The Becker Bulldogs hosted part of the Section 5A diving (Thursday) and swimming (Saturday) meets last week and came away with a sixth place overall finish. 

Because of pandemic restrictions, the meet was held simultaneously at several different locations with Becker hosting Milaca and Ogilvie/Mora. The times from all the locations were then submitted to determine the place finishers.  The meets were the final event of the COVID-shortened season and Bulldog coach Tina Tamm was pleased with her team’s overall effort.

“While this is the most unique section meet I have ever been to, it still turned out to be a pretty good day,” said Tamm.  “We matched up well with these two teams for some good races.”

Scoring for the section meet awards points based on the top 16 place finishes for the individual events, with the winners receiving 20 team points and the 16th place finisher earning one team point.  For the relay events, each team can submit one entry per event with 40 points awarded to the winning group all the way down to 14 points for the 10th place team.

“Yeah, it was a shorter season and very different in many ways but the goal is still the same and that is to get to the section meet and drop time for your personal best times of the season,” said Tamm.  “The girls did just that and then some.”

In total, the Bulldogs had 43 swimming and diving performances at the section meet and 39 of those competitions resulted in personal best times.  Overall, the team dropped 75 seconds from their previous best times, illustrating how the team peaked at the exact right time.

Becker’s Delaney Varney (100 butterfly) and Meghan Swanson (500 freestyle) put together the top individual finishes for the Bulldog swimmers last Saturday as each placed sixth in their event.

Varney added a ninth place finish in the 200 medley relay with teammates Arleigh Pudlick, Grace Wynia and Laila Cook.

Swanson also swam well in the 200 freestyle event, finishing in 13th place, good enough for four team points.

Other top finishers for the Bulldogs included Laila Cook (15th - 200 Individual medley), Morgan Schrader (16th - 500 freestyle) and Lucy Pink (10th - 100 breaststroke).

In the relay events, Becker’s team of Tia Schaap, Kadence Cox, Laila Cook and Avary Maunu placed eighth in the 200 freestyle, good enough for 22 team points.

Tamm had encouraging words for each of her four seniors, who competed in their final high school meet.

Kyla Henkemeyer swam in the 50 free and placed 33rd overall, while Annika Howe dropped over three seconds in the 100 breaststroke to finish 16th.

Morgan Schrader had two individual events, the 200 free in which she dropped 2.1 seconds placing her 19th and the 500 free where she dropped 14.2 seconds giving her 16th place.

Monica Zimmerman placed 24th in the 100 breaststroke dropping 1.8 seconds from her best time.

“This could be one of the most successful section meets and seasons we have ever had and this is what the season is all about,” said Tamm. “That final meet where all the hard work you put in to the season final pays off. It was a great way to end the season.”

Hornets Finish 7th

As a team, the Big Lake Hornets finished in seventh place overall.

The 200 medley relay team of Emilie Kirchoff, Brynlee Hillukka, Jaden Anderson and Emilie Vega finished in seventh place, while Kirchoff added a 15th place finish in the 200 freestyle event.

Other top performances for the Hornets came from Allie Thompson (16th - 50 free),  Jaden Anderson (eighth) and Emilie Kirchoff (16th) in the 100 butterfly and Vega (12th - 500 free).  Katlyn Emerson finished 14th for the Hornets in the 100 backstroke.

The top relay performance for the Hornets was in the 400 freestyle, as the team of Kirchoff, Anderson, Thompson and Vega finished in sixth place.

Diving Dominance

The local divers dominated the board, as the Bulldogs and Hornets combined to take the top five spots in the section meet, while all eight local entrants finished in the points.

Big Lake’s Britney Krumrei took the title with a score of 381.15, while Becker’s Sarah and Lauren Woelfel were right behind in second and third place, respectively. With teammates Karli Kirk (14th) and Bella Kuschel (15th) also putting together nice diving routines, the Bulldogs picked up a total of 38 team points in the diving competition.

Big Lake’s Hannah Strom finished in fourth place, while Maddie Svien was just under six points behind to place fifth. Byrnlee Hillukka finished in 12th place overall as the Hornets totaled 54 points in the diving competition.

Final Meet Scores

Final results: St. Cloud Cathedral/St. John’s Prep 442, Monticello 338.5, Sauk Rapids-Rice 322.5, Foley 321.5, St. Cloud Tech 197, Becker 141, Big Lake 127, Milaca 112, Princeton 97.5, Ogilvie-Mora 86.