Girls Tennis: A net gain

Meghan Lindstrom
MVP, All-Missota Conference honorable mention
(photo by Jim Lindquist)

After a winless 2010 season Tiger coach Jack Olwell was looking for a step forward in 2011. He got it in the form of two dual meet wins and some big improvement in individual play.
"We won a couple and closed the gap on a lot of teams," Olwell said. "We showed a strong work ethic throughout the season and and some dedication during the off-season that raises the bar for the younger players.
"We had fun and most of our players were playing their best tennis at the conclusion of the season."
Six of the 14 letterwinners this season were seniors: Jessica Autey, Katie Burgess (co-captain), Meghan Lindstrom, Ally Midboe, Rachel Molitor and Maggie Rudorfer (co-captain).
"The seniors are a great group of kids who carried us one way or another over the last four years," Olwell said. "Their attitude has been contagious and I will miss their leadership a great deal."
Underclassmen letterwinners included sophomores Elizabeth Adams, Melanie Kappes, Rachel Rees, Natasha Sinha, ShyAnne Spurzem and Megan Stivers and eighth-graders Callie Olmscheid and Molly Rudorfer.
Team MVP Lindstrom, who played at the No. 1 singles position most of the season, and Rudorfer who held down the No. 2 spot each received all-Missota Conference honorable mention. Rudorfer also took home the Tiger Award for being the most inspirational player.

Player of the Year Megan Stivers (best record)

Stivers won the Player of the Year Award for best record while Midboe, who paired with Burgess at first doubles, was tabbed as "Most Improved."
Though the steps taken this season were small ones, Olwell feels good about his program's future.
"We are graduating six of our top eight players so replacing them will be tough," he said. "But our kids are up to the challenge. Our numbers are up both at the high school and middle school level and we have some middle schoolers who have been taking some private lessons. They should be pushing the older girls next fall. The future looks bright."

Boys Soccer: A season of firsts

Chad Stivers (bottom) and Brandon Scott
All-Missota Conference
(photos by Jim Lindquist)


The 2011 Tiger boys soccer season was one of firsts. First season with a record above .500 (8-7-2). First finish in the upper division of the Missota Conference (4-2-1; 3rd place). First team to win four consecutive games. First section Coach of the Year honor.
"Everything is pointing in the right direction," Section 1AA Coach of the Year Julian Buss said. "We were competitive in 14 of our 16 games with four of our seven losses being by one goal.
"We looked better as a soccer team. We still have plenty of work to do. We want to be conference and section contenders every year."
Eighteen players received varsity letters at the post-season banquet, including seven seniors: Tri-captains Chad Stivers, Sam Leske and Brandon Scott and Cole Landwehr, Michael Ricker, Tyler Vue and Alec Hogstad.
Juniors Tyler Petter-McCauley, Urive Omana, Reid Wolfe and Kaid Nokos, sophomores Blake Smith, Jeffrey Hanson, Hunter Meyers, Eric Stoeckman and Jared Wolt and freshmen Robin DeCastro and Kenneth Riley also earned varsity monograms this season.

Sam Leske (bottom) All-Missota Conference; Second-team All-State
Cole Landwehr All-Missota Conference
(photos by Jim Lindquist)



Keeper Stivers (1.7 goals against average), forwards Landwehr and Scott (16 points apiece) and sweeper Leske (2 goals)all made the prestigious all-Missota Conference team. Ricker and Vue each received all-league honorable mention.
Leske was named to the all-state second team, the first time a Farmington boys' player has received a state-level honor.
Buss said he eliminated other individual awards this season and will continue that policy in upcoming years.
"My philosophy is to emphasize the 'team' in team sports," he said, "and I wish to recognize the efforts of the team's seniors. This year each of them received a miniature soccer ball with our logo and the signatures of their teammates on it."
Buss said the season just completed was chock full of highlights: the winning record, the record participation numbers (60), four players on the all-conference team, a surprising 0-0 tie with defending Section 1AA champion Lakeville North and his Section 1AA Coach of the Year selection.
His biggest thrill, however, came in a 1-0 victory over league runner-up Northfield.
"That was a turning point for our program," he said. "Northfield has a strong program and has dominated us in the past. I told the boys at the beginning of the season that if there was one team I wanted to beat it was Northfield."
About the only debits on the Tigers' ledger were the one-goal losses to three section teams that resulted in a lower-than-desired seed in the post-season and one-sided losses to Holy Angels and Bloomington Kennedy.
With 11 returning letter winners and a large crop of younger hopefuls (including a record 20 juniors) returning next fall, Buss is optimistic about the future of his program.
"Our junior varsity and B-squad had great success in developing our players' soccer skills," he said. "Additionally, I anticipate highly-skilled players continuing to come up from our middle schools to challenge for roster spots."
Although the future is promising Buss was quick to point out the contributions of this year's senior class will be missed when practice begins next August.
"This group was small but the most tightly knit group I have seen here," he said. "They have been playing soccer together for a long time and it showed in their leadership and ability.
"Three years ago we won three games and last year we won six. This season we beat eight teams and tied two. This class has shown continued improvement and has played a major role in the development of our program."

