams Saturday at the Dodge Middle School pool.

Chaska/Chanhassen finished atop the standings with 502 points, followed by Farmington 421, Northfield 407, Shakopee 300, Red Wing 237 and Holy Angels 20.

"It was a very fun meet today," coach Ryan Hamen said. "Our divers didn't do as well as we had hoped but our swimmers did better than expected."

Two Farmington individuals and one relay team came away from the meet as champions. Daniel Berg won the 50 freestyle and Brandon Dion captured the 100 butterfly. 

Berg and Dion also teamed up with Eric Schimmel and Garrett Haugen to win the 400 freestyle relay, the final event of the day.

"Dan had a phenomenal day," Hamen said, "And Brandon is within half a second of the school record in the 100 butterfly."

Brandon Dion Missota Conference 100 butterfly champion (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Berg added a second place finish in the 100 freestyle to his productive day and joined with Schimmel, Dion and Haugen to take fourth in the 200 freestyle relay.

Ben Gunderson scored third place points in the 100 backstroke and four other Tiger entries finished fourth: Austin Kueck in the 200 individual medley and 500 freestyle; Robin DeCastro in the 100 breaststroke and David Bovee in the 100 backstroke. 

Dion took fifth in the 200 individual medley as did DeCastro in the 100 butterfly.

Other top 10 Farmington finishers:

200 freestyle: 6. Schimmel

200 individual medley: 9. Haugen

One-meter diving: 6. Jonathan Bovee

50 freestyle: 10. Adam Dougherty

100 butterfly: 8. Spencer Kabran

100 freestyle: 7. Schimmel; 10. Haugen

100 breaststroke: 6. Nick Stephan; 7. Jake Bauerle

The Tigers now have two weeks to prepare for the Section 1AA Championships slated for Feb. 20 and 22 at the Rochester Recreation Center.

Boys Swimming: A Missota tune-up

(photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington tuned up for this Saturday's Missota Conference Championships with a 94-92 non-conference dual meet win over Rochester John Marshall at the Dodge Middle School pool.

The Rockets won the battle for first place points by winning eight of the meet's 12 events but the Tigers won the overall war by piling up the points in places two through five.

"We did well," Farmington coach Ryan Hamen said. "JM has some very strong swimmers. We stacked up the way we want to swim Saturday at our conference meet."

The Tiger individual winners included Jonathan Bovee in one-meter diving; Ian Alexander in the 500 freestyle and Daniel Berg in the 50 freestyle.

The 200 freestyle relay team of Berg, Garrett Haugen, Brandon Dion and Eric Schimmel also scored first place points.

Adam Dougherty 3rd in diving (photo by J. Lindquist)

Farmington racked up eight runner-up finishes, seven in individual events and one in a relay.

The individuals included Alexander, 200 freestyle; Haugen, 200 individual medley, Dion, 100 butterfly; Berg, 100 freestyle; Tristen Butoi, 500 freestyle; Ben Gunderson, 100 backstroke and Robin DeCatro, 100 breaststroke.

The other second place effort came from the 400 freestyle relay quartet of Berg, Haugen, Dion and Schimmel.

Seven other Farmington individuals came in third: Schimmel, 100 and 200 freestyle; Dion, 200 individual medley; Adam Dougherty, 50 freestyle; Sean Dougherty, one-meter diving; Brock Lange, 100 butterfly and David Bovee, 100 backstroke.

The Missota Conference Championships will be held Saturday (Feb. 8) at the Dodge Middle School pool starting at 10:00 a.m.

Boys Swimming: Tigers splash by Shakopee

Seniors Brandon Dion (top) and Daniel Berg each won three events (photo by Jim Lindquist)

This time it was Farmington that roared to a big lead and coasted to a comfortable dual meet victory.

The Tigers won eight of the first nine events and then swam the final three in exhibition mode in a 96-85 Missota Conference win Thursday night at the Dodge Middle School pool.

