Senior swimmers help take Tigers to new heights

2013 was the most successful girls swimming and diving season in school history

Paced by the largest senior class in the program's history, the Tigers put together a memorable 2013 season.

The list of accomplishments is a lengthy one. The season started with a win at the Missota Conference Relays and meet championships at the Maroon and Gold Invite and the Bloomington Kennedy Invitational soon followed.

Then came a team building trip to Duluth and a third straight True Team section title. In between came the school's best-ever dual meet mark and four new school records.

All-state recognition for Kaitlyn O'Reilly and the relay team of O'Reilly, Cora Rizicka, Kirsten Kracke and Chelsea Gehrke added a little icing on the cake.

"This was the biggest senior class we've ever graduated and I'm proud of their accomplishments in and out of the water," coach Jen Marshall said. "Over the years, I've witnessed their leadership skills develop, the strongest bonds of friendship formed and pride for themselves and their team grow in everything they did. 

"I'm excited to see where life leads them and the additional successes they create for themselves. It's been nothing short of an honor and privilege to work with them and watch them grow into amazing young women."

Thirteen of the 34 varsity letters handed out at the team's post-season banquet went to members of the class of 2013, including: Katie Aaron, Nikki Cayard, Mackenzie Farran, Sydney Geiger, Chloe Holton, Leah Huls, Sara Kintner, Maddie Kohlbeck, Courtney L'Heureux, Kaitlyn O'Reilly, Cora Ruzicka, Hannah Seitzinger and Ahan Wilson.

Underclassmen receiving letters included juniors Katie King, Kirsten Kracke, Ellie Sundet, Hanna Sundt and Kendall Novak; sophomores Kaylee Dahlberg, Chelsea Gehrke, Emily Ley, Tori Sontag and Elizabeth Welter; freshmen Katie Anderson, Paige Hansen, Allison Kjellberg, Paige LeTourneau and Gena Sheehan and eighth-graders Lexie Bray, Caroline Cummings, Catherine Gehrke, Shannon Newman, Grace Roach and Jessi Witherill.

Six Tigers--Cayard, Chelsea Gehrke, Kracke, Novak, O'Reilly and Ruzicka--earned all-Missota Conference honors while Kintner and Sundet garnered all-league honorable mention.

Several other awards were announced at the post-season banquet:
Most Valuable Players: O'Reilly, Kracke and Holton
Most Improved: Geiger
Hardest Worker: Kracke
Tiger Award: Holton
Rookie of the Year: Anderson

Coach Marshall also announced King, Kracke, Sundet and Gabby Freuler as team captains for the 2014 season.

Marshall admitted she'll feel the loss of the big senior class when practice begins next fall but she is confident her younger athletes will step up to carry on the program's strong tradition.

"The underclassmen will have big shoes to fill but I'm confident they'll rise to the occasion as we enter the South Suburban Conference," she said. "Since we'll be competing against faster teams we'll have to step things up even more to be competitive."

Swimming: O'Reilly goes out with a flourish

Kaitlyn O'Reilly all-state in three events  (photo by Minnesota State High School League)

Kaitlyn O'Reilly collects all-state swimming honors like attics collect dust.

The talented Tiger senior finished seventh in the 200 individual medley and eighth in the 100 backstroke at the Class AA state meet held Wednesday night at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center.

In addition, she teamed up with Cora Ruzicka, Kirsten Kracke and Chelsea Gehrke to finish seventh in the 200 freestyle relay. The seventh place finish in the relay tied Farmington's best effort ever in a relay event at state.

The trio of top eight finishes ran O'Reilly's career all-state recognitions to nine over the past four seasons.

"Kaitlyn's accomplishments in the pool speak for themselves as she's the most decorated Lady Tiger in program history," coach Jen Marshall said.

"She's a leader in and out of the water and is always helping other swimmers with their strokes and turns. She plans to continue her swimming career in college and I'm excited to follow where life leads her."

The 2013 state team achieved the highest-ever finish (12th) by a Tiger team

The Tigers turned in their best-ever finish in the team standings at state, placing 12th among 36 schools. Their 60 team points were the second most ever scored by a Farmington girls team at the state finals.

In addition to the three all-state performances, the Tigers scored points in two other events at state. Kracke ranked 14th in the 50 freestyle while the 200 medley relay foursome of O'Reilly, Ruzicka, Kracke and Gehrke took 12th place.

Gehrke finished two spots out of the scoring column in the 100 butterfly with an 18th place finish.

"The days of the state meet were different this year, and because of it, we had an additional five days between sections and state," Marshall said. "The good part is that it was the case statewide. The bad part is that it was difficult for many teams to hold their taper. 

"Fortunately for the Lady Tigers, we had a great prelims which set us up in good positions for the finals. Unfortunately, by the time finals rolled around we had run out of gas...We have a lot to be proud of though as we had a fantastic season."

Four Tiger swimmers = seven state qualifiers

 

Kaitlyn O'Reilly (top) and Kirsten Kracke to state in four events (photos by J. Lindquist)

If the Tigers girls were a baseball hitter, Saturday's performance at the Section 1AA Championships in Rochester would have put them on the Hall of Fame ballot.

