International Falls has a bright future ahead following the performances Saturday in the Section 7A finals in Grand Rapids.
After sending only six swimmers and one diver to the section finals last season, the Broncos sent 14 swimmers and one diver to Saturday’s competition.
Four individuals finished in the top seven and one relay narrowly missed state.
The 200-yard freestyle relay, which entered Saturday with the second-best time from prelims, finished third behind Grand Rapids and Hibbing. Grace Thorstad, Rachel Adams, Paige Herzig and Maggie West finished with a time of 1 minute, 48.21 seconds.
“It was amazing,” Broncos head coach Jill Herzig said. “Just a fun race to watch.”
The top two individuals in each event and top two relays qualify for state, along with the top four divers.
Keanna Carlson, an eighth-grader, finished just outside the top four in diving, posting a fifth-place finish with 262.35 points. Grand Rapids’ Stef Rebro finished fourth at 265.25.
“We are very excited for what the future holds, because she was so close to state,” coach Herzig said.
Also finishing in the top seven were Rachel Adams in the 50 freestyle (7th, 27.04), Morgan Bruess in the 100 backstroke (6th, 1:10.26) and Ashley Hasbargen in the 100 breaststroke (6th, 1:17.79). Adams and Hasbargen finished in the same spot in prelims, while Bruess moved from eighth to sixth.
The 200 medley relay with Bruess, Herzig, Tamera Stouffer and Adams finished sixth in 2:07.51 and the 400 freestyle relay with Monica Hasbargen, Therese Youso, Herzig and Adams finished fourth in 4:10.16.
Section 7A
Championships
@ Grand Rapids
Team scores — 1, Hibbing, 581; 2, Grand Rapids, 455; 3, Eveleth-Gilbert, 221; 4, Virginia, 193; T5, Mesabi East, 182; T5, I. Falls, 182; 7, Two Harbors-Silver Bay, 143; 8, Babbitt-Embarrass-Tower Aquatics, 114; 9, Chisholm, 84.
200-yard medley relay — 6, Morgan Bruess, Paige Herzig, Tamera Stouffer, Rachel Adams, 2:07.51.
200 individual medley — 13, Monica Hasbargen, 2:40.04.
50 freestyle — 7, Adams, 27.04; 9, Maggie West, 26.87; 13, Grace Thorstad, 28.25.
Diving — 5, Keanna Carlson, 262.35.
100 butterfly — 13, Stouffer, 1:17.22; 14, Breanna Shofner, 1:17.44.
100 freestyle — 10, West, 1:01.02; 14, Therese Youso, 1:03.84; 15, Abby Oveson, 1:03.96.
200 freestyle relay — 3, Thorstad, Adams, Herzig, West, 1:48.21.
100 backstroke — 6, Bruess, 1:10.26; 16, Courtney Klow, 1:17.1.
100 breaststroke — 6, Ashley Hasbargen, 1:17.79; 13, Herzig, 1:20.71.
400 freestyle relay — 4, Monica Hasbargen, Youso, Herzig, Adams, 4:10.16.
*The Broncos didn’t qualify anyone for the finals in the 200 freestyle or 500 freestyle.