"We had a good meet tonight," Tiger coach Ryan Hamen said. "The Shakopee program is still only about six years old but they are starting to show some great competition. We can't take them lightly anymore."

Daniel Berg and Brandon Dion had big nights for the victors with three first place finishes apiece. The senior teammates tied for first in the 50 freestyle and joined Garrett Haugen and Eric Schimmel in winning the 200 freestyle relay. Berg also won the 100 freestyle and Dion led the pack in the 100 butterfly.

Other individual event champions included Schimmel, 200 freestyle; Austin Kueck, 500 freestyle and Jonathan Bovee, one-meter diving.

The other Tiger blue ribbon finish came from the 200 medley relay team of Ben Gunderson, Robin DeCastro, Brock Lange and Jonathan Kingsbury.

Four other Tigers placed in the runner-up position in individual events: Nick Stephan, 200 individual medley; DeCastro, 100 butterfly; Schimmel, 100 freestyle and Nick Stephan, 200 individual medley.

Gunderson ranked third in the 200 medley and Adam Dougherty took third in the 100 freestyle.

Next on the docket for the Tigers is a non-conference dual meet with Section 1AA rival John Marshall next Monday at the Dodge pool.

Boys Swimming: Overall, a good night

Ben Gunderson 2nd in 100 backstroke and 500 freestyle (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Hastings won the scoreboard battle but Tiger coach Ryan Hamen said all things considered, his team had a pretty good showing in its 98-83 non-conference dual meet  loss to the Raiders Tuesday night in Hastings.

"We didn't win but we had a lot of good swims," Hamen said. "We had some guys swim some off events to determine races to swim at our end of the year competitions. 

"Due to the lack of practice and other issues we have had, I am happy about tonight's meet."

Hamen said he was especially pleased with the efforts of Garrett Haugen and Jonathan Kingsbury in the freestyle races and Nick Stephan's performance in the 100 breaststroke.

Hastings built up a commanding  98-58 lead after the meet's first nine events before swimming the final three in exhibition status.

The Tigers won just one of the first nine events. That came from diver Jonathan Bovee who cruised to an easy win on the one-meter board.

In the final three events of the night, Ben Gunderson claimed first in the 100 backstroke; Stephan won the 100 breaststroke and Haugen, Brandon Dion, Daniel Berg and Stephan prevailed in the 400 freestyle relay.

The Tigers scored second place points in six individual events: Berg in the 50 and 100 freestyle; Gunderson in the 500 freestyle and 100 backstroke; Dion in the 100 butterfly and Robin DeCastro in 100 breaststroke.

The 200 freestyle relay foursome of Schimmel, DeCastro, Kingsbury and Berg also placed second.

Austin Kueck took third in 200 freestyle as did Schimmel in the 100 freestyle; David Bovee in the 100 backstroke and Spencer Kabran in the 100 breaststroke.

Thursday the Tigers will be looking for a better team outcome when they host Shakopee in a Missota Conference dual meet at the Dodge Middle School pool.

Boys Swimming: Stormhawks overpower Tigers

Brandon Dion won the 100 butterfly (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Powerhouse Chaska/Chanhassen stormed to a 40-point lead and coasted to a 98-83 dual meet win over the Tigers Thursday night at the Chaska Middle School East pool.

"We had some good swims," Tiger coach Ryan Hamen said, "but they have some very strong swimmers and they got most of the places."

The Stormhawks won eight of the first 10 events before swimming the final two races in exhibition status, allowing the visitors to pick up 25 quick points.

The Tiger wins came from Jonathan Bovee in one-meter diving and Brandon Dion in the 100 butterfly.

Austin Kueck put up a couple of second place finishes for the Tigers, placing runner-up in the 200 individual medley and the 500 freestyle.

Ben Gunderson took second in the 100 backstroke and Daniel Berg scored second place points in the 100 freestyle.

Both the 200 medley (David Bovee, Robin DeCastro, Kueck and Jonathan Kingsbury) and the 200 freestyle (Berg, Devon Webb, Dion and Eric Schimmel) teams also took second.

