Section Finals  /  2.21.20

Some of us wonder if Saints is a more appropriate name for this triumphant triumvirate that has chosen year three to thrust itself on the Minnesota swimming scene.  So it is appropriate that we start the look back at the 2020 Section Finals with a Biblical reference – to the number the Bible regards as perfection.

Seven.

On Wednesday, the team rampaged through qualifying and set themselves up for a special Friday celebration.  Coach Hebzynski’s wildest dreams for Husky heroics surely centered on that perfect number, and the perfect number punched their tickets to State.

1. In the season’s very first meet, back in December against Richfield, Joe Kinsman, Kendal Neary, James McCarthy, and Liam Neary announced in the medley relay that this team had big dreams.  They climbed a much bigger mountain on Friday, finishing third in that event to qualify for State.  On the anchor, Liam swam a ridiculous 21.98, faster than (spoiler alert) his qualifying swim in the 50 later in the evening would be.  The excitement and confidence generated in the evening’s opening race was clearly a sign of good things to come.
2. Picking races trying to counter the opposition is always a dicey proposition.  So Coach Hebzynski trusted her ace freshman in the 200 IM, against the state’s finest, Minnehaha’s Andrew Karpenko.  Having duked it out a month ago at True Team Sections, McCarthy knew he’d have a rabbit in front of him.  He also knew that all he need do was match his Wednesday time of 2:02.29 to qualify on time, regardless of his placement.  No such backup was necessary however, as even while Karpenko set the first of 2 meet records on the evening to claim first prize, James knocked another second-plus off his time to take 2^nd in 2:01.02 
3. The 50 is such a darn crapshoot.  The qualifying times of the top 7 were separated by less than a second.  Meaning every little thing – a sluggish start, a mis-timed turn, one disrupted stroke, can be the difference between victory and a bottom half finish.  Into this maelstrom stepped Liam Neary.  The top 6 were tight the whole way, with Liam holding his nerve, but sitting 4^th at the turn.  He came off the wall and inched even for 3^rd with about 20 yards to go.  From there he exerted his open water dominance, and powered past the Cadet for a clean 3^rd place finish.
4. The diving break followed the 50, which gave the team the time to recognize the afternoon’s achievements.  Facing Fridley’s Tyler Herder for the 3^rd time this season, Andy Groebner was in no mood to repeat those results.  Herder had bested him twice, but Andy served notice on his first dive that no section title would be conceded.  The two traded the lead through the early dives, but Andy held the lead at the 6-dive cut, and after 8 dives as well.  Herder pulled away at the end, but Groebner’s season best of 312.5 scored him a solid 2^nd place finish and a ticket to next week.
5. Double the length, but you certainly don’t halve the stress.  Liam was quickly right back on the blocks for the 100.  Matched again against McDonald and Stewart, the top 3 finishers in the 50 were again the favorites in the 100.  While Liam dropped a place from his qualifying 2^nd to a final 3^rd, he dropped 2/3 of a second, and between the two sprints knocked a full second off his already season-best Wednesday times.
6. Big game James eagerly assumed the duty of swimming the sport’s 2 most grueling events.  Following his noble duel with Karpenko in the IM, he then took on St Thomas’ Alex Adams in the 500.  Both had posted strong times in the prelims, with McCarthy’s 5:07.29 just a few seconds off the school record, and just 18 hundredths shy of Adams.  Both swimmers quickly established themselves at the front of the pack, and after about 150 yards it was clear Adams was laying down a blistering pace.  McCarthy kept in contact, and half-way home Adams led by less than a second as both swimmers were on pace to challenge 4:50.  Adams slowly extended from there, but McCarthy was never challenged from behind, as he came home 2^nd in a school-record 5:00.67.
7. The 4 x 1 has always been high school swimming’s holy grail.  The crowds cheer the loudest.  The teammates urge the hardest.  The swimmers dig the deepest.  And so to cap the perfect evening, Hebzynski dealt her aces one last time for a shot at State Meet glory.  Liam Neary, came out of a cannon, and proving the adage that there’s something about relays, for the 2^nd time on the evening swam faster for his mates (49.26) than he did for himself (49.70), separating the Huskies and Cadets far ahead of the pack.  A determined Nathan Omodt swam next, and he too knocked 1.3 seconds off his 100 time from earlier in the evening.  Next enter Kendal Neary, just minutes after a game effort in the 100 Breast, who maintained the lead.  McCarthy did his best Mariano Rivera impression, leaving little doubt on the final 4 lengths that this Husky night would end in perfection.  2^nd place, but a first rate showing.