Farmington batted a robust .583 in the section finals, qualifying in seven of 12 events for next weekend's state meet while finishing third in the final section standings.

Rochester Mayo dominated the team competition with 443 points. Hastings took second with 356.5, followed by Farmington 334, Winona 270, Rochester John Marshall 265, Rochester Century 216.5 and Owatonna 151.

"We had an amazing prelims and held on to finish strong in the finals," coach Jen Marshall said. "Five individual entries in the state meet is the most we've ever had and we're confident our relays will get faster. It should make for an exciting state meet,"

Four Tigers--Kaitlyn O'Reilly, Kirsten Kracke, Chelsea Gehrke and Cora Ruzicka--accounted for all seven state meet berths with O'Reilly and Kracke each making the cut in four.

O'Reilly, an all-state performer last fall, also made the state field in two individual events. The speedy senior set a meet record of 2:05.03 in winning the 200 individual medley and also took third in the 200 backstroke.

Chelsea Gehrke qualified in three events (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Kracke also will swim four events at state, adding a runner-up finish in the 50 freestyle and a fourth place effort in the 100 freestyle to her list of accomplishments at the section finals.

Gehrke made state in an individual event with a third place showing in the 100 butterfly.

Two of the state qualifications came from the formidable foursome of O'Reilly, Kracke, Gehrke and Cora Ruzicka who joined forces to finish second in both the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays. The 200 freestyle quartet set a new school mark with a 1:38.48 clocking.

 O'Reilly (200 individual medley), Gehrke (100 butterfly), Kracke (100 freestyle) and Ruzicka (500 freestyle) all set new school standards in individual events at the meet.

In addition to the in-pool success at the section championships the Tigers also learned they had achieved the Academic Gold Standard set by the State Coaches Association by compiling a team grade point average of at least 3.75 (on a 4.0 scale).

The Class AA state meet will take place Nov 18-20 at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center.

Cora Ruzicka swam on two state-qualifying relays (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Other Farmington point-scorers at the section meet:
200 freestyle: 4. Ruzicka; 1. Ellie Sundet; 13. Catherine Gehrke
200 medley: 14. Chloe Holton; 15. Paige LeTourneau
50 freestyle: 16. Grace Roach
One-meter diving: 5. Kendall Novak; 6. Tori Sontag; 10. Nikki Cayard
100 butterfly: 13. Holton; 14. Roach
100 freestyle: 11. Sundet
500 freestyle: 5. Ruzicka; 6. Sara Kintner; 12. Ca. Gehrke
100 backstroke: 9. Lexie Bray; 13. Emily Ley; 15. Sydney Geiger
100 breaststroke: 6. Kintner; 14. Katie Anderson

Girls Swimming: A solid second

2013 Missota Conference Runner-ups

The Tigers didn't win a single event at the Missota Conference Championships held Saturday at Shakopee but they had more than their share of top five finishes to place second in the final team standings.

State-rated Chanhassen claimed the league title with 476 points with Farmington in the runner-up spot with 423. Chaska was well back in third at 352, followed by Northfield 338, Red Wing 190, New Prague 152, Shakopee 110 and Holy Angels 66.

"We had a fabulous conference meet and it makes me very excited for sections and state," Tiger coach Jen Marshall said  "Going into the meet Chanhassen was 120 points ahead of us and we were able to make 70 of those up. We were gunning to take the title but we had a good run at them and I'm proud of how we performed."

The foursome of Kirsten Kracke, Kaitlyn O'Reilly, Chelsea Gehrke and Cora Ruzicka accounted for two of the Farmington second place finishes in the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays.

Each of the four relay swimmers also scored second place points in an individual event: O'Reilly in the 200 individual medley; Ruzicka in the 200 freestyle; Gehrke in the 100 butterfly and Kracke in the 100 freestyle.

O'Reilly took third in the 100 breaststroke as did Kracke in the 50 freestyle. Nikki Cayard ranked fourth in diving and Ruzicka was fourth in the 500 freestyle.

Nikki Cayard 4th in diving (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The 400 freestyle relay team of Catherine Gehrke, Hannah Seitzinger, Ellie Sundet and Emily Ley also rang up fourth place points.

Three more Tigers took fifth place: Sundet in the 200 freestyle; Chelsea Gehrke in the 200 individual medley and Lexie Bray in the 100 backstroke.

Other Farmington top 10 finishers included Sara Kintner, sixth in 100 breaststroke and seventh in the 500 freestyle seventh; Kendall Novak, sixth in one-meter diving; Sundet, seventh in the 100 freestyle; Tori Sontag, eighth in diving; Catherine Gehrke, eighth in the 200 freestyle and ninth in the 500 freestyle; Chloe Holton, ninth in the 100 butterfly; Seitzinger, ninth in the 50 freestyle and Grace Roach, 10th in the 100 butterfly.

Coach Marshall said Sundet had "the best conference meet she's ever had" and was also excited about Cayard's performance on the one-meter board.

