2025 Girls High School Preview: Section 6A

Section 6A

Teams in the Section
Albany, Holdingford, Little Falls, Melrose Area, Rocori, Sartell- St. Stephen Sauk Centre, Sauk Rapids-Rice, St. Cloud Apollo, St. Cloud Tech

2024 Section Champion: Melrose Area – 474
2024 Section Runner-up: St. Cloud Tech -374

Notable Graduates

• Elli Dockendorf (Melrose Area) – Diving (6th Sections)
• Jaiden Smith (Melrose Area) – 200 Free (5th Sections), 500 Free (3rd Sections)
• Paige Roche (St Cloud Tech) – 50 Free (7th Sections)
• Addy Stine (St Cloud Tech) – 50 Free (9th Sections), 100 Free (8th Sections)
• Kendall Dvorak (St Cloud Tech) – Diving (2nd Sections/15^th State)
• Elizabeth Krueger (St Cloud Apollo) – 200 Free (14th Sections), 500 Free (7th Sections)
• Miranda Meyer (St Cloud Apollo) – Diving (7th Sections)
• Addison Bick (Sauk Centre) – 100 Fly (5th Sections)
• Pyper Vogt (Sauk Centre) – 50 Free (4th Sections/11^th State), 100 Free (3rd Sections/13^th State)
• Megan Willenbring (Rocori) – 50 Free (2nd Sections/5^th State), 100 Breast (1st Sections/1^st State)
• Claire Anderson (Little Falls) – Diving (8th Sections), 100 Back (15th Sections)
• Mckenzie Eiynck (Albany) – 200 Free (7th Sections), 500 Free (5th Sections)
• Joslynn Stewart (Sartell-St. Stephen) – 200 Free (2nd section 8AA), 100 Free (5th section 8AA)
• Maya Hentges (Sartell-St. Stephen) – 50 Free (7th section 8AA), 100 Free (6th section 8AA)

Section Outlook

This section gains Sartell-St. Stephen and Sauk Rapids-Rice from 8AA this season which should just add to an already competitive section.  It will be a lot of fun to see how this one shakes out this year!

Melrose features one of the deepest returning groups in the section. Junior Lauren Reed was a runner-up in both the 200 and 100 Free, and sophomore Maggie Frieler placed top-5 in the 500 Free and 200 IM. Junior Ava Wensmann added strong finishes in the 100 Fly and 200 IM, while fellow junior Maddi Kraemer was second in the 100 Fly. Senior Chloe Viere returns after two top-8 freestyle finishes, and junior Brooke Ruoff placed in both the 100 Back and 100 Free. Add in contributors like Georgia Anderson (100 Fly/Back), Madisyn Von Wahlde, Lucy Heringlake, Ella Erdmann, and distance swimmer Ava Smith, and Melrose could be the most complete team in Section 6A.

St. Cloud Tech returns a powerhouse lineup led by senior Maggie Cole, who swept the 200 Free and 500 Free and placed 7^th and 8^th at the state meet in those events. She’s joined by junior Maren Nelson, runner-up in the 100 Back (13^th State) and third in the 200 Free, and junior Aliina Gustin, who dominated the 200 IM (11^th State) and was runner-up in the 100 Breast (7^th State). Sophomore Anja Gustin adds firepower with a 100 Fly win and a strong showing in the 50 Free, while junior Kiera Florek leads the diving squad after a first-place finish (12^th State). Rounding out the depth are junior Brenna Gruber (11^th State), junior Jacklynn Adams (top-5 diving), and rising freshman Miriam Davis, who scored in the 100 Breast. This deep and well-rounded team could challenge for the section title.

Sauk Centre brings back a strong trio of scorers. Senior Maizie Jennissen was a top-6 finisher in both the 200 and 100 Free. Senior Brooke Bromenshenkel placed third in the 200 IM and also made the podium in the 100 Breast. Sophomore Livia Jennissen broke into the top-5 in the 100 Breast, while junior Makenna Barthel placed 5th in the 100 Back. With relay support and depth, this group will remain highly competitive.

St. Cloud Apollo is led by standout sprinter Izzy Westling, who won both the 50 and 100 Free with section-best times. Westling placed 6^th in the 50 Free and 4rd in the 100 Free at the state meet.  She’s supported by Lucy Heringlake, who added an 8th-place finish in the 50 Free, and Madelyn Weekley, who reached the podium in the 100 Fly and 200 IM. Sophomore Lilah Mohs placed 4th in the 100 Back, giving Apollo strength across strokes.

Rocori’s top returners include freshman Chelsea Willenbring, who won the 100 Back (13^th State) and placed 3rd in the 50 Free (13^th State)—both as a 9th grader. Junior Ariana Outhwaite had a strong meet with 2nd-place finishes in both the 200 IM (10^th State) and 500 Free. Senior Malea Beeler added a 3rd-place finish in the 100 Fly, and junior Avery Scott placed 8th in the same event. Senior Allie Reitmeier returns as a multi-event finalist in both IM and Breast.

Holdingford is led by sophomore Maggie Gross, who placed 4th in the 200 Free and 4th in the 100 Free. She will be the foundation of a team that’s aiming to climb the team standings in 2025.

Albany returns key junior Lauren Hennen who placed in both the 100 Free and 100 Back.

Little Falls will count on senior Abi Nagorski, who placed 4th in the 100 Breast. She remains a strong individual scorer and a vital relay leg.

Sartell-St. Stephen returns a talented underclass core with sophomore Tori Carlson placing 5th in the 200 and 4th in the 500 Free. Freshman McKenna Searcy (4th in the 100 Back) and sophomore Mara Segura (8th in Breaststroke) add quality, while junior Kaylee Meester chipped in sprint points and junior Adalyn Godfrey was 5th in the 100 Back. Junior Tess Hovda (500 and 100 Back) contributed in distance and stroke.

Sauk Rapids-Rice boasts freshman Kate Walz, who was 2nd in the 200 IM (16^th  AA State) and won the 100 Breast (5^th AA State). Junior Ally Lucas placed 6th in the 200 Free and 2nd in the 100 Back, while sophomore Adalyn Godfrey scored in the 100 Back. Junior Esme Grabinski led with a 3rd-place diving finish at sections and placed 15^th at AA State.