Seven State Swimming Sensations.  Seven Events.  Six Swimmers and Divers.  James.  Liam.  Andy.  Kendal.  Joe.  Nathan.

Seven qualifiers was the 2^nd most among the 12 competing teams, besting South St Paul’s five and Fridley’s three.

The rest of the Huskies swimmers continued to post blistering times on Friday as they had done on Wednesday.  Kinsman knew he entered the Backstroke final just one spot from qualifying, and a personal best kept him in the 4^th position.  Kendal started strong in the Breaststroke, and when at 75 yards he was several seconds out of 3^rd, seemed to nobly turn his attention to the relay that would immediately follow.

Kinsman won the consolation final of the Butterfly, and Sam Benson did the same in the 200 Free.  Dominic Adkins, Omodt, Alex Bjork, and Benson threw down strong times in the 200 Relay to claim 6^th place overall.  And additional points piled up by Grant Ravndal (200 and 500), Julius Thukral (200), Bjork (IM and Breast), Omodt (50 and 100), Groebner (50), Noah Herlofsky (Fly), Ethan Bettencourt (Fly), Kendal (100), Benson (500), Gabe Shenoy (Back), and Robert Bushee (Back) scored the Huskies a 3^rd place finish in total team points.

Diving preliminaries will begin at noon on Thursday at the Jean K Freeman Aquatic Center, 1910 University Ave., with swimming prelims Friday at noon.  Finals for both swimming and diving begin Saturday at noon.
 

Section Prelims  /  2.19.20

The St. Anthony swim team had a wildly successful night in the Section 4A preliminary heats at St. Catherine’s on Wednesday night. 14 swimmers advanced to a final on Friday, and all 17 Huskies’ competitors swam a race better than their seed times. An astonishing 31 of the 32 individual swims the team completed on the night were faster than their previous best in that event. St Anthony advanced 25 of its 35 entries to Friday night, with the 25 being the 2^nd most of the 12 schools competing.

Swimming in the Championship Finals on Friday, with a chance to advance to the State Meet by finishing in the top three are:
James McCarthy, 200 IM.  2^nd fastest time in the preliminaries.
Liam Neary, 50 Free, 2^nd fastest, just .04 off the pace of St. Thomas’ Max Stewart
Liam Neary, 100 Free, 2^nd fastest, just .22 behind Stewart
James McCarthy, 500 Free, 2^nd fastest, just .18 behind St. Thomas’ Alex Adams
Joe Kinsman, 100 Back, 4^th fastest
Kendal Neary, 100 Breast, 7^th fastest

Swimming Friday in the Consolation Finals (places 9-16 from Wednesday) will be:
200 Free: Sam Benson, Grant Ravndal, and Julius Thukral
200 IM: Alex Bjork
50 Free: Nathan Omodt and Andy Groebner
100 Fly: Joe Kinsman, Noah Herlofsky, and Ethan Bettencourt
100 Free: Kendal Neary and Nathan Omodt
500 Free: Sam Benson and Grant Ravndal
100 Back: Gabe Shenoy and Robert Bushee
100 Breast: Alex Bjork

The Huskies also qualified for the Championship Final in all 3 relays.  The qualifications were made by:
Medley: Kinsman, K Neary, Herlofsky, Bjork
200: Thukral, Adkins, Ravndal, Benson
400: Benson, Kinsman, Thukral, Omodt

The lineups for the relay finals will be announced on Friday.  As with the individual events, a top 3 finish will mean advancement to the State Meet, to be held at the University of Minnesota on February 27-29.

JV City Championships  /  2.1.20

The Junior Varsity swimmers of the St. Anthony Swim Team closed their season in strong fashion on Saturday, securing a strong 2^nd place finish at the JV Championships held at Southwest High School.  The 11 swimmers racked up 209 points, easily outdistancing Fridley and Southwest, and trailing only Breck/Blake.

Sophomore Aidan Hillesheim swam season-bests in both his events, finishing 4^th in the Backstroke in 1:21.01, and 5^th in the 100 Free in 1:09.27.

Senior Quinn Benda scored 2 5^th place finishes in his individual races.  He swam 28.46 in the 50, and 1:30.41 in the Breaststroke.  Both Hillesheim and Benda knocked nearly 5 seconds off their season bests in their 2 races combined.