"She is putting things together and had the meet of her life as did Tori Sontag," she said. "This was also Elizabeth Welter's first 11-dive meet and she was incredible with a top 16 finish."

The Tigers now have a week and a half to prepare for the Section 1AA Championships scheduled for Nov 7 and Nov 9 in Rochester.

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)

Girls Swimming: Tigers 11th at True Team State

The Tigers went up against the best in Minnesota Saturday, placing 11th in a 12-team field at the 2013 Class AA True Team Championships held Saturday at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center.

The list of qualifying teams read like a Who's Who of high school swim teams in the Gopher State with Wayzta winning the title with 2042 points.

Perennial state power Stillwater ranked second with 2042.5, followed by Eden Prairie 1834, Minnetonka 1804, Edina 1803.5, Mounds View 1600, Centennial 1487.5, Rosemount 1382.5, St. Michael/Albertville 931, Prior Lake 915, Farmington 822 and Blaine 637.

"We had a decent meet considering the point of the season we're in," coach Jen Marshall said. "Many teams suited (wore fast suits) and rested for the meet but we swam right though it without resting or suiting and several girls had some nice time drops.  Kendall Novak had her best meet thus far in diving, too."

Kaitlyn O'Reilly came through with the lone top ten finish for the Tigers with a ninth place showing in the 100 backstroke.

Section 1AA True Team Champions

Two Farmington entrants finished 11th in their respective races: Kirsten Kracke in the 100 freestyle and the 200 freestyle relay quartet of O'Reilly, Kracke, Cora Ruzicka and Chelsea Gehrke.

Novak took 14th place in the one-meter diving competition and  O'Reilly turned in a 16th place finish in the 200 individual medley.

Kracke placed 17th in the 50 freestyle as did the 200 medley relay foursome of Kracke, O'Reilly, Gehrke and Ruzicka. Gehrke was 19th in the 100 butterfly.

Ruzicka finished 24th in the 200 freestyle and Tori Sontag landed in 25th place on the one-meter board.

Tuesday the Tigers entertain Rochester John Marshall in their final dual meet of the year before heading into what coach Marshall calls "the championship season". That kicks off Saturday with a trip to Shakopee for the Missota Conference Championships.
 
"Our sights are on the championship season," she said. "That has always been our focus and we won't change our training for the conference, section and state meets.

"It was an honor to be at True Team State as we were able to race with the best in the state. It was a great experience."

Girls Swimming and Diving: On to State

 

Kaitlyn O'Reilly (top) and Kirsten Kracke (photos by Jim Lindquist)

For just the second time in school history the Tigers are Section 1AA True Team champions and headed to the state meet.

"We won the section in 2010," coach Jen Marshall said, "and then one other time we got to go to state as an alternate because the champion couldn't go.

"This year's meet was exciting from beginning to end.  Every Lady Tiger stepped up and performed today.  It was a true team effort."

In the unique meet held at Dodge Middle School every competitor, regardless of finish, earned points for her team. That played right into Farmington's strength, namely depth.

The Tigers amassed 976 points to win the team title by a wide margin. Winona/Winona Cotter was a distant second with 803, followed by Rochester John Marshall 750, Rochester Century 745, Hastings 707 and Owatonna 510.

The winners made an early statement by winning the meet's first four events and later went on to win two more.

The 200 medley relay team of Kirsten Kracke, Kaitlyn O'Reilly, Chelsea Gehrke and Cora Ruzicka opened with a win then Ruzicka made it two in a row with a victory in the 200 freestyle.

O'Reilly then captured the 200 individual medley and Kracke followed by leading the field in the 50 freestyle.

Later in the day the Kracke-O'Reilly-Gehrke-Ruzicka connection took top honors in the 200 freestyle relay and O'Reilly posted another individual win, this one in the 100 breaststroke.

Kracke also had a second place finish in the 100 freestyle. Gehrke took third in the 100 butterfly and 200 medley as did Ruzicka in the 500 freestyle.

Two Tigers finished fourth, Kendall Novak on the one-meter board and Sara Kintner in the 500 freestyle. 

Three more Farmington entrants came in fifth: Ellie Sundet in the 200 freestyle; Nikki Cayard in diving and Catherine Gehrke in the 500 freestyle.

Other Farmington Top 10 finishers:
200 individual medley: 6. Lexie Bray, Kaylee Dahlberg. Chloe Holton, Hannah Seitzinger; 7. Sydney Geiger, Kintner, Paige LeTourneau, Katie Anderson
200 freestyle: 6. Ca. Gehrke
50 freestyle: 9. Ley; 10. Seitzinger
One-meter diving: 8. Tori Sontag
100 butterfly: 10. Grace Roach
500 freestyle: 8. Bray
200 freestyle relay: 8. Sundet, Raoch, Ca. Gehrke, Holton
100 backstroke: 6. Ley; 10. Geiger
100 breaststroke: 8. Kintner; 9. Dahlberg; 10. Anderson
400 freestyle relay: 6. Sundet, Ca. Gehrke, Ley, Ruzicka; 7. LeTourneau, Anderson, Kintner, Seitzinger

Chelsea Gehrke (top) and Cora Ruzicka (photos by Jim Lindquist)

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Girls Swimming: Seniors go out with a splash

Kaitlyn O'Reilly 3 first place finishes (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Tuesday night's 93-83 Missota Conference dual meet win over Shakopee at the Dodge Middle School was far more one-sided than the final score indicated.

