After having been displaced this fall from the Falls High School swimming pool because of a problem with tiles coming off the bottom following a deepening project to be able to use starting blocks, the Bronco girls swimming and diving team was finally able to host a meet Thursday.
The Falls, which initially had eight home meets scheduled for this season and found itself moving the first seven to the opponents’ pools when the FHS pool was unavailable, handily won its one and only home meet over Mesabi East, 107-79.
“It was fun to have our fans see our girls swim, because most of them haven’t been able to make the trips out of town,” said Broncos head coach Jill Herzig. “I think we put on a great meet, and it was exciting to have such as great win.”
Of the 12 events, the Falls placed first in six of them and also had nine runner-up finishes.
The Broncos’ Sarah Todd, who was one of four seniors recognized at the meet, placed first in both the 200 individual medley (2 minutes, 38.81 seconds) and 100 butterfly (1:13.23).
“It was pretty awesome. It was a lot of fun,” Todd said. “We did well. The girls really did well.”
Falls junior Breanna Shofner also was a double individual winner by placing first in both the 50 freestyle (27.68) and 100 freestyle (1:02.23).
“I think everybody did really good, actually, and everybody just brought their best (Thursday),” Shofner said.
Shofner and Todd also joined freshman Abby Kostiuk and eighth-grader Emily Saari for a first-place finish in the 200 medley relay (2:06).
Kostiuk accounted for the Broncos’ other top finish by winning the 100 backstroke (1:09.64). She added a runner-up finish in the 200 freestyle (2:25.35).
Todd, Shofner, eighth-grader Claire Herzig and junior Blair Johnson placed second in the 200 freestyle relay (1:54.96).
Falls’ 400 freestyle relay team of Kostiuk, Johnson, junior Courtney Klow and eighth-grader Emma Misner finished runner-up in 4:21.9.
Klow also placed second in both the 200 individual medley (2:44.55) and 100 backstroke (1:11.14), while Misner finished runner-up in the 100 freestyle (1:03.65).
Saari added a second place in the 100 breaststroke (1:20.27).
Falls eighth-grader Carolann Stone came in second in the 500 freestyle (6:37.28).
The Broncos’ other runner-up finish came in the diving competition, where sophomore Clara Wenger tallied 136.25 points to edge out sophomore teammate Jessica Hell for second by 1.1 points.
Falls’ final meet before the Section competition next month is Tuesday at Mesabi East.
“Of course, (Grand) Rapids and Hibbing are the top two in the Section, and I would say we’re the best of the rest right now, getting third at (the) True Team (meet),” Jill Herzig said. “Mesabi’s right there, Virginia’s right there. I think we’re looking pretty good.
“It’s going to be hard for any of us to break into the Hibbing-Grand Rapids dominance, but we’re going to give it a try.”