Freshman Seth Donaldson achieved his season-long quest to swim the 500 in under 7 minutes, finishing 4^th in 6:59.35.  He also took 7^th in the Backstroke in 1:27.42.

Sophomore Lucas Lundgren finished 4^th in the Butterfly and 8^th in the 50, setting a season best in the 50 at 30.71 seconds.

Freshman Elijah Avent was 6^th in the Backstroke and Sophomore Devon Selmon was 6^th in the Breaststroke and 9^th in the 100 Free.  Selmon knocked more than 6 seconds combined off his season best times.

Freshman Luca Raimondi also eclipsed 6 seconds of savings, grabbing 6^th in the 100 Free, and 7^th in the 50.

7^th grader Oliver Svoboda finished 7^th in the Butterfly and 9^th in the 50 Free.  Fellow 7^th grader Tenzin Tharchin took a second and a half of his Breaststroke time to finish 7^th.  Freshman Emmitt Whinnery did likewise in the 100 Free and finished 11^th.

8^th grader Charlie Trombley anchored the 400 Free relay team that finished 4^th (along with Donaldson, Avent, and Raimondi).  Hillesheim, Selmon, Svoboda and Donaldson took 5^th in the Medley Relay, and Hillesheim, Svoboda, Raimondi and Benda claimed 3^rd in the 200 Relay.

Columbia Heights vs. Huskies  /  1.21.20
The St Anthony Huskies swim team secured a winning record in dual meets for the first time in more than 30 years, beating Columbia Heights in their final dual of the season on Tuesday. With only the JV Championships and Section/State playoffs yet to swim, the team finished the regular season with a record of 4-3.

It took a teammate to do it, but James McCarthy was finally beaten in an individual dual meet event.  Liam Neary nicked him in the Back, winning in a blistering 59.76. Liam also claimed the 50 Free for the 4^th time in 7 duals on the season.

McCarthy did claim his other race, the Fly, in 59.75. Kendal Neary won the 100 Free in 55.15 and the Breaststroke in 1:09.31. Joe Kinsman won the IM in 2:32.11. Andy Groebner won the diving competition with a score of 173.

Coach Molly Hebzynski went for a 1-2 sweep in the medley relay by splitting up her top swimmers. The Huskies delivered, with Liam Neary, McCarthy, Groebner, and Dominic Adkins winning the race in 1:56.75.  Right on their heels were Kendal Neary, Kinsman, Noah Herlofsky, and Alex Bjork. The Huskies also won the 400 Free Relay in 3:43.10, swum by McCarthy, Nathan Omodt and the Nearys.

The parade of top 3 finishers was long. Omodt was 2^nd in both the 100 and 200 Free, and Ethan Bettencourt finished 3^rd in the IM. Groebner was 3^rd in the 50, and Kinsman 2^nd in the Fly. Grant Ravndal was 3^rd in the 500, and Bjork took 3^rd in the Breaststroke.

The only 3 races not won by the Huskies (200 Free, 500 Free, 200 Relay) were won by Columbia Heights’ Zach Severson.

Swimmer              Points (R+I=T)

L. Neary                 16 + 12 = 28        

McCarthy               16 + 10 = 26        

K. Neary                 12 + 12 = 24        

Groebner                12 + 9 = 21           

Omodt                     12 + 8 = 20           

Kinsman                  6 + 10 = 16           

Adkins                     14 + 2 = 16           

Herlofsky                 8 + 2 = 10              

Bjork                        4 + 4 = 8                 

Benson                    4 + 4 = 8                 

Ravndal                   2 + 5 = 7                 

Julius Thukral          2 + 3 = 5                 

Bettencourt             0 + 3 = 3                 

Sam Heath             2 + 0 = 2

Quinn Benda          2 + 0 = 2

True Team Sections  /  1.18.20

Competing in the Class A, Section 4 True Team Section Championships for the first time, the St Anthony/DeLaSalle/St Agnes swim team splashed their way to a strong 2^nd place finish at St. Thomas Academy on Saturday.  Facing a host team that has won 14 of the last 21 state championships, the Huskies strung together numerous strong swims to comfortably outdistance Fridley for 2^nd place honors.

James McCarthy claimed the only gold medal of the day for the Huskies, as he held off a late charge from Saint Thomas’ Ian Rutgers to win the 500 Free in 5:15.61.  McCarthy also went head to head against club teammate and all-around wunderkind Andrew Karpenko of Minnehaha Academy in the 200 IM.  Karpenko won the race, but McCarthy finished 2^nd.