Three other Farmington entrants ranked third in individual events: Dion, 50 freestyle; Sean Dougherty, one-meter diving and Garrett Haugen, 100 backstroke.

The Tigers get back to business next Tuesday night with a dual meet at Section 1AA rival Hastings.

Boys Swimming: Tigers 3rd at True Team

Jonathan Bovee section diving champ (photo by J. Lindquist)

For the first time in four years someone other than Farmington wears the crown of Section 1AA True Team champions.

Rochester Century put together a dominant performance to win the meet held Saturday in Owatonna.

The Tigers were originally scheduled to host the six-team get-together but had to go to Plan B after a power outage at Dodge Middle School.

Century finished with a winning 963 points. Hastings nipped the Tigers 866.5-859 for the runner-up spot. Winona totaled 579.5 points, Owatonna 570 and Rochester Mayo 553.

Jonathan Bovee was the only Farmington performer to win an event, capturing the diving competition in which the Tigers placed two others in the top five. Oscar Hanifl ranked fourth and Sean Dougherty fifth on the one-meter board.

Two individuals and two relay teams finished third for the defending champs. Austin Kueck ranked third in the 200 individual medley and Brandon Dion took third in the 100 butterfly.

The third place relay teams included the 200 freestyle combination of Eric Schimmel, Robin DeCastro, Jonathan Kingsbury and Daniel Berg and the 400 freestyle foursome of Schimmel, Garrett Haugen, Dion and Berg.

The 200 medley quartet of Ben Gunderson, DeCastro, Dion and Haugen came in fourth.

Schimmel ranked sixth in the 200 freestyle as did Kueck in the 500 freestyle and Gunderson in the 100 backstroke.

Spencer Kabran gets off to a fast start (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Three Tigers scored seventh place points: Berg in the 50 freestyle; Brock Lange in the 100 butterfly and DeCastro in the 100 breaststroke. Berg finished eighth in the 100 freestyle and Spencer Kabran was eighth in the 100 butterfly..

Three more Farmington entrants ranked ninth: Dion in the 50 freestyle; Schimmel in the 100 freestyle and Jake Bauerle in the 100 breaststroke.

Kabran finished tenth in the 100 breaststroke and Haugen took tenth in the 100 backstroke.

The Tigers splash back into action next Thursday when they travel to Chaska for a Missota Conference dual meet with Chaska/Chanhassen.

Boys Swimming: Wingers take a nail-biter

Jonathan Bovee won the one-meter diving competition (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Red Wing won the final event of the night to eke out a 95-91 Missota Conference dual meet win over the Tigers Thursday night at Twin Bluff Middle School in Red Wing.

"There was some great competition tonight," Farmington coach Ryan Hamen said. "Red Wing has some great swimmers and they took a lot of firsts.

"It came down to the 400 freestyle relay where we already had our personal best time but their Tanner Alms pulled away on the last lap. We finished second and third but it wasn't quite enough."

The Tigers won only four of the meet's 12 events, but remained on the Wingers' heels all night thanks to points scored in the second through fifth positions.

Jonathan Bovee continued his strong season with a win in the one-meter diving competition. Other individual winners included Austin Kueck, 100 butterfly; Daniel Berg, 100 freestyle and Nick Stephan, 100 breaststroke.

Nick Stephan 100 breaststroke champion (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The visitors took second place in six events, four individual contests and two relays.

Individuals finishing in the runner-up spot included Ian Alexander in the 200 freestyle; Brandon Dion in the 200 medley; Eric Schimmel in the 50 freestyle and Kueck in the 100 backstroke.

The 200 medley relay team of Ben Gunderson, Robin DeCastro, Dion and Adam Dougherty scored second place points as did the 400 freestyle relay foursome of Schimmel, Dion, Garrett Haugen and Berg.