Girls Soccer: A season of growth

Kelli Harstad (bottom) Most Outstanding Player; All-Missota Conference
Ashley Kimmel Most Valuable Player; All-Missota Conference
(photos by Jim Lindquist)


A chart of the Tigers' 2011 fortunes would like that of the recent stock market trends. There were some big spikes and a couple of dips and when all was said and done coach Rob Carpentier's team finished in the middle with a final 8-8-1 season record.
Farmington went 3-3-1 in the Missota Conference to finish fifth in the eight-team league standings. The Tigers lost 1-0 to conference champion Northfield in the opening round of the Section 1AA playoffs.
"I think we had the talent to play with anyone, and we did," Carpentier said. "We were only outshot in two games and no one beat us badly. The fact that we were so young didn't help.
"I don't think we achieved what we could have, but even though I never said this to the girls, I knew it would be a transition year for us. I just didn't know how much of a transition."
All in all, Carpentier and his staff awarded varsity letter to 25 girls for their efforts during the 2011 season, including eight seniors: Kelli Harstad, Tia Jacoby, Ashley Kimmel, Gabby White, Alyssa Parco, Sammy Lammers, Rachel Beck and Taylor Meyer.
Underclassmen letterwinners included juniors Sydney Eckert, Miranda Larson, Naomi Wood, Megan Provost, Tina Oppedisano, Chelsea Bloom, Alex Frost, Emily Pulido and Leah Zak and sophomores Kelly Kornmann, Izzie Ferm, Kelli Elmer, Kenya Macias, Marissa Muelken, Hannah Miller, Kayla Kucala and Maddie Strid.
Kimmel, the team's leading scorer with 11 points, and defensive stalwart Harstad each earned a spot on the all-Missota Conference team. Sophomores Elmer and Ferm received all-league honorable mention.
Kimmel won the Most Outstanding Player Award and Harstad was the team's Most Valuable Player. Ferm garnered Most Improved Player honors and freshman keeper Ashley Becker was Rookie of the Year. Freshman Nicole Doran received the Coaches Award.
Carpentier noted that the biggest highlights of the season came in the form of his team's improvement from the beginning of the season to the end and two big victories over state-rated teams, Park of Cottage Grove (#10AA) and Holy Angels (#7A). The win over Holy Angels was Farmington's first-ever against the Stars.
"I liked the way we played at the end of the year against Holy Angels, Eagan and Northfield," he said. "I think we had unrealized potential but a lot of that was because of our youth."
With 17 letterwinners and 20 players with varsity playing experience slated to return next fall, Carpentier is excited about his team's potential.
"This team is loaded with talent and next year it will bring experience," he said. "We'll have more than half our scoring back as well as all of our defense and all of our keepers.
"Next year we should be in the top two in both the conference and section and the following year should be very, very special."
The Tiger coach said he didn't want to leave the 2011 season behind without paying tribute to his senior class.
"They had the most difficult job of any senior class I've coached." he said. "They were the teachers of the next generation of players. They leave here the most decorated and winningest class in program history. There's a reason for that...They will be missed."