Liam Neary won a pair of silver medals with strong swims in the sprints.  He swam 23.46 in the 50 and 51.90 in the 100, each time claiming the only spot in the top five by anyone other than a St Thomas swimmer. 

In the morning’s diving competition held at Fridley, Andy Groebner also scored a strong 2^nd place finish, amassing 291.60 points, trailing only Fridley’s Tyler Herder.

Toward the end of the meet, with 2^nd place in the team standings no longer in doubt, the Backstroke final featuring 4 Cadet swimmers and Husky Joe Kinsman found the entire Huskies and Tigers (Fridley) teams clustering in Kinsman’s lane to cheer him on.  He came through with a gutsy 2^nd place finish in 1:02.25.  In the final individual race, Kendal Neary finished 4^th in 1:09.61 in the 100 Breast.

The Huskies also found good success in the relays.  McCarthy, Kinsman and the Nearys yet again pierced a Saint Thomas top 5, finishing 3^rd in 1:49.37.  Nearly the same group, with Julius Thukral replacing Kinsman, took 3^rd in the 400 Freestyle relay.

Other top 10 individual finishes came from Kinsman (6^th in 100 Fly), Sam Benson (6^th in 200 Free and 8^th in 500 Free), Robert Bushee (6^th in 100 Back), Kendal Neary (7^th in IM), Thukral (7^th in 200 Free and 8^th in 100 Free), Noah Herlofsky (7^th in 100 Fly), Nathan Omodt (7^th in 500 Free), Alex Bjork (8^th in IM and 10^th in 100 Breast), Groebner (8^th in 50 Free), Ethan Bettencourt (8^th in 100 Fly), Gabe Shenoy (8^th in 100 Back), Grant Ravndal (9^th in 200 Free), Dominic Adkins (9^th in 100 Free and 10^th in 50 Free), Brayden Evenson (9^th in 100 Back), Sam Heath (10^th in 100 Free), and Lucas Lundgren (10^th in 100 Fly)

Swimmer              Points (R+I=T)

McCarthy             56 + 31 = 87

L. Neary               56 + 30 = 86

K. Neary              56 + 23 = 79

Kinsman              50 + 26 = 76

Thukral                48 + 19 = 67

Benson                42 + 20 = 62

Adkins                 42 + 15 = 57

Herlofsky             40 + 16 = 56

Bjork                    40 + 16 = 56

Evenson               48 + 8 = 56

Bettencourt           36 + 15 = 51

Ravndal                42 + 8 = 50

Bushee                 34 + 11 = 45

Groebner              20 + 24 = 44

Heath                    32 + 12 = 44

Oliver Svoboda    32 + 5 = 37           

Seth Donaldson   32 + 5 = 37

Aiden Hillesheim  30 + 5 = 35

Omodt                    24 + 10 = 34

Quinn Benda        34 + 0 = 34

Elijah Avent          30 + 0 = 30

Devon Selmon      24 + 0 = 24

Shenoy                   14 + 9 = 23

Lundgren                14 + 7 = 21

Charlie Trombley  10 + 0 = 10

Kolya Wilke           10 + 0 = 10
 

TMT vs. Huskies  /  1.16.20

The St Anthony/DeLaSalle/St Agnes swim team evened their 2019-20 dual meet record at 3-3 with a tight 87-82 win against Minneapolis TMT (Washburn, South, and Roosevelt high schools) on Thursday at St Anthony Village High School.

James McCarthy again won his 2 individual events, winning the Individual Medley in 2:08.01, as well as the Breaststroke in 1:06.83.  The other Huskies individual event winner was Liam Neary in the Backstroke (1:02.85).

The Huskies also won the medley relay. Liam Neary swam the backstroke leg, Kendal Neary the breaststroke, McCarthy the butterfly, and Nathan Omodt the freestyle, in a time of 1:48.19. 

Other top finishers were Liam Neary (2^nd in the IM), Andy Groebner (2^nd in the 50), Ethan Bettencourt (2^nd in the Fly), Kendal Neary (2^nd in the 100 Free, 3^rd in the Breastsroke), Omodt (3^rd in the 50), Sam Benson (3^rd in the Fly), and Joe Kinsman (3^rd in the 500).

TMT, so named because of the mascots of the three schools: Teddies, Millers, Tigers, had 3 swimmers compete in all their races in an exhibition status because of Minneapolis school rules.