Six other Tigers finished in third place: Adam Dougherty, 50 freestyle; Sean Dougherty, diving; David Bovee, 100 backstroke; Spencer Kabran, 100 breaststroke; Gunderson, 200 individual medley and Schimmel, 500 freestyle.

This Saturday the Tigers will travel to South St. Paul for a big invitational meet and then they have a week of practice time to prepare for the Section 1AA True Team Championships which they host the following weekend at the Dodge Middle School pool.

Boys Swimming: Tigers 8th at U of M

Daniel Berg 4 top 10 finishes at Maroon and Gold Invite (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington finished eighth in a quality 16-team field Bronze Division of the Maroon and Gold Invitational held Saturday at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center.

Simley won the division title with 329.5 points. Forest Lake was runner-up with 321.5, followed by Andover 309, Tartan 306.5, Osseo 293, St. Cloud Tech 268, Mankato West 268, Farmington 262, Apple Valley 206, Blaine 185, North St. Paul 176, Chisago Lakes Area 168, Park, Cottage Grove 142.5, Watertown-Mayer/Waconia/Delano 139, Shakopee 119 and South St. Paul 2.

"We had a couple guys not able to swim, so we weren't  as strong as we would have liked," coach Ryan Hamen said. "But we had some great times. Lots of good swims closer to personal-bests at this meet."

The Tigers put together top 10 finishes in nine of the meet's 12 events with the best performance a third place effort by Daniel Berg in the 50 freestyle.

Two individuals, Austin Kueck in the 200 individual medley and Jonathan Bovee in one-meter diving, placed fourth as did the 200 freestyle relay team of Eric Schimmel, Brandon Dion, Berg and Jonathan Kingsbury.

The 400 freestyle relay foursome of Berg, Garrett Haugen, Dion and Schimmel ranked sixth. Ben Gunderson scored sixth place points in the 100 backstroke.

Berg (100 freestyle) and Dion (100 butterfly) each added eighth place efforts in individual events to their busy days. Kueck finished 10th in the 500 freestyle.

Other Tiger top 20 finishes:
200 medley relay 16. (Haugen, Nick Stephan, Brock Lange, Kingsbury)
200 freestyle: 20. Ian Alexander
200 individual medley: 19. Haugen
50 freestyle: 14. Schimmel; 16. Adam Dougherty
500 freestyle: 16. Gunderson; 18. Alexander
100 backstroke: 16. David Bovee; 18. Haugen
100 breaststroke: 14. Jake Bauerle; 15. Spencer Kabran; 18. Stephan

The Tigers swing back into action next Thursday when the travel to Red Wing for a Missota Conference dual meet.

Boys Swimming: Tigers have happy new year

Brandon Dion 100 butterfly champion (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The Tigers celebrated the new year with a 93-91 Missota Conference dual meet win over Northfield Thursday night at the Dodge Middle School pool.

Farmington led 93-79 heading into the final event, the 400 freestyle relay, in which it did not compete.

"We had a nice meet tonight," coach Ryan Hamen said. "Many of the boys were a bit tired after doing the marathon (fundraiser) over New Year's....It's always nice to beat Northfield as it is a great rivalry."


Of the 11 events where the Tigers were in the mix, they won seven and finished runner-up in the other four.

Both relay teams, the 200 medley foursome of Ben Gunderson, Robin DeCastro, Brandon Dion and Daniel Berg and the 200 freestyle quartet of Brock Lange, Spencer Kabran, Adam Dougherty and Eric Schimmel were victorious.

The five individual wins came from five different performers: Schimmel in the 200 freestyle; Dion in the 100 butterfly; Berg in the 500 freestyle; Ben Gunderson in the 100 backstroke and Jonathan Bovee on the one-meter board.

The runner-up finishes came from Dion, 50 freestyle; Berg, 200 medley; Schimmel, 100 freestyle and Nick Stephan, 100 breaststroke.

Devon Webb scored the lone Tiger third place finish in the 50 freestyle.

