2025 Girls High School Preview: Section 1AA

Section 1AA

Teams in the Section
Farmington, Lakeville North, Lakeville South, New Prague, Owatonna, Rochester Century, Rochester John Marshall, Rochester Mayo

2024 Section Champion: Rochester Century– 378 pts
2024 Section Runner-up: Lakeville North– 348pts

Notable Graduates

• Addie Marsolek (Lakeville North) – 50 Free (7th Sections), 100 Free (4th Sections)
• Ava Bruegger (New Prague) – Diving (1st Sections)
• Brooklynn Schrock (New Prague) – Diving (8th Sections)
• Gabriella Lee (Rochester Mayo) – 100 Free (15th Sections), 100 Breast (7th Sections)
• Julia Behnke (Rochester Mayo) – 200 Free (9th Sections), 500 Free (7th Sections)
• Liv Boyum (Rochester Century) – Diving (6th Sections)
• Mikayla Gabrielson (Farmington) – 50 Free (8th Sections), 100 Free (5th Sections)
• Mya Dutton (Owatonna) – Diving (4th Sections)
• Natalie Homme (Rochester Century) – 100 Free (7th Sections), 100 Back (7th Sections)
• Shannon Penney (Rochester John Marshall) – Diving (2nd Sections)
• Vreni Reichard (Rochester Century) – 200 Free (15th Sections), 500 Free (8th Sections)

It really should be a battle between Century and Lakeville North this year. Strong senior class for Century and a core up up and comers from North. Will Julia Ogren do that crazy 1 fly/1 free double again? She handled it spectacularly!

Rochester Century returns a well-rounded and experienced squad led by senior Sophia Blixt, who delivered big postseason performances with a section championship in the 100 Breast and 2nd in the 100 Free at sections. She backed it up at state with an impressive 2nd in the Breast and 8th in the Free. Senior Sarah Homme was a key distance contributor, placing 6th in the 200 Free and 5th in the 500. In the sprints, senior Chloe Magnuson showed her speed with a 4th-place finish in the 50 Free and 6th in the 100 Fly. Seventh-grader Quinn Barrone held her own against older swimmers with a 6th-place result in the 200 IM. In the Fly, senior Addison Kram added more depth with a 7th-place finish. On the boards, juniors Sarah Rutledge and Kendall Langenbrunner placed 5th and 7th in Diving, respectively, while sophomore JiaYin Jian-Gross rounded out the scoring with a 6th-place swim in the 100 Back.

Lakeville North returns a powerhouse lineup with both emerging young stars and seasoned leaders across nearly every discipline. Sophomore Chandler Offerman was a breakout performer, claiming victory in the 200 IM at the section meet and going on to finish 15th at state. She also delivered a strong fourth-place effort in the 100 Breaststroke. Senior Payton Hultgren led the sprint group with a commanding win in the 50 Free and followed it up with a seventh-place finish at state; she also added an eighth-place showing in the 100 Fly. In a display of IM depth, Lakeville North swept key spots with Whitney Szorcsik finishing third and Justine Anderson close behind in fourth, complementing Offerman’s title. Both Szorcsik and Anderson returned for the 100 Breaststroke, placing sixth and eighth respectively to round out a dominant showing in that stroke. Distance events were anchored by sophomore Theresa Anderson, who placed fifth in the 200 Free and surged to second in the 500 Free. Fellow sophomore Adry Sallander added top finishes in both, earning eighth in the 200 and fourth in the 500. Freshman Lauren Colbert also made her mark, touching sixth in the 500 Free and rounding out one of the deepest freestyle contingents in the section.

Lakeville South showcased a deep and well-balanced squad, led by standout junior Taylor Hintz, who claimed second in the 200 Free and went on to place 15th at state. She also dominated the distance field by winning the 500 Free and earning an impressive 11th at state. Sophomore Lily Wilkinson was a versatile contributor, placing fourth in the 200 Free and grabbing third in the 500. Sprinter Adriana Clemon, a senior force, was a double threat—she finished second in the 50 Free and placed 12th at state, then returned in the 100 Fly to claim another second-place finish and a fourth-place showing at state. Junior Hailey Gross added depth in the 100 Fly with an eighth-place finish, while Madison Parent, a sophomore, showed two-way promise by finishing fifth in the 50 Free and taking third in the 100 Back. Finally, junior Gracie Weishaar chipped in a strong seventh-place effort in the 200 IM, giving Lakeville South presence across all strokes and distances.

Farmington returns a balanced group of swimmers with both young talent and upperclassman leadership. Sophomore Mikaela Udell led the way, finishing 3rd in the 200 Free and 4th in the 100 Back. Fellow sophomore Micaela Cardoza added depth with a 7th-place swim in the 200 Free and an 8th in the 100 Back. Senior Taylor Gergen stood out with a 5th-place finish in the 100 Fly and a silver medal in the 100 Breast, where she went on to place 10th at state. Veteran presence came from Abigail Olson, who scored 8th in the 100 Free and also placed 5th in the 100 Back. Rounding out the top performers, senior Parker Risch placed 7th in the 200 IM to cap off a deep and versatile postseason lineup for the Tigers.

Rochester John Marshall brings back a trio of scorers poised to make waves again in 2025. Rising senior Julia Ogren was dominant last postseason, winning the section title in the 100 fly and going on to place 3rd at state. She also sprinted to a 1st-place finish in the 100 free at sections and followed that up with a 4th-place medal at state—one of the top all-around showings in the meet. Classmate Maysen Pettengill, now a senior, contributed with 6th-place section finishes in both the 50 and 100 free. In the breaststroke events, junior Abigail Tri posted a pair of 3rd-place section finishes in the 50 free and 100 breast, showing her versatility and scoring value.

New Prague was led by standout senior Taylor Bassett, who captured the section title in the 200 Free and also placed 3rd in the 100 Free, where she advanced to the state meet and finished 16th. Freshman Aspen Schieffer added young promise to the roster by placing 5th in the 100 Breast, setting the stage for future contributions in the years ahead.

Owatonna will be represented by junior Kate Karsten, who delivered a strong performance in diving with a 3rd-place finish at the section meet. Her top-3 showing on the board highlighted her as a diver to watch next season.

Rochester Mayo returns a strong core of upperclassmen led by standout senior Madeline Gau, who delivered a huge postseason in 2024. She captured the section crown in the 100 back and placed 6th at state, and also added a 3rd-place section swim in the 100 fly, earning 5th at state in that event. Now a junior, Elise Weingarten had a breakout meet of her own, placing 2nd in both the 200 IM and 100 back at sections. She’ll be a major factor again this fall. Fellow junior Emelia Fischer added depth with a 5th-place showing in the 200 IM, giving Mayo a potent medley group to build around in 2025.