Swimmer              Points (R+I=T)

McCarthy              12 + 12 = 24

L. Neary                12 + 10 = 22

K. Neary                12 + 7 = 19

Omodt                   12 + 5 = 17

Alex Bjork              6 + 4 = 10

Groebner               4 + 4 = 8

Bettencourt            4 + 4 = 8

Dominic Adkins      6 + 2 = 8

Benson                  2 + 5 = 7

Noah Herlofsky      6 + 1 = 7

Kinsman                2 + 4 = 6

Julius Thukral        2 + 3 = 5

Grant Ravndal       2 + 3 = 5

Brayden Evenson  2 + 0 = 2

Sam Heath            2 + 0 = 2

Oliver Svoboda     2 + 0 = 2                 

Seth Donaldson    0 + 1 = 1
 

BSM Vs. Huskies  /  1.14.20
While Tuesday’s meet against Benilde-St Margaret’s was the first dual all season that the Huskies didn’t enter the last few races with a chance to win the meet, there were still plenty of strong performances to celebrate.

James McCarthy dominated the 500 Free, winning going away in a season-best 5:10.00.  He also won the 100 Breast in 1:05.79, and teamed with Kendal Neary, Liam Neary, and Nathan Omodt to win the 400 Relay in 3:41.10.

Liam Neary won the 50 Free in 23.67, and Joe Kinsman triumphed in the 100 Back with a time of 1:03.74.  That gave the Huskies 5 wins in 11 races.

As usual, the opening medley relay provided plenty of drama.  The team of McCarthy, Liam Neary, Omodt, and Kinsman narrowly missed a first place finish, as Omodt’s late charge got his team within 16 hundredths of the winners.

Kendal Neary finished 2^nd in the 200 Free, and Liam Neary was 2^nd in the 100 Free.

                                    R+I = T

McCarthy              12 + 12 = 24

L Neary                 12 + 10 = 22

K Neary                 10 + 6 = 16

Kinsman                6 + 8 = 14

Omodt                   12 + 2 = 14

Ravndal                  2 + 3 = 3

Herlofsky                0 + 2 = 2

Bjork                       0 + 2 = 2

Thukral                   0 + 2 = 2

Adkins                     2 + 0 = 2

Benson                   0 + 1 =1

Robbinsdale Cooper  /  1.7.2020
The St Anthony/DeLaSalle/St Agnes swim team battled hard with the Robbinsdale Cooper Hawks on Tuesday, keeping the outcome in doubt until the penultimate race before falling 99-86 in the dual meet.

The Huskies again won a majority of the events, claiming 7 out of 12.  James McCarthy remained unbeaten this season in individual events at dual meets, this time winning the 200 Free in 1:57.65, and the 100 Breast in 1:05.53.  Other Huskies individual winners were Liam Neary in the 50 Free (23.50) and 100 Free (52.54), Andy Groebner in the Diving (161.025), and Joe Kinsman in the 100 Back (1:03.27).

The visitors opened the meet with a thrilling victory in the medley relay.  Even with strong opening swims from Kinsman in the back and Kendal Neary in the breast, the Hawks held a 2 length lead heading into the fly.  McCarthy closed the gap considerably before a brilliant exchange to Liam Neary for the free leg catapulted the Huskies to the win in 1:49.26.

Other top three finishes came from Kinsman in the 100 Fly, Kendal Neary in the 200 IM and 500 Free, and Nathan Omodt in the 100 Free.  Liam Neary, Grant Ravndal, Julius Thukral, and Omodt took 2^nd in the 200 Free Relay.  In the meet’s final event, the Huskies top group had strong finishing swims from Kinsman, Kendal Neary, and McCarthy that narrowed a 10-second gap to 2 seconds at the close.  The team of Ethan Bettencourt, Sam Benson, Thukral, and Ravndal also swam well to claim 3^rd in the 400 Relay.

Swimmer              Points (R+I=T)

McCarthy                         12 + 12 = 24

L. Neary                           12 + 12 = 24

Kinsman                           12 + 9 = 21

K. Neary                           12 + 8 = 20

Omodt                               8 + 5 = 13

Thukral                              6 + 3 = 9

Ravndal                             6 + 2 = 8

Groebner                           0 + 6 = 6

Bettencourt                        2 + 4 = 6

Benson                              2 + 1 = 3

Gabe Shenoy                    0 + 2 = 2

Alex Bjork                          0 + 2 = 2

Dominic Adkins                  0 + 1 = 1

Noah Herlofsky                  0 + 1 = 1                 
 

Bloomington Jefferson Invite  /  12.21.19
Competing against large school stalwarts Bloomington Jefferson and East Ridge, the Huskies swim team had a strong performance at the Jefferson Jaguar Invite.

