East Ridge closed strong Tuesday night to earn a 98–86 varsity victory over Mounds View, using depth in the middle events and clutch scoring late in the meet to pull away in what remained a tight dual well into the second half.
Mounds View struck first in the varsity 200 Medley Relay, as Danny Bai, Ben Lawrence, Holden Then, and Sithsovann Pin-Mene touched first in 1:43.75, edging East Ridge’s A relay (1:44.99) and setting the tone for a competitive night.
East Ridge quickly answered in the 200 Freestyle, sweeping the top three spots behind Tayo Sennowo (1:51.61), Lucien Espinosa-Splichal (1:57.65), and Colton Rutkowski (1:58.44), flipping the early score and giving the Raptors their first momentum swing.
That depth continued in the 200 IM, where East Ridge again went 1-2-3 with Benjamin Briese winning in 2:06.44, followed by Blake Moss (2:10.32) and Paolo Dell’Anna (2:15.56). Mounds View countered with Holden Then placing fourth (2:16.16), but the point swing pushed East Ridge further ahead.
Sprint events kept the meet competitive. Mounds View’s Danny Bai won the 50 Freestyle in 21.26, while East Ridge answered with points from Noah Nordman (23.41) and Shuaib Khan (25.06) to limit the damage.
The Mustangs gained ground on the boards, sweeping the top two varsity diving spots behind Micah Prindle (212.40) and Charlie Hieb (202.05). East Ridge stayed in striking distance with solid scores from Evan Twisk and Jamison Reese, keeping the overall margin narrow at the midpoint.
East Ridge responded with a strong showing in the 100 Butterfly. Jamison Reese surged to victory in 55.61, followed closely by teammate Noah Nordman (57.62) and Brian Lin (58.66), creating another key swing in team scoring.
The 100 Freestyle went to Mounds View as Danny Bai doubled up with a win in 47.30, but East Ridge countered with Tayo Sennowo placing second (50.20) and Colton Rutkowski third (52.92), keeping the meet within reach.
Distance racing proved pivotal. Lucien Espinosa-Splichal delivered a decisive win for East Ridge in the 500 Freestyle, touching first in 5:11.18, while Zachary Hoelzel added a third-place finish (5:33.05) to help widen the gap. Mounds View’s Sammy Snider kept the Mustangs close with second (5:28.89).
Mounds View fought back in the 200 Free Relay, where Pin-Mene, Lawrence, Unai Solivera Tato, and Bai captured the win in 1:32.53. East Ridge limited the swing with strong finishes from its A and B relays, keeping control of the overall score.
The Raptors added separation in the 100 Backstroke as Blake Moss claimed the win in 58.29, with Neel Perumalachetty placing third (1:03.87) to keep East Ridge firmly in front.
East Ridge sealed the meet in the 100 Breaststroke. Benjamin Briese earned his second individual win in 1:03.46, followed by Paolo Dell’Anna (1:08.10), preventing Mounds View from making a late push.
Although Mounds View won the final varsity event—the 400 Free Relay in 3:42.27—East Ridge had already built enough of a cushion to secure the team victory.
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