Irondale and Mounds View delivered one of the tightest duals of the season Thursday night, trading momentum swings across the lineup before the Knights used late relay firepower to escape with a 94–92 varsity victory.
Mounds View set the tone early in the 200 medley relay, where the A quartet of Danny Bai, Andrew Higley, Ben Lawrence, and Grayson Then clicked from start to finish to win in 1:50.66. That early relay execution gave the Mustangs the first edge on the scoreboard and hinted at the depth they would lean on throughout the night, even as Irondale stayed within striking distance by placing its A relay just behind.
Irondale answered immediately in the 200 freestyle behind Lucas Megahan, who separated himself early and never looked back on the way to a commanding win in 1:44.32. While Mounds View stacked points behind Holden Then and Grayson Then, Megahan’s front-end speed flipped the team score and injected early confidence into the Knights’ lineup.
That momentum carried into the 200 IM, where Kai Nelson put together a smooth, controlled race to win in 2:09.09. Nelson’s versatility gave Irondale another critical scoring punch, though Mounds View stayed glued to the Knights thanks to a strong second-place swim from Sammy Snider, preventing the meet from tilting too far in one direction.
Sprint speed belonged to Irondale in the 50 freestyle, as Isaac Botten surged off the blocks and held the field at bay to win in 23.08. The Knights followed with additional scoring depth, tightening the screws before the meet reached one of its biggest inflection points on the diving boards.
That swing came in a big way for Mounds View. Charlie Hieb led a dominant performance in 1-meter diving, winning with a score of 216.80 as the Mustangs stacked the top of the standings. The diving event proved to be one of the largest point shifts of the night, pulling Mounds View back into the lead and shifting the energy on deck.
Irondale stopped that surge in the 100 butterfly, where Megahan returned with another statement swim, winning in 53.48. The butterfly win steadied the Knights and kept the dual on a knife’s edge as the meet moved into the second half.
Mounds View countered in the 100 freestyle behind Bai, who delivered one of the fastest swims of the night, touching first in 46.77. That win reignited the Mustangs’ push and brought the team race back to a near deadlock heading into the distance events.
The 500 freestyle swung momentum yet again, this time in Mounds View’s favor. Snider controlled the race from the opening lengths and closed strong to win in 5:26.35, with Grayson Then adding valuable points behind him. The Mustangs briefly reclaimed the edge, setting the stage for a dramatic closing stretch.
Relays proved decisive for Irondale. In the 200 freestyle relay, the Knights’ A team of Botten, Samuel Reichert, Nelson, and Finneus Rosivach exploded off the blocks and never relinquished the lead, winning in 1:33.88 and swinging the meet back in Irondale’s direction with just three events remaining.
Nelson followed that relay with another clutch performance in the 100 backstroke, winning in 1:00.50 to extend the Knights’ advantage and put pressure squarely on Mounds View. The Mustangs answered in the breaststroke, where Lawrence delivered a timely win in 1:04.76, trimming the gap and ensuring the meet would come down to the final relay.
With the team score hanging in the balance, Irondale sealed the victory in the 400 freestyle relay. The quartet of Botten, Reichert, Nelson, and Megahan finished the night with authority, touching first in 3:22.48 and holding off Mounds View’s top relay to secure the narrow dual win.
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