The Tigers roared to seven wins in the meet's first eight events before swimming the final four in exhibition status where no points were earned.

The Senior Night win was the seventh in eight tries in dual meet competition for Farmington this season. The only loss came at the hands of state-rated Chanhassen last month.

The senior class got the meet off on the right foot with the all-twelfth grade 200 medley relay teams of Sydney Geiger, Sara Kintner, Kaitlyn O'Reilly and Hannah Seitzinger and Courtney L'Heureux, Cora Ruzicka, Chloe Holton and Mackenzie Farran finishing one-two in the opening race.
 

Kendall Novak diving champ (photo by J. Lindquist)

Other first place points went to O'Reilly, 200 freestyle and 200 individual medley; Ruzicka, 50 freestyle; Kendall Novak, diving; Chelsea Gehrke, 100 freestyle and Kracke, 500 freestyle.

Farmington also scored five runner-up finishes: Kracke in the 200 freestyle; Catharine Gehrke in the 200 individual medley; Nikki Cayard on the one-meter board; Holton in the 100 butterfly and Ellie Sundet in the 500 freestyle.

Farmington ranked third in six other events, including Grace Roach, 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle; Seitzinger, 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly; Sara Kintner, 200 medley and Tori Sontag, diving.

Marshall said it was a special night, especially for the 13 seniors on the team.

"We honored them and their parents for their dedication and commitment over the years," she said. " We had some great swimming and diving on an emotional night. I'm proud (of all of them)."

Senior team members included O'Reilly, Ruzicka, Seitzinger, Geiger, Cayard, L'Heureux, Kintner, Holton, Farran, Leah Huls, Katie Aaron, Maddie Kohlbeck and Ahna Wilson.

The Tigers close out their dual meet section of their schedule next Tuesday with a trip to Rochester John Marshall.before starting preparations for the Missota Conference Championships slated for October 26 in Shakopee.

This Saturday the girls play host to the Section 1AA True Team Championships at the Dodge pool.

Kirsten Kracke (center) won the 500 freestyle (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Free downloadable, high resolution image files from this meet compliments of photographers Jim and Ruth Lindquist are available at http://sidekick.smugmug.com

Girls Swimming: Tigers 4th up north

Chelsea Gehrke took second in the 100 butterfly (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The Tigers ventured out of their usual surroundings Saturday to take part in the 12-team Greyhound Invitational at Duluth East.

Coach Jen Marshall's team finished a solid fourth in the final team standings although Marshall said the trip wasn't only about points and rankings.

"The girls performed decently but they were a bit sluggish in the water," she said. "We were happy with things though as this was more of a team bonding trip than anything else. It was a lot of fun."

Prior Lake won the team title with 410 points, well ahead of runner-up Chaska who finished at 283. Faribault totaled 257, Farmington 237, Grand Rapids 229, Roseville 195, Andover 171.5, Duluth East 171, Blaine 119, Superior (Wisc) 92.5, Mesabi East 64 and Duluth Denfeld 36.

Chelsea Gehrke paced the Tigers with a second place effort in the 100 butterfly and a third place showing in the 200 individual medley.

Catherine Gehrke was the only other Tiger to land a top five finish, taking fifth in the 500 freestyle.

Other Farmington Top 10 finishes:
One-meter diving: 10. Nikki Cayard
200 medley relay: 8. Kirsten Kracke, Chelsea Gehrke, Chloe Holton, Hannah Seitzinger
200  freestyle: 8. Catherine Gehrke; 9. Sara Kintner
50 freestyle: 6. Kracke
100 freestyle: 6. Kracke
200 freestyle relay: 7. Chelsea Gehrke, Seitzinger, Ellie Sundet, Kracke
100 backstroke: 7. Lexie Bray; 9. Emily Ley
100 breaststroke: 8. Kintner
400 freestyle relay: 7. Catherine Gehrke, Kintner, Ley, Sundet

Girls Swimming: No. 6 Chanhassen too much for Tigers

Nikki Cayard (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Tiger coach Jen Marshall was hoping her team's depth would give it a chance in Thursday night's Missota Conference dual meet with sixth-rated Chanhassen at the Dodge Middle School pool.

As it turned out the Storm proved it had plenty of depth to go with its super talent in a 103- 83 victory.

"It was a great meet with some fast swimming and impressive diving," Marshall said. "We're looking forward to seeing them again at the conference meet"

Chanhassen dominated the meet, winning eight of the 12 events and racking up other place points as well.

