Mankato West used depth through the middle of the lineup and a strong close in the stroke events to earn a 99–83 varsity victory over New Prague in a dual that stayed competitive into the late relays.
The meet opened with a tight, tone-setting win in the 200 medley relay, as Mankato West’s A group grabbed the early edge (1:49.73) over New Prague’s A relay (1:50.17). The Scarlets backed that up immediately in the 200 freestyle, where Isaac Sanderson set the pace and won (1:56.70), keeping momentum on Mankato West’s side before the meet hit its first big turning point.
That swing came in the 200 IM, where Mankato West controlled the event from the top and Sam Simmons won (2:17.33), part of a strong Scarlets push that kept New Prague from leveling the score. The sprint spotlight followed in the 50 free, and Mankato West delivered again as Ian Ray touched first (23.60), edging the Trojans in a quick, high-energy race that kept the home team chasing.
New Prague steadied itself on the boards, but Mankato West still banked critical points in diving behind Corbin Deichman, who won the 1-meter event (220.45). The Trojans responded with their own jolt in the 100 butterfly, where Grady Neisen surged to the win (1:00.15), giving New Prague a needed momentum boost as the meet turned toward the back half.
Mankato West answered with another stabilizing win in the 100 freestyle as Sanderson completed his double (51.37), keeping the Scarlets in control heading into the distance grind. That’s where Mankato West created more breathing room: Armin Stanglmaier won the 500 freestyle (5:34.32), a key mid-meet separator that made New Prague’s closing push more difficult.
The Trojans didn’t fold — they fired back in the relays late. New Prague’s A relay won the 200 free relay (1:34.91) in a razor-thin finish over Mankato West, and that surge carried into the final event as the Trojans also captured the 400 free relay (3:49.99), tightening the final margin and giving the end of the meet real juice.
But Mankato West’s finishing power in the stroke races proved decisive between those relay hits. In backstroke, Sam Kunkel delivered a meet-swinging win (1:02.62), and in breaststroke, Simmons came back again to take the 100 breast (1:06.48), closing the door before the final relay and locking in the team victory.
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