Other Tiger point scorers:
200 freestyle: 4. Lange; 5. A. Dougherty
200 individual medley: 4. Stephan
Diving: 5. Sean Dougherty
50 freestyle: 5. Kueck
100 freestyle: 4. Jonathan Kingsbury; 5. Kabran
100 butterfly: 4. Lange
500 freestyle: 4. Garrett Haugen; 5. Eric Heddinger
200 freestyle relay: 2. Stephan, DeCastro, Webb, Kueck
100 backstroke: 4. David Bovee
100 breaststroke: Jake Bauerle; 5. Kabran

Saturday the Tigers travel to the Aquatic Center on the campus of the University of Minnesota for a big invitational meet.

Boys Swimming: Tigers 5th at Apple Valley

Dan Berg top 10 in 3 events at Apple Valley

Farmington got back in the pool following its Christmas break and finished fifth in a 10-team field at the Apple Valley Invitational on Saturday.

Tiger coach Ryan Hamen didn't have too much to say about his team's middle-of-the-pack finish at the meet held at Valley Middle School.

"Not a lot of good swims today," he said. "Not really very much to report on."

State power Stillwater won the meet with 2443.5 points. Lakeville South finished second with 1856, followed by Eau Claire Memorial /North 1799, Anoka 1679, Farmington 1631, Apple Valley 1411.5, Northfield High School 1307, Cretin-Derham Hall 1242, Lakeville North High 1160 and Rochester Mayo 1007.

The best finish of the meet for the Tigers came from the 200 freestyle relay foursome of Eric Schimmel, Brandon Dion, Daniel Berg and Jonathan Kingsbury that finished fifth.

Individually, Berg turned in the highest Farmington finish of the day with a sixth place effort in the 50 freestyle.

The 400 freestyle relay quartet of Berg, Garret Haugen, Dion and Schimmel ranked seventh.

Three Farmington individuals scored ninth place points: Schimmel in the 100 freestyle; Austin Kueck in the 500 freestyle and Robin DeCastro in the 100 breaststroke.

Ben Gunderson placed 10th in the 100 backstroke. The 200 medley relay team of Gunderson, DeCastro, Spencer Kabran and Adam Dougherty also placed tenth.

The Tigers resume their dual meet season next Thursday (Jan. 2) when they host Missota Conference rival Northfield at the Dodge Middle School pool.

Boys Swimming: A+ in Conditioning

Austin Kueck won the 500 freestyle

The Tigers tested their early season conditioning and scored an A+ Thursday night at Hopkins, defeating the Royals 99-84 in their second dual meet win in 24 hours.

"Last night was a great eye opener as to how much potential we really have," Tiger coach Ryan Hamen said.  "Looking at least year's meet against Hopkins, which was held at the same time of year, we are ahead overall from where we were a year ago."

Farmington garnered 10 of the 14 points available in the 200 medley relay, the first event of the night, and gradually extended its lead over the final 11 events.

Like the previous night's win over Hudson, the Tigers didn't score a lot of first place finishes (5) but piled up the points in places two through five.

Four Farmington individuals came through with victories, including Dan Berg in the 50 freestyle; Eric Schimmel in the 100 freestyle, Austin Kueck in the 500 freestyle and Jonathan Bovee in one-meter diving.

The 200 freestyle relay team of Schimmel, Adam Dougherty, Jonathan Kingbsury and Berg provided the other Tiger first place points.

"We lost Christopher Kirchmann, our big gun from last year," Hamen said, "But Berg, Schimmel and  Garrett Haugen are swimming faster than last year's seniors at this point."

Dan Berg 2 1st place finishes

A half dozen other Tiger entrants managed runner-up finishes, five individuals and a relay.

Individuals included Berg in the 100 freestyle; Dion in the 100 butterfly; Ben Gunderson in the 100 backstroke; Brooke Lange in the 200 freestyle and Nick Stephan in the 100 breaststroke.

The runner-up 200 medley relay team consisted of 200 medley grouping of Gunderson, Robin DeCastro, Brandon Dion and Haugen.