The team accumulated 290 points, an improvement of over 160 points from the same meet last season.  Liam Neary led the way with a 2^nd place finish in the 100 Free (51.29), and a 4^th place finish in the 50 Free (23.54, missing a bronze finish by .01).  He also finished 4^th in both his relays, teaming with James McCarthy, Kendal Neary, and Julius Thukral in the medley relay (1:52.12), and McCarthy, Neary, and Nathan Omodt in the 200 free relay (1:40.77).

McCarthy finished 2^nd in the individual medley (2:06.08, just 1 second from victory), and also finished 5^th in the 100 Fly (59.59).  Andy Groebner grabbed a 3^rd silver for the team, accumulating 309.85 points in the diving event.

Other top 10 finishes on the day came from Kendal Neary (6^th in the 100 Breast), Grant Ravndal (8^th in the 500 Free), Sam Benson (9^th in the 500 Free), and Seth Donaldson (10^th in the 500 Free).

Swimmer                 Events(finish)                                             Points (R+I=T)

L Neary                     MR(4), 50(4), 100(2), 200R(4)                 60 + 32 = 92

McCarthy                 MR(4), IM(2), Fly(5), 200R(4)                   60 + 31 = 91

K Neary                     MR(4), Fly(11), 200R(4), Breast(6)         60 + 19 = 79

Omodt                      100(13), 200R(4), Breast(14), 400R(8)         52 + 7 = 59

Thukral                     MR(4), 200(14), 100(14), 400R(8)            52 + 6 = 58

Benson                      MR(10), IM(12), 500(9), 400R(8)             36 + 14 = 50

Ravndal                    MR(10), 500(8), 400R(8)                           36 + 11 = 47

Donaldson               500(10), 200R(10), 400R(10)                     28 + 7 = 35

Dominic Adkins      MR(10), 50(16), 400R(10)                         28 + 1 = 29

Aidan Hillesheim   MR(10), 200R(10), Back(16)                      28 + 1 = 29

Ethan Bettencourt 200R(10), Breast(16), 400R(10)                   28 + 1 = 29

Braden Evenson   IM(13), Back(13), 400R(10)                        14 + 8 = 22

Groebner                  Dive(2)                                                       0 + 17 = 17

Luca Raimondi       200R(10)                                                    14 + 0 = 14

Gabe Shenoy          IM(14), Back(12)                                         0 + 8 = 8

Robert Bushee      Back(14)                                                       0 + 3 = 3
 

Huskies Sweep Cambridge-Isanti  /  12.19.19
The Huskies shook off their near miss against Fridley earlier in the week, and defeated Cambride-Isanti 94-76 on Thursday in their first home meet of the season.

Illness and other absences continued to wreak havoc on the lineup, but the silver lining was the opportunities created for other swimmers to step up.

Noah Herlofsky (21), Sam Benson (10), Quinn Benda (8), Ethan Bettencourt (10), Dominic Adkins (8), and Grant Ravndal (10) all notched points in all 4 of their races for the first time this season. 

James McCarthy won the 100 Free in 53.90 seconds and the 100 Breast, and also led his 2 relays (Medley and 400) to victory.  Liam Neary won the 200 Free in 2:04.53, Julius Thukral claimed the 500 in 6:33.45.

The winning relay teams were McCarthy/Neary/Herlofsky/Andy Groebner in the medley (1:53.29), and McCarthy/Neary/Herlofsky/Thukral in the 400 (3:59.62).

The St. Anthony/DeLaSalle/St. Agnes Swim Team is now 2-1 on the season, and will next swim in the Bloomington Jefferson Invitational on December 21.

