Bloomington Kennedy leaned on early relay speed and steady depth through the middle of the meet to earn an 81–72 varsity victory over Fridley in a dual that stayed competitive into the final relay on Tuesday night.
Fridley struck first in the 200 medley relay, as the quartet of Carlo Martinez Alonso, Wyatt Engelman, Quinn Henrikson, and Wyatt Olson captured the win in 1:54.49, giving the Tigers an early boost before Kennedy settled into the meet. The Eagles answered right away in the 200 freestyle, where Isaac Wirebaugh controlled the race and won in 2:18.86, flipping momentum back to Kennedy and tightening the team score.
Fridley regained the edge in the 200 IM behind Engelman, who won in 2:33.96, but Kennedy stayed close with scoring swims from Bear Merida, keeping the dual within reach heading into the sprints. Speed favored Fridley in the 50 freestyle, where Henrikson led a one-two finish in 24.66, followed closely by Olson, creating one of the Trojans’ strongest point swings of the night.
With no varsity points scored in diving, the meet turned quickly to the butterfly, where Fridley again delivered as Henrikson picked up his second individual win in 1:01.07. Kennedy answered in the 100 freestyle behind Olson, who won in 57.38, trimming the gap and keeping the Eagles in striking position entering the distance events.
Distance proved pivotal for Kennedy. Wirebaugh doubled back to win the 500 freestyle in 6:41.23, and Merida followed in second, producing a key point swing that pushed the Eagles back in front with just relays and stroke events remaining.
Fridley kept the pressure on in the 200 freestyle relay, where the A relay of Martinez Alonso, Engelman, Henrikson, and Olson won in 1:41.61, pulling the Tigers back within reach as the meet headed into the final individual races.
Kennedy answered when it mattered most in the 100 backstroke, with Ben Jones taking the win in 1:04.78 to give the Eagles breathing room. That momentum carried straight into the breaststroke, where Henry Firnhaber delivered a crucial victory in 1:08.84, extending Kennedy’s lead before the final relay.
The Eagles sealed the team win in the 400 freestyle relay, as Javi Cruz, Wirebaugh, Jones, and Firnhaber closed the night with a win in 4:03.23, preventing Fridley from mounting a last-event comeback and locking in the dual victory.
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