Girls Swimming: Tigers take third in Missota

Kaitlyn O'Reilly (bottom): First, two seconds and a third;
Tied Missota Conference record in 100 backstroke
Cora Ruzicka: Second, third and fourth
(photos by Jim Lindquist)



Farmington lost two dual meets to Missota Conference foes--Northfield and Chanhassen-- during the regular season. At last Saturday's Missota Conference Championships held at Dodge Middle School the Tigers again found themselves trailing the Raiders and Storm.
Northfield successfully defended its league title by piling of 433.5 points. Chanhassen took the runner-up spot with 406, followed by Farmington 354.5, Chaska 291, Shakopee 270.5, Red Wing 186.5, New Prague 94 and Holy Angels 44.
"We finished where we expected to," Tiger coach Jen Marshall said. "There were some impressive swims across the board which leaves us very excited for sections next week."
Kaitlyn O'Reilly recorded the only Farmington first place finish of the day, winning the 100 backstroke in 1:00.8 and tying the league record set in 1992. O'Reilly also ranked third in the 200 individual medley.
Three other Tiger performers also scored a pair of top 10 finishes in individual events: Zoe Avestruz (3rd in the 50 freestyle and 4th in the 100 freestyle); Cora Ruzicka (3rd in the 500 freestyle and 4th in the 100 butterfly) and Kirsten Kracke (5th in the 200 freestyle and 7th in the 100 freestyle).
Abby Haugen scored fourth place points in the 100 breaststroke while three Farmington entrants placed eighth: Hannah Seitzinger (50 freestyle); Kendall Novak (diving) and Robin Ellis (100 backstroke).
Nikki Cayard finished ninth in the one-meter diving competition and Ellie Sundet ranked ninth in the 500 freestyle race.
Three other Tigers placed 10th: Tori Sontag (diving); Chloe Holton (100 butterfly) and Sara Kintner (500 freestyle).
The three Tigers relay entries had an outstanding conference meet with the 200 medley team of O'Reilly, Haugen, Avestruz and Seitzinger and the 400 freestyle foursome of O'Reilly, Ruzicka, Kracke and Avestruz each placing second. The 200 freestyle quartet of Haugen, Kracke, Seitzinger and Sundet grabbed third.

Other Farmington point-scorers:
200 freestyle: 11. Sundet; 12. Sarah O'Reilly
200 individual medley: 12. Holton; 14. Chelsea Gehrke
50 freestyle: 11. Haugen; 16. Ellis
100 freestyle: 11. Seitzinger
500 freestyle: 13. S. O'Reilly
100 backstroke: 12. Delaney Wright
100 breaststroke: 14. Kintner

Girls Cross Country: Young Tigers 14th at Section 1AA Championships

Junior Maria Kiminski
Set personal record and dropped 43 seconds from 2010 time at section meet

Farmington, fielding one of the younger lineups in the field, finished 14th among 16 teams at the Section 1AA Championships held Thursday, Oct. 27, at Brooktree Golf Club in Owatonna.
Lakeville South literally ran away with the title, out-pointing runner-up Lakeville North 37-100. Both schools move on to the state finals slated for St. Olaf College on Saturday.
Dover-Eyota/St. Charles ranked third with 169 points, followed by Austin 175, Rochester Century 186, Owatonna 198, Albert Lea 211, New Prague 214, Northfield 214, Red Wing 217, Rochester John Marshall 275, Hastings 284, Rochester Mayo 286, Farmington 289, Winona 379 and Faribault 409.
Freshman Sofia Chadwick paced the Farmington effort with a 27th place finish in a clocking of 15:39.8 over the 4000-meter course. Sophomore Maricia Pachecho (32nd in 15:43.8) and junior Maria Kiminski (42nd in 15:50.7) were right on her heels.
Freshman Alexis Johnson (92nd; 17:01.4); freshman Sarah Cummings (96th; 17:09.1); freshman Victoria Jacoby (98th; 17:11.6) and junior Ashley Durbin (109th; 18:20.3) rounded out the Tiger varsity scorecard.
"Sofia (Chadwick) ran an amazing section race," coach Heidi Revels said. "She took 1:11 off her time from last year and missed a personal record by two seconds.
"Maricia (Pacheco) set a new personal record by three seconds and Maria (Kiminski) not only set a new personal best but also beat last year's time by 43 seconds."
Revels said that the future looks bright for her young squad but it has some hard work to do between now and the start of the 2012 fall season.
"We need to continue to close the gap between our third and fourth runners and then do the same for the fourth through seventh girls," Revels said. "This team has the potential to do so much more and coach Lippold (Lisa) and I will continue to brainstorm on ways to work on year-long training for our runners."