Swimmer                                Events(finish)                                                           Points (R+I=T)

McCarthy                                MR(1), 100(1), Breast(1), 400R(1)               16 + 12 = 28

L Neary                                   MR(1), 200 (1), Fly(2), 400R(1)                    16 + 10 = 26

Thukral                                   50(2), 500(1), 200R(2), 400R(1)                   12 + 10 = 22

Herlofsky                                MR(1), Fly(3), Back(4), 400R(1)                    16 + 5 = 21

Groebner                                MR(1), 200 (3)                                                8 + 3 = 11

Bettencourt                             MR(3), IM(3), 500(3), 400R(3)                        4 + 6 = 10

Ravndal                                  IM(4), 100(4), 200R(2), 400R(3)                      6 + 4 = 10

Benson                                   MR(3), Fly(5), 200R(2), Breast(3)                    6 + 4 = 10

Benda                                     MR(3), 50(4), 200R(3), Breast(4)                     4 + 4 = 8

Adkins                                    200(5), 500(5), 200R(2), 400R(3)                     6 + 2 = 8

Brayden Evenson                 MR(3), Back(3), 400R(3)                                  4 + 3 = 7

Gabe Shenoy                        Back(2)                                                             0 + 4 = 4

Aidan Hillesheim                 50(5), 200R(3)                                                   2 + 1 = 3

Oliver Svododa                    200R(3)                                                             2 + 0 = 2

Quinn Avent                         200R(3)                                                              2 + 0 = 2

Fridley  /  12.17.19

Despite a valiant effort Tuesday night at Fridley, the Huskies swim team came up a whisker short in their quest for their 2^nd straight win, falling by 1 point to the Tigers 93-92.  The meet came down to the freestyle relays, where Fridley’s 2 wins by a total of less than 2 seconds (0.1 second in the 200) put them over the top.

St. Anthony won 8 out of 11 races overall.  Freshman James McCarthy, sophomore Liam Neary, and senior Kendal Neary led the way with 1 relay and 2 individual wins each.  McCarthy took the distance freestyle events, swimming the 200 in 1:57.13, and the 500 in 5:13.11.  Liam Neary won the 50 free in 23.21 and the 100 breast in 1:13.53.  Kendal Neary was victorious in the 200 IM (2:23.46) and 100 free (56.25).  The three teamed with junior Noah Herlofsky to win the medley relay in a time of 1:52.89. 

The Huskies were missing 4 varsity swimmers due to illness, and still vastly bettered last year’s 119-67 loss to Fridley.

The Huskies’ final victory came from freshman Alex Bjork in the 100 back, clocking in at 1:14.43.

Scoring summary

                                   R + I = Total

McCarthy                   12 + 12 = 24

K Neary                     12 + 12 = 24

L Neary                      12 + 12 = 24

Herlofsky                   10 + 4 = 14

Bjork                          4 + 9 = 13

Nathan Omodt         8 + 4 = 12

Grant Ravndal         6 + 4 = 10

Andy Groebner        4 + 5 = 9

Sam Benson            0 + 5 = 5

Dominic Adkins       2 + 3 = 5

Ethan Bettencourt   2 + 2 = 4

Brayden Evenson    0 + 1 = 1

Aiden Hillesheim      0 + 1 = 1

Season Starts off Strong vs. Richfield  /  12.12.19
In the very first race of the season, the medley relay, Joe Kinsman and James McCarthy staked their relay team to an early lead, and Liam and Kendal Neary kept their feet on the accelerator.  If the foursome’s performance in Event One and Meet One are a sign of things to come, the Huskies swim team is starting to come into its own.

The Huskies cruised to a dominant win at Richfield on Thursday, with the Neary racers and McCarthy each winning all 4 of their events, and Kinsman bringing home 3 wins and 1 third place finish.  

All 4 were victorious in the medley relay (Kinsman on back, McCarthy on fly, Liam Neary on breast, and Kendal Neary on free), while McCarthy also won the individual medley, the 100 butterfly, and teamed with Kinsman, Liam Neary, and Nathan Omodt to win the 400 free relay. Liam Neary’s 2 individual wins came in the 100 free and 100 back. Older brother Kendal took the 200 free, 100 breast, and teamed with Omodt, Andy Groebner, and Julius Thukral for first in the 200 free relay. Kinsman claimed victory in the marathon (the 500 free), and finished 3rd in the individual medley.

The foursome were hardly the only ones to find success on opening night, as the Huskies defeated the host Spartans in every event except the 50 free.  Groebner, in addition to his relay win, claimed the diving event, and finished 4th in the 100 breast. Omodt paired his 2 relay wins with 2 2nd’s in the sprints (50 and 100 free). Thukral finished 2nd in his other relay (the 400, with Noah Herlofsky, Sam Benson, and Grant Ravndal) and also won 2nd in the 200 free, and 3rd in the 100 free.

