Teams: Bloomington Jefferson, Chanhassen, Chaska, Eden Prairie, Edina, Minnetonka, Prior Lake, Shakopee, Waconia
- 2023 Section Champion: Minnetonka – 554.5 pts
- 2023 Section Runner-up: Edina – 460 pts
Notable Graduates:
- Paige Dillon (Tonka) – 200 Free (2nd Sections/1st State), 100 Free (2nd Sections/5th State)
- Veronica Finucane-Tuccio (Tonka) – 200 IM (8th Sections)
- Ginaya Love (Tonka) – Diving (4th Sections)
- Rylie Ulett (Tonka) – 100 Breast (4th Sections/11th State)
- Aralyn Vogel (Tonka) – 200 IM (7th Sections)
- Elanor Hughes (Edina) – 200 IM (2nd Sections/4th State), 100 Breast (1st Sections/2nd State)
- Emmi Kaiser (Edina) – Diving (3rd Sections)
- Anna Cundiff (Prior Lake) – Diving (1st Sections/7th State)
- Emily Rau (Shakopee) – Diving (7th Sections)
- Jennifer Pierson (Chanhassen) – 50 Free (3rd Sections/10th State), 100 Free (2nd Sections/9th State)
- Abigail Voelker (Waconia) – 100 Fly (3rd Sections/6th State)
- Ella Drewes (Eden Prairie) – 100 Breast (6th Sections/16th State)
Team Outlook
Section 2AA features the reigning state champion in Edina as well as state runner up in Minnetonka. Tonka won the section last year by a solid margin, but that’s a trade-off, I would wager, that Edina is willing to make.
Minnetonka will have a strong core of seniors this year led by Annabelle Wentzel. Wentzel returns as section champ in both the 100 Fly and 100 Back. She went on to become state champ in the 100 Fly and state runner-up in the 100 Back. Fellow senior Kendall Schindler placed 2nd at sections in the 50 Free and 3rd in the 100 Breast. At the state meet, Schindler placed 2nd and 5th in those events. Another senior, Henley Hatzung, placed 7th in the 100 Free and 3rd in the 100 Back at sections, going on to place 12th and 10th in her events at state. Senior Morgan Raether also had a solid section meet last year, placing 6th in the 100 Back and 10th in the 100 Free. At the state meet, Raether placed 15th in the 100 Back. Junior Lydia Cameron scored a 4th place finish in the 200 and 3rd place finish in the 500 Free at the 2023 section meet and followed that up with a 5th place finish at both at the state meet. Another junior, Sarah Hurley, scored 3rd in the 200 IM and 6th in the 100 Fly at sections and was 11th and 13th in those events at the state meet. Sophomore Brooke Olson placed 6th in the 200 IM and 4th in the 500 in 2023 and placed 13th and 9th in her events at state. Sophomore Stella Suchy had two top 8 placings at the section meet with an 8th in the 200 Free and 5th in the 500 Free. She placed 7th in the 500 Free at state. Freshman Claire Wilkey placed 4th in the 50 Free and 6th in the 100 Free last year at sections and earned 13th and 10th places in her events at state. Other top section finishers returning for the Skippers are senior Gracie Bartholomew (6th 50 Free), sophomore Annika Graham (7th 50 Free), junior Greta Hjelle (8th 100 Fly), sophomore Lauren Killelea (5th 100 Back).
The Hornet’s will be bolstered by a core of juniors and freshmen. In the junior ranks, Libby McCarthy returns as section champion in the 50 free and placed 4th in the 100 Free. She went on to become state champion in the 50 and state runner up in the 100 the following week and is a game changer for the relays she participates in. Frances Muir placed 4th in the 200 IM and 2nd in the 500 Free at sections. She followed those swims up with a 7th place finish in the 200 IM and a 2nd place finish in the 500 Free at state. Taylor Thompson had a strong 9th place finish in the 200 IM and an 8th place finish in the 100 Breast at sections and will be looking to move up in those events this season. Anja Nymo placed 9th in both the 200 and 100 Free at sections and scored an 11th place finish at state in the 200 Free. Audrey Peterson placed 6th in both the 200 and 500 Free at sections and followed that up with 8th and 10th place finishes at state.
In the freshman group, Siggy Nymo was section champ in the 200 IM and section runner up in the 100 Fly. At the state meet, she finished 2nd in both. Joining Nymo is Bobbi Simmons, who placed 9th in the 100 Fly and 2nd in the 100 Back at sections and placed 10th and 4th in those events at state. Sophomores Macy Malinski and Ellen McClees also played a key role in Edina’s success last year. Malinski placed 3rd in the 200 Free and 5th in the 100 Free at section and then 4th and 6th at state. McClees was 7th in sections in the 500 Free and scored some point with a 14th place finish at state. Senior Zara Karimi returns as section runner up and 3rd place state finisher in diving.
Other Notables
Prior Lake will be led by senior Ivy Solt who was section champ in both the 200 and 500 Free and went on to become state champ in the 500 and state runner up in the 200. Fellow senior Natalie Kuboushek placed 7th in the 200 Free and 10th in the 500 Free at sections and scored some points for her squad at state with a 10th place finish in the 200. A third senior, Alex Peterson returns, looking to build on her 5th place finish in the 50 Free and 4th place finish in the 100 Fly at sections. At state, Peterson placed 14th in both events. Freshman Genessa Sentyrz had a strong section meet with a 7th place finish in the 100 Fly and 9th place finish in the 100 Back. Sophomore Kaela Haycraft will return after placing 8th in the 500 Free in 2023 and fellow sophomores Charlotte Clark and Heidi Klaverkamp will look to build on their top 8 section finishes in diving.
Shakopee senior Arianna Zelen leads the way for her squad this season. Zelen was section and state champion in the 100 Free and placed 2nd at sections and 4th at state in the 100 Breast. Fellow senior Olivia Wimberger was a 5th place finisher in the 200 IM and 100 Breast at the 2023 section meet. At state, she placed 15th and 12th in those events. Sophomore Lexi Tippie placed 5th in the 200 Free and 7th in the 100 Back at the section meet last year and scored 12th and 16th place finishes in her events at the state meet. Senior diver Ellie Leisure placed 5th at the section meet last year and will be battling for a coveted top 4 finish this year and a ticket to the state meet.
Chanhassen’s Rachel Broadhead is the top returner for her squad this season. Broadhead placed 5th in the 100 Fly and 4th in the 100 Back at sections and went on to place 14th in the 100 Back at state.
Waconia senior Laur Stockinger had an impressive section meet in 2023, finishing 8th in both the 100 Free and 100 Back. Stockinger will be looking to crack the top 16 in both at the state meet this year.
Eden Prairie junior Sydney Thompson will lead the way for the Eagles this season. Thompson scored an 11th place finish in the 100 Fly in 2023.
Bloomington Jefferson will look to continue to build after graduating a slew of their individual section points. Sophomore Selma Jaffri had a solid top 16 finish in the 50 Free for the Jaguars in 2023.
Chaska has a smaller team but has a little firepower. Junior Sophie Dahl placed 11th in the 200 IM and 10th in the 100 Back in 2023. Divers Madison Edwards and Noelle Gallucci return in 2024 looking to build on their 10th and 12th place section finishes.