All-state performer Kaitlyn O'Reilly had her hands in three of the four firsts. She won the 200 freestyle and 100 breaststroke and teamed up with Kirsten Kracke, Chelsea Gehrke and Cora Ruzicka to gain top honors in the 200 freestyle relay.

A big highlight for the home team came in one-meter diving where Nikki Cayard, Kendall Novak and Tori Sontag grabbed the top three spots.

Farmington scored second place points in five other events: Gehrke in the 200 individual medley and 100 backstroke; Kracke in the 50 freestyle; the 200 medley relay team of Emily Ley, Gehrke, Lexie Bray and Ellie Sundet and the 400 freestyle foursome of Kracke, Sundet, Ruzicka and O'Reilly.

Catherine Gehrke took third in the 500 freestyle as did Ruzicka in the 100 butterfly, Kracke in the 100 freestyle and Kaylee Dahlberg in the 100 breaststroke.

Kaitlyn O'Reilly 3 firsts vs. Chanhassen (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Girls Swimming: Tigers hold off Chaska 96-90

Chelsea Gehrke three 1st place finishes (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Thursday night's dual meet at Chaska came down to the final event of the night but the Tigers did what they needed to do to keep their record unblemished at 6-0 in an exciting 96-90 Missota Conference win.

"We needed to finish second in the 400 freestyle relay to win the meet and we finished second and third," Tiger coach Jen Marshall said. It was a great way to cap an amazing meet."

The 400 freestyle relay team consisted of Catherine Gehrke, Hannah Seitzinger, Emily Ley and Ellie Sundet.

The Tigers claimed the victory despite having a number athletes on the sidelines.

"We had 10 girls out of the lineup for a variety of reasons," Marshall said, "so everyone swimming and diving really had to step up and perform. There were close races throughout the meet and the Lady Tigers came through with great finishes at the end of their swims."

Farmington won six of the meet's nine individual events but as has been the case all season, the team's depth and the ability to amass points for second through fifth place finishes proved the
difference.

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

Chelsea Gehrke and Kirsten Kracke each accounted for two individual first place finishes. Gehrke won the 200 individual medley and 100 butterfly while Kracke took honors in the 50 and 100 freestyle. Cora Ruzicka scored the other Tiger first place points in the 200 freestyle.

Diver Kendall Novak provided the other Tiger title on the one-meter board as she led a 1-2-3 sweep in the event. Nikki Cayard took second and Tori Sontag ranked third.

"All three varsity divers were spectacular," Marshall said. "Kendall had the meet of her life as she ripped every dive and scored her lifetime best. Nikki and Tori also had great dives and all three are really taking their diving to the next level."

The 200 freestyle relay team of Chelsea Gehrke, Sundet, Ruzicka and Kracke also finished in the top spot.

Ruzicka turned in the only Farmington runner-up finish of the meet, taking second in the 500  freestyle.

Five Tigers finished in third place: Catherine Gehrke, 200 freestyle; Chloe Holton, 200 medley; Sundet, 100 freestyle; Lexie Bray, 100 backstroke and Kaylee Dahlberg, 100 breaststroke.

The Tigers are now off until next Thursday when they entertain Missota Conference favorite Chanhassen, the state's sixth ranked Class AA team. 

"Chan will be a good test for us," Marshall said. "They have horses out in front so we're looking to our depth to have great swims."

Girls Swimming: Tigers splash by Lakers

Senior Chloe Holton (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Farmington (5-0) kept its 2013 dual meet record perfect with a solid 95-86 non-conference win Tuesday over Minneapolis Southwest at the Dodge Middle School pool.

The winners built up a commanding 95-59 lead by winning six of the first 10 events before swimming the final two in exhibition status.

All-stater Kaitlyn O'Reilly was involved in three of six first place finishes, winning the 200 and 500 freestyle and joining Chelsea Gehrke, Cora Ruzicka and Kirsten Kracke in capturing the 200 medley relay.

Kendall Novak won the one-meter diving competition for the second consecutive meet and Kracke took honors in the 50 freestyle. The team of Grace Roach, Chloe Holton, Emily Ley and Hannah Seitzinger hooked up to win the 200 freestyle relay.

Farmington had four other individuals score second place points: Chelsea Gehrke, 200 medley and 100 freestyle; Ruzicka, 100 butterfly and 50 freestyle; Nikki Cayard, diving; and Kracke, 50 freestyle.

The Tigers finished third in five other events, including Chloe Holton (200 and 500 freestyle); Catherine Gehrke (200 medley); Tori Sontag (diving) and Lexie Bray (100 butterfly)

Complete results are available at http://www.rschooltoday.com/se3bin/clientgenie.cgi?butName=2013-14%20Meet%20Results&cId=0&permission=3&username=

Farmington will be looking to make it six straight dual wins Tuesday when it travels to Chaska for a Missota Conference meet.

Swimmers win 4th straight Kennedy title

Kendall Novak (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Maybe Bloomington Kennedy officials should just mail out the Eagle Invitational championship trophy to FHS at the start of each season. The Tigers taking home the hardware from the meet has become about as routine as snow in January.

