Teams in the Section
Dassel-Cokato, Delano, Hutchinson, Litchfield, Marshall, Montevideo, Orono, Watertown-Mayer, Westonka/Holy Family, Willmar
2025 Section Champion: Orono – 510 pts
2025 Section Runner-up: Westonka/Holy Family – 426.5 pts
Notable Graduates
- Graycin Andreen (Orono) – 200 Free (1st Sections/2nd State), 100 Fly (1st Sections/2nd State)
- Lola Schottler (Orono) – 200 Free (3rd Sections/5th State), 500 Free (2nd Sections/6th State)
- Celia Howard (Orono) – 200 IM (5th Sections), 100 Breast (3rd Sections)
- Sofie Dyvik (Orono) – 50 Free (4th Sections), 100 Free (7th Sections) Kaleigh Francis (Orono) – Diving (5th Sections)
- Kaia Georges (Delano) – 50 Free (1st Sections), 100 Free (1st Sections)
- Mylie Pinoniemi (Delano) – Diving (4th Sections) Katelyn Daluge (Delano) – 100 Breast (8th Sections)
- Erica Johnson (Westonka/Holy Family) – Diving (2nd Sections/4th State)
- Izzy Starr (Westonka/Holy Family) – 100 Back (6th Sections)
- Autumn Deutz (Marshall) – 50 Free (6th Sections), Diving (8th Sections)
- Elizabeth O’Malley (Montevideo) – Diving (3rd Sections), 100 Breast (6th Sections)
Section 3A graduates one of its most decorated classes in years, led by Orono’s Graycin Andreen, who swept the 200 Free and 100 Fly at sections and earned a pair of runner-up finishes at the Class A state meet. The Spartans lose a deep senior group around her, and Delano says goodbye to double section champion Kaia Georges, who won both freestyle sprints. Their departures leave the top of the section open.
Section Outlook
Orono loses a celebrated senior class but still returns enough talent to defend its section title. Junior Sophie Berg is the headliner, winning the 200 IM, taking 2nd in the 100 Fly, and reaching the state meet in the IM with a 6th-place finish. Junior Ainsley Francis is right there with her, winning the 100 Back and placing 4th in the 200 Free before earning an 8th-place finish in the backstroke at state. Sophomore Audrey Crawford announced herself with a 2nd in the 100 Free and 3rd in the 100 Back, qualifying for state as one of the section’s brightest young swimmers. Junior Shelby Sloneker scored in both the 200 IM (4th) and 100 Back (5th), junior Ileana Berg added sprint and fly points (5th in the 50 Free, 4th in the 100 Fly), and senior Hope Smith (7th 50 Free) and senior Sutton Williams (8th 100 Fly) round out a deep returning group. Even with heavy graduation, the Spartans have the returning talent to stay near the top of the section.
Westonka/Holy Family returns nearly its entire scoring lineup and looks like the favorite to take the section crown in 2026. Senior Laney Hendrickson is the centerpiece, taking 2nd in the 200 Free and winning the 500 Free, then placing 4th and 3rd respectively in those events at state. Junior Mia Dongoske is a versatile force, winning the 100 Breast and taking 2nd in the 200 IM before reaching the state meet in the breaststroke. Senior Bailey Monette gives the team a championship piece on the boards, winning the section diving title and finishing 2nd at state. Senior Rachel Betts scored in both the 100 Free (5th) and 100 Breast (2nd), senior Jaylen Juras added points in the 100 Fly (3rd) and 100 Back (4th), and senior Chella Patterson (7th 200 IM), senior Charlotte Lake (8th 200 Free, 3rd 500 Free), and junior Ava Dominguez (6th 500 Free) deepen an already loaded roster. With this much firepower returning against a graduation-hit Orono, the Wolves look ready to take the top spot.
Delano brings back a strong group despite losing two-time champion Kaia Georges. Junior Emma Ristau leads the returners as a top sprinter, taking 2nd in the 50 Free, 3rd in the 100 Free, and reaching the state meet in the 50. Junior Sadie Rosenow scored in both the 200 IM (3rd) and 100 Fly (6th), and freshman Maddy Mays was a standout in the distance events, placing 7th in the 200 Free, 4th in the 500 Free, and qualifying for state in the 500. Freshman Tilly Tordeur added a 5th in the 100 Breast. The Tigers have the young talent to remain in the section’s top tier.
Hutchinson returns a promising young core. Freshman Julia Rudebusch is the swimmer to build around, scoring in both the 200 Free (5th) and 100 Free (6th) as one of the section’s top underclassmen. Junior Makaila Wakefield placed 2nd in the 100 Back, and sophomore Marsha Martig is a dual threat, taking 4th in the 100 Breast and 7th on the boards. With its scorers all returning, the Tigers are positioned to climb.
Watertown-Mayer brings back a balanced group led by senior Julia Cone, who placed 6th in the 200 Free and 4th in the 100 Free. Junior Allyson Grossinger is a steady scorer in multiple events, finishing 6th in the 200 IM and 7th in the 500 Free, and senior Sophia Danielson added sprint depth with a 3rd in the 50 Free. The group returns largely intact, giving Watertown-Mayer a solid foundation in the middle of the section.
Marshall returns sophomore Finley Pelz, the team’s standout, who scored in both the 100 Fly (5th) and 500 Free (5th) as one of the section’s promising young swimmers. With Pelz leading the way, the Tigers have a building block to develop around in 2026.
Dassel-Cokato brings back junior Dayna Dahlman, who placed 6th on the boards, along with sophomore Mya Klaers (7th 100 Breast) and freshman Quinn Smieja (8th 100 Back). The Chargers return their scoring depth and will look to build on a solid section finish.
Montevideo returns senior Lauren Dove, the team’s top returning scorer, who placed 8th in the 200 IM and 7th in the 100 Back. With Dove leading a young group, the Thunder Hawks will look to build their program in the seasons ahead.
Willmar did not return an individual top-8 finisher and will lean on its younger swimmers as it works to rebuild scoring depth in 2026.
Litchfield returns sophomore Rachel Morkrid, who placed 7th in the 100 Fly, as the program continues to develop around its underclassmen.