The low numbers on this year’s Bronco boys swimming and diving team didn’t prevent International Falls from once again qualifying a diver for the Class A state meet.
Sophomore Cody Tatsak placed second in the 1-meter diving competition at Saturday’s Section 6A meet in Duluth to earn a trip to the State Boys Swimming and Diving Meet that begins at noon Thursday at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center in Minneapolis.
Tatsak’s score of 324.8 points was just 3.35 points behind the section champion, Grand Rapids junior James Jylha. Also qualifying for the state meet in diving was the section’s third-place finisher, Hibbing freshman Grayden Phillbrick, who had 311.25 points.
Tatsak, who is the Broncos’ only state qualifier this year, continues a consecutive string of the Falls qualifying a diver. Alex Henningsen, who graduated from FHS in 2012, qualified for the state meet in diving the past three years. Henningsen placed seventh at last year’s Class A state meet.
The top three in Saturday’s section finals, which included the diving competition, advanced to the state meet. To have reached the section’s championship finals in the 11 swimming events, individuals and relay teams had to place in the top eight in Thursday’s preliminaries.
Three individuals and three relays for the Broncos qualified for the section’s championship finals, but missed out on qualifying for state after doing no better than sixth place.
Falls’ 200-yard freestyle relay team comprised of junior Levi Lucy, sophomore Ian Ducharme, senior Corin Wenger and Tatsak finished sixth in 1 minute, 42.75 seconds. Grand Rapids won the event in 1:30.48.
Lucy, Ducharme, Wenger and senior Nick Riley came in seventh in the 400 freestyle relay (3:53.14). A team from Grand Rapids also won that race in 3:26.02.
The Broncos’ 200 medley relay team comprised of Riley, senior Tyler Plasky, Wenger and Ducharme also qualified for the championship finals with an eighth-place finish in the preliminaries, but was disqualified for the finals.
The three Falls swimmers who qualified individually for the championship finals and each ended up in seventh place included, by name, event and time:
• Lucy, 200 freestyle (2:05.77).
• Riley, 500 freestyle (5:58.05).
• Wenger, 100 breaststroke (1:12.84).
In the consolation finals, in which the top 9-16 places in the preliminaries for the eight individual swimming events qualified, the Broncos had four qualify. Their finishes in the consolation finals included, by place, name, event and time:
• 13. Lucy, 100 butterfly, 1:07.03.
• 14. Riley, 100 backstroke, 1:11.12.
• 15. Tatsak, 100 backstroke, 1:11.83
• 15. Ducharme, 100 freestyle, 58.4.
In the team standings, the Falls placed eighth in the eight-team meet with 114 points. Grand Rapids (580) had the top team score with Hibbing (354) coming in runner-up.
Section 6A Boys Swimming and Diving Meet
Team scores: Grand Rapids 580, Hibbing 354, Virginia 277, Mesabi East 237, Eveleth-Gilbert 188, Chisholm 179, Duluth Denfeld 124, International Falls 114.