Farmington ran away with the team title for the fourth straight year at Saturday's annual get-together in Bloomington and this time it wasn't even close.

Farmington's speed, talent and depth combined to score 811 team points, well ahead of runner-up Bloomington Jefferson who finished.at 601. Red Wing totaled 399, Eau Claire (Wis.) North 307 and host Kennedy 170.

The multi-team meet win was the third in as many tries for the Tigers who also own a perfect 4-0 dual meet record this season.

"Saturday marked our fifth meet in ten days," coach Jen Marshall said. "Needless to say the girls are swimming tired. The amazing part of it is they're still swimming fast. That should make for some great performances come taper time."

The Tigers dominance showed on the results page which had them winning seven of the 12 events outright and scoring eight second place finishes.

The trio of Kaitlyn O'Reilly, Cora Ruzicka and Kirsten Kracke combined for six individual first place efforts. O'Reilly won the 100 individual medley and 100 breaststroke. Ruzicka led the field in the 200 and 500 freestyle and Kracke ruled in the 50 and 100 freestyle.

The other Farmington first came from the 200 freestyle quartet of O'Reilly, Kracke, Chelsea Gehrke, and Ellie Sundet.

Catherine Gehrke (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Six of the eight runner-up finishes came in individual events: Chelsea Gehrke, 200 medley and 100 butterfly; Catherine Gehrke, 200 freestyle; Kendall Novak, diving; Sara Kintner, 500 freestyle and Emily Ley, 100 backstroke.

The 200 medley relay team of Kracke, O'Reilly, and the Gehrke sisters and the 400 freestyle foursome of Sundet, Catherine Gehrke, Ley and Ruzicka each scored second place points.

The champions also turned in four third place finishes, including Sundet in the 200 freestyle: Nikki Cayard in diving; Grace Roach in the 100 butterfly and Catherine Gehrke in the 500 freestyle.

The Tigers have two dual meets on their plate this week, a Tuesday home encounter with Minneapolis Southwest and a Missota Conference match-up at Chaska on Thursday.

Girls Swimming: Tigers roar past Trojans

Grace Roach (photo by J. Lindquist)

The Tigers won seven of the first eight events, sweeping the top three places in five of them, to overwhelm New Prague 96-76 Thursday night in a Missota Conference dual meet at the Dodge Middle School pool.

Farmington now owns a perfect 4-0 record in dual meet competition, 3-0 in the Missota Conference.

The Tigers swam the last four events in exhibition status against the Trojans, surrendering 46 points to the visitors in the process.

Catherine Gehrke produced two of the Tigers wins, leading the field in the 200 individual medley and 100 freestyle. Other first place finishes went to Sara Kintner, 200 freestyle; Chelsea Gehrke, 50 freestyle; Kirsten Kracke, 100 butterfly and Hannah Seitzinger, 500 freestyle.

The 200 medley relay team of Grace Roach, Chelsea Gehrke, Paige LeTourneau and Seitzinger also took first.

Seven other Farmington entrants contributed second place points to the victory: Roach (200 medley and 500 freestyle); Chloe Holton (50 and 100 freestyle); Kendall Novak (diving); Emily Ley (200 freestyle) and the 200 medley relay quartet of Ellie Sundet, Catherine Gehrke, Holton and Kracke.

Lexie Bray (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Another half dozen Tigers finished third: Ley, 500 freestyle; Sydney Geiger, 200 freestyle; Lexie Bray, 50 freestyle; Nikki Cayard, diving; Sara Kintner, 100 freestyle and Katie Aaron, 100 butterfly.

A couple of familiar Tiger names didn't officially score a point in the one-sided meet but displayed their ability and conditioning in a different manner.

Seniors Kaitlyn O'Reilly and Cora Ruzicka each swam in the final four events of the meet, all in exhibition mode, and turned in impressive performances in all of them.

"They took on the Ironman Challenge," Tiger coach Jen Marshall said. "Pretty impressive."

The Tigers jump back in the pool Saturday when they travel to Bloomington to defend their title at the Kennedy Invitational.

Girls Swimming: Dream season continues

Senior Kaitlyn O'Reilly 2 first place finishes (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The dream season continued for the Tigers Tuesday night with a 95-85 dual meet win over Rochester Century in Rochester.

The victory was the third in as many tries for Farmington in dual meet competition. In two multi-school meets, the Tigers have won the Missota Conference Relays and the Maroon Division title at the University of Minnesota's Maroon and Gold Invitational.

"We had a fun meet with our girls swimming a lot of off events," Tiger coach Jen Marshall said. "Century is a classy team. We always enjoy our meets with them."

The results sheet shows each team won six of the 12 events, but the Tigers' superior depth allowed them to pile up large numbers of second and third place points.

All six of the Farmington first place finishes came in individual events. Kaitlyn O'Reilly scored two of them in the 200 and 500 freestyle. Other winners included Cora Ruzicka (50 freestyle); Grace Roach (100 butterfly); Chelsea Gehrke (100 freestyle) and Kirsten Kracke (100 backstroke).