Seven more Tigers finished in third place: Spencer Kabran, 100 breaststroke; Oscar Hanifl, diving; Ian Alexander, 200 freestyle; Haugen, 200 individual medley; Schimmel. 50 freestyle; Lange, 100 butterfly and Gunderson, 500 freestyle.

In addition to the final score, Hamen expressed satisfaction with the way his swimmers have been pushing each other in practice.

"In the 100 back, Gunderson is almost breaking the minute mark and Haugen and David Bovee are close behind him," Hamen said.

"In our breaststroke, we didn't lose any swimmers from last year while Kabran, DeCastro, and Stephan continue to take the leads."

The Tigers resume their schedule on Dec. 28 when they compete in the Apple Valley Invitational at the Valley Middle School pool.

Boys Swimming: Tigers too much for Hudson

100 breaststroke champ Spencer Kabran

Tuesday night's dual meet with Hudson, Wisconsin, at the Dodge Middle School pool was tied 39-39 through five events before the Tigers pulled away for a 104-82 win.

"Our new guys are still dropping a lot of time as they are learning the strokes and getting more comfortable in competition," Farmington coach Ryan Hamen said.

"The veterans showed big improvement in their mechanics but still have a ways to go. Some gained a little time but the practices are getting tougher physically and testing their mental toughness hoping they can maintain good form through the hard work."

Farmington won four of meet's 12 events. In individual events Ben Gunderson claimed the 100 backstroke while Spencer Kabran captured the 100 breaststroke.

The 200 freestyle relay quartet of Eric Schimmel, Adam Dougherty, Jonathan Kingsbury and Daniel Berg was victorious as was Jonathan Bovee on the one-meter board.

Six Tiger individuals registered second place points, including Austin Kueck in the 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke; Dion in the 100 butterfly; Berg in in the 100 freestyle; Ian Alexander in the 500 freestyle and Dougherty in diving.

The 200 medley team of Garrett Haugen, Kabran, Dougherty and Greg Schmaus and the 400 freestyle foursome of Berg, Dion, Haugen and Schimmel also took second.

Six more Farmington entrants finished in third place, including Nick Stephan, 500 freestyle and 100 breaststroke; Kingsbury, 200 freestyle; Dion, 200 individual medley; Berg, 50 freestyle and Schimmel, 100 freestyle.

Thursday the Tigers venture to Hopkins for a dual meet at Hopkins North Junior High.

Swimming: Tigers second at Prior Lake Invite

Brandon Dion

Farmington won but one event but scored well in all of them to finish second at the seven-team Prior Lake Invitational last Saturday.

Host Prior Lake wont he meet with 502.5 points. The Tigers totaled 375 followed by Shakopee 289.5, Apple Valley 263, Cretin-Derham Hall 230, Watertown-Mayer/Waconia/Delano 197 and White Bear Lake 180.

 "We had a pretty good meet," Tiger coach Ryan Hamen said. " We achieved a lot of personal time drops...We have been working on our mechanics a lot during practice but have to still carry that into the meet. Old habits are hard to break."

The Tiger first place finish came from diver Jonathan Bovee who continued his shine on the one-meter board.

Farmington also scored a pair of runner-up finishes in individual races with Brandon Dion placing runner-up in the 100 butterfly and Austin Kueck taking second in in the 500 freestyle.

Hamen said Dion has his sights set on a lofty goal in the 100 fly this season

"His wants to break :55 by mid season in hopes to be the first Tiger male to make it to state in the event," he said.

The 400 relay team of Eric Schimmel, Dion, Dan Berg and Garrett Haugen also scored second place points.

The 200 freestyle relay foursome of Berg, Adam Dougherty, Robin DeCastro and Schimmel ranked third.

Four Farmington entrants placed fourth: Berg in the 100 and 200 freestyle; Kueck in the 500 freestyle and 200 medley relay foursome of Kueck, Spencer Kabran, Dion and Dougherty.