The Huskies pulled off a sweep of the top 3 in 2 events, the 100 free (Liam Neary, Omodt, Thukral) and 500 free (Kinsman, Herlofsky, Ravndal).  Other top 4 finishes came from Herlofsky (200 free), Ravndal (50 free), Benson (100 fly and 100 back), Alex Bjork (individual medley and 100 breast), Lucas Lundgren (100 fly), and Robert Bushee (100 back).

Individual Scoring
L. Neary 16 (relays) + 12 (individual) = 28
K. Neary 16 + 12 = 28
McCarthy 16 + 12 = 28
Kinsman 16 + 9 = 25
Omodt 16 + 8 = 24
Thukral 12 + 7 = 19
Groebner 8 + 9 = 17
Ravndal 6 + 6 = 12
Benson 6 + 5 = 11
Bjork 4 + 6 = 10
Herlofsky 4 + 6 = 10
Bushee 4 + 3 = 7
Lundgren 0 + 2 = 2
Dominic Adkins 2 + 0 = 2
Sam Heath 2 + 0 = 2
Totals 32 + 97 = 129

Scoring Rules
Relays: 8 pts for 1st, 4 for 2nd, 2 for 3rd 
Individual: 6 for 1st, 4 for 2nd, 3 for 3rd, 2 for 4th, 1 for 5th 

Huskies vs. Spartans Throw Down
12/21/18

The Huskies started out the meet strong against the Richfield Spartans. Relay members of the 200 Medley: Joe Kinsman, Kendal Neary, Spencer Bury, and Liam Neary finished 2nd, followed by relay members Robert Bushee, Alex Bjork, James Adam, and Noah Herlofsky for 3rd overall. 

L. Neary led the pack in the 50 Free, finishing 1st with a 25.92. Huskies Kinsman and Adam, cruised into the wall for a 2nd and 3rd place finish in the 100 Fly. Shortly following the 100 Fly, Bury edged out the 500 Free to place 1st with a 5:29.49, followed respectively by their teammates, Julius Thurkel and Grant Ravndal. Final individual swims of the night included, Kinsman and K. Neary, who earned 1st place finishes for the 100 back and 100 breaststroke. 

The Huskies ended the night in a tie against the Richfield Spartans, 84-84. It all came down to the last relay, the 400 Free, where the teammates of Bury, Kinsman, Andy Groebner, and K. Neary cruised in for 2nd place followed by Herlofsky, Ravndal, Brayden Evenson, and  Thurkel for 3rd place, resulting in a tie for the meet. 

The Huskies return to the water on January 3rd, competing against Robbinsdale Armstrong at 5:00 pm, away. 
 

Jaguars Invite, Off & Running!
12/17/18

The Huskies swim team stepped up it's level of competition by competing in the Bloomington Jefferson invitational.  The event featured 4 schools that participated in last season's state meet, including perennial power Edina.

Nevertheless, the Huskies secured a few top 10 finishes.  Spencer Bury's 5:36.03 swim in the 500 freestyle secured a 5th place finish, and his 2:03.78 swim in the 200 freestyle landed him in 9th.  Also, Joe Kinsman swam a 1:02.76 in the 100 yard backstroke which earned him 8th place.

Liam Neary swam well in the hyper-competitive 50 yard freestyle (11 heats!), finishing 14th in a time of 25.35.  Andy Groebner finished 26th in 27.46. Together, the Huskies garnered 14 individual best times! 

The Huskies are back at home on Tuesday to face the Richfield Spartans at 5:30 PM.

Huskies off to a great start to the season!
12/13/18

The St Anthony/DeLaSalle/St Agnes Swim Team open their 2nd season Tuesday with a home meet against Robbinsdale Cooper.  The visiting Hawks won the dual 94-71, but several Huskies swimmers posted substantial improvements from their best times last season.

Spencer Bury scored well for the home team, notching 2nd place finishes in both the 200 Free and 100 Fly. Kendal Neary and Joe Kinsman led the way for the Huskies with wins in the 100 Breast and 100 Back, respectively. Neary swam a 1:14.51 in the 100 Breast, and Kinsman posted a time of 1:09.59 in the 100 Back. Neary also finished 2nd in the 200 IM in 2:29.25, and Kinsman finished 2nd in the 500 Free in 5:59.74. All three combined with Liam Neary for a 2nd place finish in the 200 Medley Relay.

Other top 3 finishes came from Liam Neary (50 Free and 100 Free), Robert Bushee (100 Back), and Nathan Omodt (100 Breaststroke).

The Huskies are back in action Saturday, visiting Bloomington Jefferson for a 1:00 pm clash.