Senior Cora Ruzicka 50 freestyle champion (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Four Tiger individuals and two relay teams came in second. Individual runners-up included Chelsea Gehrke (200 freestyle); Kracke (200 medley); Tori Sontag (one-meter dive) and Ruzicka (100 freestyle).

The second place relay teams were the 200 medley (Lexie Bray, Shannon Newman, Kracke, Catherine Gehrke) and the 200 freestyle (Chelsea Gehrke, Bray, Syndey Geiger, Ruzicka).

Farmington also garnered third place points in seven individual contests and two relays. Individuals included Catherine Gehrke (200 medley and 100 breaststroke); Ellie Sundet (50 freestyle); Kendall Novak (diving); Chloe Holton (500 freestyle); Bray (100 butterfly) and Roach (100 backstroke).

The two third place relay finishers were the 200 medley foursome of Emily Ley, Ruzicka, Holton and Sundet and the 200 freestyle quartet of Katie Anderson, Catherine Gehrke, Hanna Sundt and O'Reilly.

The Tigers will be aiming for their fourth straight dual meet win of the season Thursday when they entertain New Prague at the Dodge Middle School pool.

Girls Swimming: Tigers take Maroon title

Tigers win Maroon Division title

Farmington turned in it best-ever ever performance at the Maroon and Gold Invitational held Saturday at the University of Minnesota.The Tigers combined their experience and depth to claim the Maroon Division title with 315 points.

Woodbury finished a distant second at 229, followed by Cretin-Derham Hall 238, Hopkins 224, Bismarck (ND) 220, Breck 205, Mound-Westonka 201.5, Lakeville South 168.5, Minneapolis Southwest 159, Chaska 111, Anoka 108 and St. Louis Park 105.

Farmington's previous best at the high-powered meet came last year when it ranked fifth in the same division.

"The upperclassmen really took control of team leadership yesterday," coach Jen Marshall said. "Going in we knew we had a chance at winning the meet but every girl had to step up and perform...We had great swims and dives across the board. It was a true team effort."

Senior Kaitlyn O'Reilly and junior Kirsten Kracke led the championship effort. O'Reilly won the 100 backstroke, took third in the 200 individual medley and teamed with Kracke, Cora Ruzicka and Chelsea Gehrke to claim the 200 freestyle relay.

Kracke won the 50 freestyle, placed second in the 1000 freestyle and joined O'Reilly, Chelsea Gehrke and Catherine Gehrke to finish third in the  200 medley relay.

Kendall Novak placed fourth in the one-meter diving competition and Chelsea Gehrke took fifth in the 100 butterfly.

Three Tiger entries scored seventh place points: Ruzicka, 500 freestyle; the 400 freestyle relay team of Ellie Sundet, Catherine Gehrke, Emily Ley and Ruzicka and the 200 freestyle foursome of Grace Roach, Chloe Holton, Hannah Seitzinger and Sundet.

Three more Farmington swimmers finished eighth: Ruzica in the 200 freestyle; Chelsea Gehrke in the 200 medley and Catherine Gehrke in the 500 freesyle.

Sundet took ninth in the 200 freestyle and tenth in the 100 freestyle.

Girls Swimming: Tigers leave Wingers behind

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

Farmington dominated from start to finish in a 99-79 road Missota Conference dual meet win at Red Wing Thursday night.

The Tigers won the first six events and seven of the first nine before swimming the final three in exhibition status.

"Our top girls swam less events in an effort to get their teammates more swims," Farmington coach Jen Marshall said. "Red Wing has a six-lane pool so there's less entries...We're swimming well right now but still need to fine tune little things."


Senior Kaitlyn O'Reilly, who turned in a trio first place efforts (200 individual medley, 200 medley relay and 100 butterfly), set a pool record in the 200 medley with a clocking of 2:01.9.

Kaitlyn O'Reilly 3 1sts, pool record in the 200 IM (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Kirsten Kracke claimed two individual events, winning the 200 and 500 freestyle, and teamed up with Catherine Gehrke, Lexie Bray and Hannah Seitzinger to win the 200 freestyle relay..

Chelsea Gehrke won the 50 freestyle race and Kendall Novak topped the final one-meter diving standings. Sara Kintner, Cora Ruzicka and Grace Roach joined O'Reilly on the first place 200 medley relay team.

The visitors added seven second place finishes in the blowout victory. Ruzicka accounted for two of them with runner-up efforts in the 200 medley and 100 breaststroke. Chloe Holton also scored a pair of seconds in the 100 and 200 freestyle.

Tori Sontag took second place on the one-meter board and Chelsea Gehrke was runner-up in the 500 freestyle. The final second place Farmington points went to the 200 freestyle relay team of Emily Ley, Holton, Roach and Kintner

Saturday the Tigers head to the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center for a big invitational meet before resuming their dual meet season next Tuesday against Hastings at the Dodge pool.

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.

Girls Swimming: A great start

Chelsea Gehrke led off the winning 400 medley relay team (photo by Jim Lindquist)

The Tigers made a big splash in their first meet of the season, out-pointing favored Chanhassen 544-522 to capture the second annual Missota Conference Relays held Friday night in Northfield.