Ben Gunderson was fifth in the 100 backstroke as was Kabran in the 100 breaststroke and Schimmel in the 50 freestyle.

Other Farmington top 10 finishers:
200 freestyle: 6. Dion; 8. Haugen; 8
50 freestyle: 7. Dougherty; 8. Jonathan Kingsbury
100 butterfly: 7. Kabran
500 freestyle: 7. Gunderson; 8. Schimmel
100 backstroke: 6. Haugen; 10. David Bovee

Boys Swimming: Irish swim by Tigers

Jonathan Bovee (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Rosemount won nine of 10 events before swimming the final two of the night in exhibition status in a 98-85 win over the Tigers Tuesday night in Rosemount.

Jonathan Bovee provided the lone Farmington first in the meet by winning the one-meter diving competition.

Nick Stephan scored first place points in the 100 breaststroke as did the 400 freestyle relay team of  Daniel Berg, Brandon Dion, Garrett Haugen and Eric Schimmel in the races the Irish swam in exhibition mode.

"We have a lot to work on," Tiger coach Ryan Hamen said. "Meeting Rosemount this year is a great opportunity to get a view of one of the teams who will be in our conference next year. They have a lot of great swimmers...We had a lot of of close swims and need to keep our boys swimming smart."

Farmington finished runner-up in five individual races against the Irish: Berg in the 50 and 100 freestyle; Schimmel in the 200 freestyle; Dion in the 100 butterfly and Ben Gunderson in the 100 backstroke.

The 200 medley relay team of Gunderson, Stephan, Dion and Berg also took second place.

Four other Farmington entrants scored third place points, including Brooke Lange, 200 freestyle; Oscar Hanifl, diving; Haugen, 200 individual medley and Schimmel, 100 freestyle.

This Saturday the Tigers head to Hidden Oaks Middle School in Prior Lake for their annual appearance at the Prior Lake Invitational.

Boys Swimming: Tigers runner-up at Missota Relays

Nick Stephan anchored 1st place relay team

Paced by a first place finish in the 200 breaststroke relay the Tigers edged host Northfield by two points to take second at the Missota Conference Relays held Thursday night.

The cooperative team of Chaska/Chanhassen won the meet that consisted of nine relay events. The Stormhawks  tallied 530 team points, followed by Farmington 476, Northfield 474, Shakopee 464 and Red Wing 364.

The 200 breaststroke team of Robin DeCastro, Alex Garofalo, Spencer Kabran and Nick Stephan produced the only first place finish for the Tigers, posting a winning time of 2:04.78.

Farmington finished third in three events, fourth in three and fifth in two, including diving where four individual scores were totaled for each team.

"The boys have been working hard in practice and have moved into positions on the team where they are expected to perform at a higher level," coach Ryan Hamen said, "and many did. 

"Those who graduated last year were a huge loss. The boys this year have to catch up a bit to fill some of those gaps....We still have a lot of swimmers who were in top roles but our gap is a bit bigger to give us stronger depth. The determination shows and I am excited to see how these boys develop and take ownership."

Complete meet results:
400 medley relay: 3. David Bovee, Stephan, Brandon Dion, Dan Berg
200 freestyle relay: 3. Eric Schimmel, Adam Dougherty, Devon Webb, Jake Bauerle
400 medley relay: 4. Dion, Dougherty, DeCastro, Garrett Haugen
200 butterfly relay: 4. Kabran, Stephan, Bovee, Ben Gunderson
850 freestyle relay: 4. Webb, Dougherty, Bovee, Austin Kueck
200 backstroke relay: 3. Haugen, Greg Schmaus, Bovee, Gunderson
400 freestyle relay: 5. Bovee, Don, Schimmel,Webb
One-meter diving relay: 5. Jonathan Bovee, Sean Dougherty, Oscar Hanifl, Nicholas Stivers

Boys Swimming: 7 seniors back from big year

Nick Stephan one of 5 senior captains (file photo by Jim Lindquist)

Seven seniors head the list of 11 returnees from an outstanding 2012-13  boys swimming and diving season that included Missota Conference and Section 1AA True Team championships and a 26-point performance at the state meet.

