Swimming: A host of Wingers advance to finals

AUSTIN - The Section 1A preliminary meet Wednesday at Austin Ellis Middle School ended with a swim-off between Simley’s Hailey Anderson and Red Wing’s Abby Riegelman in the 200-yard individual medley.

Riegelman, a senior with the Wingers, secured an alternate spot for the finals Friday, defeating Anderson by the slimmest of margins. Riegelman won in 2 minutes, 32.01 to Anderson’s 2:32.05.

“It went really well,” Red Wing head coach Kevin O’Brien said of the meet. “It felt like they were tapered really well.”

All but one Red Wing swimmer dropped time during Wednesday’s meet, he said.

“There really was dropping time all over,” O’Brien said. “Really good swims.”

The Wingers also qualified the 200 medley relay, the 200 freestyle relay and the 400 freestyle relay for finals. All three events will be seeded in the top eight Friday.

Red Wing’s Amy Nemanich is in perfect position to make state after finishing second in the 500 freestyle in 5:37.38, leading her heat throughout Wednesday’s race.

“She was really excited about (dropping time),” O’Brien said of Nemanich. “Hopefully she’ll get the place, which will be really cool for her in her senior year.”

The top two swimmers in finals move on to state, along with any times under the state cut time. Nemanich swam the 200 freestyle in 2:05.61 and is seeded eighth for finals.

Ashley Thompson inched closer to the state cut time for the Wingers in the 100 breaststroke and also finished fourth in the 200 individual medley in 2:20.69. The state cut time for the 100 breaststroke is 1:10.01 and Thompson finished third Wednesday in 1:10.98.

“She’s in a good spot,” O’Brien said.

Dropping time in her 50 freestyle, Ingrid Olson finished in seventh place in 25.31 seconds and moved closer to the state cut time. The state cut time is 25.03.

Originally, O’Brien said he planned for Olson to swim the 500 freestyle but Olson enjoys the 50 freestyle more and her chances were greater for making state in that event.

“Ingrid’s close,” O’Brien said. “We were looking at where she’ll have a better shot to make state. She’s got a shot.”

Claire King is an alternate finalist for the 50 freestyle in 17th place for Red Wing and Olson also moved on to the finals for the 100 freestyle in 11th place.

The Wingers qualified one swimmer for finals in the 100 backstroke, Sydney Steger. She swam the event in 1:06.01, good for sixth place.

Jess Kolsky moves on to the finals in the 1-meter diving competition in 12th place and Allison Byrne is an alternate in 17th place.

Hannah Kolsky was 13th in 2:10.32 in the 200 freestyle and also took 15th in the 100 freestyle and will swim both events in the finals. Nina Kriese moves to finals in 15th place in the 500 freestyle.

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