Chaska finished a distant third with 374 points, followed by Shakopee 354, Northfield 322, New Prague 214, Red Wing 206 and Holy Angels 60.

All of the events in the season opener, including the one-meter diving competition, were conducted in relay format and by winning the title The Tigers gave coach Jen Marshall a good idea of the depth on her 2013 team.

"This was a huge meet for us right out of the gate," Marshall said. "Our experienced swimmers performed well but it was the younger girls who really stepped up.

"In most events, both of our relays finished in the top five which is impressive. The divers finishing second and third was also a highlight.  I'm excited to see where we go this season!"

The Tigers claimed two races in the nine-event meet. Chelsea Gehrke, Cora Ruzicka,  Chloe Holton and Kaitlyn O'Reilly took top honors in the 400 (4x100) medley relay and the foursome of Kracke, Ruzicka, Emily Ley and O'Reilly won the 200 backstroke relay.

In addition the champions took second in four other events and scored multiple top five finishes in four more.

Other top five performances:
200 freestyle relay: 5. Katie Aaron, Hanna Sundt, Catherine Gehrke, Caroline Cummings
400 medley relay: 4. Ley, Sara Kintner, Chloe Holton, Hannah Seitzinger
One-meter Diving: 2 and 3. Kendall Novak, Tori Sontag, Nikki Cayard, Kaitlyn Besler, Elizabeth Weber
400 medley relay (4x100): 2. Kristen Kracke, O'Reilly, Ch. Gehrke, Ellie Sundet; 4. Grace Roach, Lexie Bray, Amanda Cavanaugh, Sydney Geiger
850 freestyle relay: 3. Seitzinger, Kintner, Sundet, Ca. Gehrke; 5. Paige Hansen, Geiger, Cummings, Bray
200 butterfly relay: 2. Ch. Gehrke, Holton, Roach, Ruzicka; 5. Aaron, Katie King, Paige LeTourneau, Jessi Witherill
200 breaststroke relay: 2. Kaylee Dahlberg, Allison Kjellberg, Kracke and Kintner
400 freestyle relay:  5.Sundet, Ca. Gehrke, Ley, Seitzinger

Girls Swimming: Stong senior class buoy hopes

Kaitlyn O'Reilly all-state in two events in 2012 (photo by Jim Lindquist)

With 24 letterwinners returning from a team that finished third in the Missota Conference and fourth at the Section 1AA Championships last year, Tiger coach Jen Marshall feels she has the personnel for another successful season.

"Chanhassen and Northfield didn't lose many people from last year and the conference should look much the same," she said. "We are also looking at a top three finish in Section 1AA."

Ten of the 24 returning swimmers and divers are from a strong senior class and include Katie Aaron, Nikki Cayard, Sydney Geiger, Chloe Holton, Abby Kampa, Sara Kintner, Courtney L'Heureux, Kaitlyn O'Reilly, Cora Ruzicka and Hannah Seitzinger.

O'Reilly will be wrapping up a brilliant career that already includes three straight trips to the state meet. Last fall she earned all-state honors in both the 200 individual medley and 100 backstroke.

"Her goal is to be state champion in the IM," Marshall said, "and I believe she will put the work in to attain it. November is a long way off and lots of things can happen between now and then."

Cora Ruzicka swam in two relays at state last season (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Ruzicka also competed in the state meet last season, swimming a leg on both the 200 and 400 freestyle relay teams.

Underclassmen returning include juniors Katie King, Kirsten Kracke, Kendall Novak, Ellie Sundet and Hanna Sundt; sophomores Kaylee Dahlberg, Chelsea Gehrke, Emily Ley and Tori Sontag; freshman Emily Krook and eighth-graders Lexie Bray, Caroline Cummings, Catherine Gehrke and Grace Roach.

Kracke swam on two relay teams at state last season where she also tied for 18th in the 100 freestyle.

"Kirsten is looking to qualify for state in one, if not two, individual events," Marshall said."I expect her to make the finals after the experience she gained there last year.

"We would also like to get two relay teams back to state. Which two have yet to be determined."

Kirsten Kracke finished 18th in 100 freestyle at state (photo by Jim Lindquist)

Newcomers expected to push the returnees for varsity positions, include freshmen Katie Anderson, Allison Kjellberg and Paige LeTourneau and eighth-graders Amanda Cavanaugh, Shannon Newman and Jessi Witherill.

Marshall said she especially likes this year's team's leadership, work ethic and camaraderie and is hoping those attributes will translate to success in the water.

Chanhassen and Northfield were Marshall's pre-season picks to lead the chase for Missota Conference honors with Rochester John Marshall and Hastings likely to battle it out for the Section 1AA title.

Former Tiger standout Joe Velaski returns as varsity assistant coach with John Tegg working with the
Tiger divers. Boys' varsity coach Ryan Hamen will work with the middle school team.

The Tigers open their 2013 season next Friday when they travel to Northfield for the annual Missota Conference Relays.