2025 Boys High School Preview: Section 4AA

Section 4AA

Teams in the Section
Mounds View, Roseville, St. Anthony, St. Paul Central, Tartan/North St. Paul, Stillwater, White Bear Lake, Woodbury

2025 Section Champion: Woodbury – 414.5 pts
2025 Section Runner-up: Mounds View – 379 pts

Notable Graduates

• Derek Stadheim (Woodbury) – 200 Yard Freestyle (1st sections, 11th state), 500 Yard Freestyle (1st sections, 6th state)
• Raymond Webb (Woodbury) – 50 Yard Freestyle (2nd sections, 15th state), 100 Yard Butterfly (1st sections, 16th state)
• Eli Faulkner (Woodbury) – 100 Yard Backstroke (8th sections)
• Aiden Tsao (Woodbury) – 50 Yard Freestyle (4th sections), 100 Yard Freestyle (3rd sections)
• Maccon Kubitschek (Stillwater) – 1m Diving (6th sections)
• Jackson Kogler (Stillwater) – 200 Yard IM (1st sections, 1st state), 100 Yard Backstroke (1st sections, 1st state)
• Drew Hilsendager (St. Paul Central) – 200 Yard IM (6th sections)
• Damien Aune (St. Paul Central) – 100 Yard Breaststroke (5th sections)
• Eugene Pedersen (Tartan-North) – 50 Yard Freestyle (6th sections), 100 Yard Freestyle (7th sections)
• Anthony Parada Romero (White Bear Lake) – 1m Diving (1st sections)
• Aidan Conlin (St. Anthony) – 100 Yard Butterfly (6th sections)
• Luke Schmitzer (Mounds View) – 500 Yard Freestyle (2nd sections), 100 Yard Breaststroke (2nd sections)
• Peyton Kwan (Mounds View) – 100 Yard Breaststroke (8th sections)

Section 4aa adds St. Anthony from Class A this season to mix things up a little.  Graduation may be the biggest difference maker in the team scores though.  Woodbury loses a bit more than runner up Mounds View and the point differential from last season was minimal.

Woodbury returns one of the deepest and most complete rosters in the section, bringing back top-end scorers across every stroke and distance. In the freestyle group, Grant McElwain (2nd in the 200 Free, 2nd in the Backstroke with a state berth), Alex McElwain (7th in the 200 Free, 8th in the 500 Free), and Colton Rosinski (8th in the 100 Free, 3rd in the Backstroke) give Woodbury exceptional versatility. The IM crew is outstanding, with Aiden Johnson (3rd), Ethan Lu (4th), and Javier Tellez (7th) all returning as finals scorers. Sprint talent is also a major strength—Andrew Qing (3rd in the 50 Free, 1st in the 100 Breast), Finn Novak (5th in the 50 and 2nd in the 100 Free), and Sig Larson (8th in the Fly, 5th in the Back) provide tremendous relay flexibility. Woodbury even adds stroke depth with butterfly finalists Roy Huebscher (3rd) and Larson, plus multiple young distance contributors like Johnson, Avery, and Alex McElwain. This is a returning lineup loaded with scoring and state-qualifying potential, positioning Woodbury as one of the clear front-runners.

Stillwater brings back a strong and balanced lineup led by a mix of upperclassmen and emerging contributors. In freestyle, Zach Cody (4th in the 200 Free, 3rd in the 500 Free) and Jackson Avery (6th in the 200 Free, 4th in the 500 Free) provide reliable finals scoring in the mid-distance and distance events. Sam Loken adds significant sprint speed with top-eight finishes in both the 50 and 100 Freestyle. The IM group features Ethan Finch (8th in the 200 IM) and contributes additional stroke strength in the backstroke, where Finch also placed 7th. Diving remains a solid event for the Ponies thanks to Grady Flynn, who placed 4th in the 1m event. With returning scorers present in every event except breaststroke, Stillwater enters the season with dependable depth and the potential to push toward the upper half of the section team standings.

Mounds View returns one of the most exciting groups of young talent in the section. Sprint standout Danny Bai leads the team after winning the 100 Free and placing 1st in the 50 Free at sections, followed by a 5th-place finish at state in the 100 Free. The Mustangs also return strong freestyle depth with Grayson Then (8th in the 200 Free, 7th in the 500 Free) and Ben Lawrence (5th in the 100 Free). In the breaststroke, Lawrence also added a 4th-place finish, giving Mounds View important scoring in that discipline. The butterfly group is anchored by rising talent Holden Then (4th) and supported by divers Micah Prindle (2nd), Charlie Hieb (3rd), and Alexander Olson (7th), giving Mounds View one of the strongest diving groups in the section. Add in the emergence of Sithsovann Pin-Mene (8th in the 50 Free) and the team’s depth across all grades, and the Mustangs appear poised for a significant climb this season.

White Bear Lake returns a compact but highly effective group of scorers. In the middle-distance freestyle group, Benedict Hoefer provides strong consistency with 3rd-place finishes in both the 200 and 100 Freestyle. The Bears also bring back Miles Cork, who placed 5th in diving, and Finnian McVeigh, who added a 7th-place finish in the 100 Fly and 6th in the 100 Breast. This combination of scoring divers and multi-event stroke performers gives White Bear Lake a dependable core, though they’ll look to emerging swimmers to expand their relay depth and support the upper-end talent.

St. Paul Central features several young contributors who are rapidly developing into reliable scorers. Edward Farwell headlines the group with top-five finishes in the 200 Free (5th) and 100 Fly (2nd), showcasing his importance to both the sprint and stroke groups. Henry Ames adds strong depth with a 6th-place finish in the 500 Free and 6th in the 100 Back, while Isaac Iwaszkowiec contributes stability on the boards with an 8th-place finish in diving.

Roseville returns a talented group of rising scorers led by Miles Vestrum, who placed 5th in the 200 IM and 4th in the 100 Back, giving the Raiders a strong stroke and IM presence. Senior Basheer Al-Homoud (5th in the 100 Fly) also returns to anchor the butterfly group. While Roseville’s overall depth is still developing, their top returning swimmers give them solid scoring potential across IM, fly, and backstroke, positioning the Raiders to remain competitive in key events.

St. Anthony returns several key contributors capable of making championship-level impact. Milo Roy provides valuable freestyle range with sectional top-eight finishes in the 200 and 100 Free.

Tartan–North brings back high-impact scorer Jonas Herrmann. Herrmann is a major asset after placing 2nd in the 200 IM and 6th in the 100 Fly, giving the co-op strength in two highly competitive stroke events.