Coach Ryan Hamen says he will miss the likes of MVP Christopher Kirchmann, Dahlton and Christian Bell, Cameron Molnar and Evan Carufel, but he is confident the strong cadre of returnees will make the 2013-14 another successful campaign.

The senior veterans include captains Eric Schimmel, Spencer Kabran, Nick Stephan, Sean Dougherty and Dan Berg and Brandon Dion and David Bovee; juniors Jonathan Bovee, Garrett Haugen and Robin DeCastro and freshman Austin Kueck

Schimmel won all-Missota Conference honors last season and Berg received all-league honorable mention.

Senior captain Sean Dougherty (photo by J. Lindquist)

Hamen said there are a couple of newcomers who might also crack the varsity lineup but with only a few practices under their belts it is far too early to tell.

"We have a number of very good swimmers," Hamen said. "We have great attitudes and personalities and that is going to make this a fun year....I am always  surprised as to who steps up and where we end up."

If there is a question mark it could lie in overall team depth.

"We have a lot of all-around good swimmers but we are going to have to work at having quality depth for each race.

"We have to get the confidence to try new things and experiment with our swimmers in different areas. It's going to take a lot of work to pick up where we left off last year."

Hamen said one of his team's goals is to win its third straight Section 1AA True Team title. He also isn't ruling out another run at a Missota Conference championship.

"Chaska/Chanhassen should be strong again," he said. "We'll have to look at them when we get there.

Rochester Mayo and Hastings figure to be contending teams in the Section 1AA race.

Phil Weix is Hamen's varsity assistant coach this season. John Tegg will work with the divers.

The Tigers get their first taste of competition Thursday at the second and final Missota Conference Relays in Northfield. Farmington won the inaugural event last winter.

Girls Swimming: A championship tune-up

Diver Kendall Novak (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The Tigers dropped a 96-88 dual meet decision to Section 1AA rival Rochester John Marshall Tuesday night at the Dodge Middle School pool but coach Jen Marshall wasn't all that bothered by the final numbers.

The more important issue concerned the remainder of the schedule, namely the upcoming Missota Conference and Section 1AA meets.

"I love having this meet the week of the conference championships because it gives us a chance to fine-tune things in our races," Marshall said.

"We also swam some off-events in an effort to make sure we are putting personnel where they will be most successful, both individually and for the team."

Farmington won four events in its final dual meet of the year, three by individuals and one in a relay.

Kaitlyn O'Reilly (100 butterfly) and Kirsten Kracke (50 freestyle) each grabbed a first in a swimming event and diver Kendall Novak continued her hot streak with a victory on the one-meter board.

The relay win came in the 400 freestyle where the foursome of Kracke, O'Reilly, Cora Ruzicka and Chelsea Gehrke led the field.

The Tigers also scored second place finishes in four individual events and two relays. The individual runner-up finishes came from O'Reilly in the 100 backstroke; Kracke in the 100 freestyle; Ruzicka in the 200 individual medley and Sara Kintner in the 200 freestyle.

The quartet of Kracke, O'Reilly, Ruzicka and Gehrke placed second in the 200 medley relay. Hannah Seitzinger, Emily Ley, Grace Roach and Ellie Sundet combined to take second in the 200 freestyle relay.

The Section 1AA True Team section champions also earned third place points in six other events: Gehrke in the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke; Ley in the 50 freestyle; Sundet in the 500 freestyle; Ruzicka in the 100 butterfly and Kintner in the 100 breaststroke.

Saturday the girls travel to Shakopee for the Missota Conference Championships. The Section 1AA meet is scheduled for Nov. 7 and Nov. 9 in Rochester.

"We're looking forward to Saturday and the rest of championship season," Marshall said.

Senior Cora Ruzicka (photo by Jim Lindquist)