The 2026 high school swimming season opened on September 1 with a dual meet between Rocori and Sauk Centre, and by the final event it was clear which team had the deeper roster on this day. Rocori controlled the individual events from the start, building a lead that Sauk Centre trimmed in the relays but could never fully close. The final score — Rocori 108, Sauk Centre 78 — reflects a meet where the Spartans won more events, claimed more top-two finishes, and gave their opponents very few places to gain ground.
200 Medley Relay
Rocori set the tone immediately in the opening relay. The Rocori A squad touched first in 1:54.96, more than seven seconds ahead of Sauk Centre’s top unit at 2:02.81. Rocori’s B relay (2:03.01) edged out Sauk Centre’s second entry (2:20.14) for third, giving Rocori 10 relay points to Sauk Centre’s 4. The meet was barely underway and Rocori was already up 10-4.
200 Freestyle
Ariana Outhwaite, a senior, won the 200 Free in 2:08.28, nearly nine seconds clear of the field. Sauk Centre junior Kiera Bjork (2:16.95) held off Rocori’s Becca Hadtrath (2:17.87) for second by less than a second, giving Sauk Centre a point where they could find one. Rocori scored 9 points to Sauk Centre’s 7 on the strength of Outhwaite’s top finish and Hadtrath’s third.
200 IM
The 200 IM produced one of the more interesting races of the first half, with an eighth-grader leading the way. Olivia Willenbring of Rocori touched first in 2:30.03, with Sauk Centre’s Livia Jennissen (gr.11) just 3.19 seconds back in 2:33.22. Rocori’s Lillian Kreller (gr.12) rounded out the podium at 2:36.66, pushing Sauk Centre’s Quinncy Jennissen (gr.9) to fourth at 2:41.66. Rocori took 9 points, Sauk Centre 7.
50 Freestyle
Rocori swept the top two spots in the 50 Free. Junior Chelsea Willenbring won outright in 24.96, a comfortable margin over Rocori’s Jayda Larson (gr.12) at 27.15. Sauk Centre’s Katie Gregory (gr.12) finished third in 27.99, just ahead of teammate Josie Christen (gr.10) at 28.09 — a gap of one-tenth of a second. Rocori’s Loretta Belknap (gr.12) took fifth in 28.14. Rocori earned 11 points to Sauk Centre’s 5.
Running score: Rocori 57, Sauk Centre 27
6 Dives
Diving was split between the two teams at the top. Rocori’s Adriana Jedlicki (gr.11) posted a meet-high 157.00 points to take first. Sauk Centre’s Abigail Eiden (gr.12, 146.60) and Nora Thompson (gr.12, 134.40) finished second and third. Rocori also placed fifth and sixth through Lucy Luebesmier (118.25) and Mayana Nguyen (112.10), so despite Sauk Centre claiming two of the top three spots, Rocori still won the event 9-6 on points.
100 Butterfly
Junior Andi Diercks of Rocori opened what would become a strong two-event stretch, winning the 100 Fly in 1:08.36. Sauk Centre’s Sylvie Schirmers (gr.11) was second in 1:11.61, and Rocori’s Avery Scott (gr.12) took third at 1:12.37. Sauk Centre’s Ellery Anderson (gr.11) added a fourth-place finish at 1:16.98. Rocori scored 9 points, Sauk Centre 7.
100 Freestyle
Jayda Larson returned after her second-place finish in the 50 Free and won the 100 Free in 59.31, the only sub-minute swim in the field. Sauk Centre’s Quinncy Jennissen was second in 1:02.01, ahead of Rocori’s Loretta Belknap at 1:02.70. Sauk Centre’s Katie Gregory (1:02.83) and Makenna Barthel (gr.12, 1:03.13) packed into fourth and fifth within a combined 1.12 seconds of each other. Rocori took the event 9-7.
500 Freestyle
Chelsea Willenbring doubled up with a second individual win, taking the 500 Free in 5:58.75 — the only swimmer under six minutes. Sauk Centre’s Kiera Bjork was again the closest pursuer, finishing second in 6:05.74. Rocori’s Becca Hadtrath claimed third at 6:22.13. Sauk Centre’s Macie Klinnert (gr.9, 6:58.57) and Etta Dold (gr.8, 7:14.79) grabbed fourth and fifth. Rocori scored 9 points, Sauk Centre 7.
200 Free Relay
The 200 Free Relay gave Sauk Centre its biggest moment of the meet. The Sauk Centre A relay touched first in 1:51.34, edging Rocori’s A unit by just 0.27 seconds (1:51.61). Sauk Centre’s B relay (2:02.23) also held off Rocori’s B squad (2:02.53) for third, so Sauk Centre swept the relay scoring — 8 points for first, 2 for third — while Rocori earned only 4. It was Sauk Centre’s best event of the afternoon, a 10-4 swing in their favor.
Running score: Rocori 91, Sauk Centre 64
100 Backstroke
Andi Diercks returned for her second individual event and again finished on top, winning the 100 Back in 1:07.14. Sauk Centre’s Sylvie Schirmers was right there in second at 1:09.20, and teammate Makenna Barthel took third at 1:10.78. Rocori’s Avery Scott (1:13.86) and Lillian Kreller (1:14.45) followed in fourth and fifth. Schirmers pushed Diercks hard across both of their head-to-head matchups on the day, but Diercks held on each time. Rocori scored 9 points, Sauk Centre 7.
100 Breaststroke
Ariana Outhwaite won her second individual event of the day, taking the 100 Breast in 1:10.92. Olivia Willenbring followed in second at 1:13.28 — another strong showing from the eighth-grader — and Sauk Centre’s Livia Jennissen was third in 1:14.39. Rocori claimed first, second, and fifth through Claire Ralph (gr.11, 1:30.71), posting 11 points to Sauk Centre’s 5.
400 Free Relay
The meet closed with the 400 Free Relay, and Rocori sealed things cleanly. The Rocori A team finished first in 3:59.62, well ahead of Sauk Centre’s A squad at 4:12.39. Rocori’s B relay (4:25.67) took third, while Sauk Centre picked up points through their B (4:31.76) and C (4:57.32) entries. Rocori earned 10 relay points to Sauk Centre’s 8, a fitting final note on a day where Rocori’s depth consistently won out.
Rocori was the story of this meet from start to finish. Chelsea Willenbring and Andi Diercks each won two individual events, Ariana Outhwaite and Olivia Willenbring added two individual wins apiece, and Rocori converted depth into scoring points throughout the lineup. Sauk Centre found its best moment in the 200 Free Relay — where a 10-4 swing briefly tightened things — and had strong individual performances from Sylvie Schirmers, Kiera Bjork, and Quinncy Jennissen. But the 30-point final margin reflects a meet where Rocori’s roster was simply wider and deeper on this opening night of the season.