SWIMMING: Bemidji in position to win section
WARROAD – The Bemidji girls swimming and diving team appears poised to make a run at successfully defending its Section 8A title today as the Lumberjacks placed most of their athletes in the top eight of their respective events after Friday’s preliminary round of the section meet.
The top eight placers of Friday’s preliminaries qualified for today’s championship heats while the ninth through 16th finishers will swim in the consolation bracket.
Team points are scored in both divisions but most of the points are available in the championship rounds. And BHS is very well positioned in the championship races.
The Jacks advanced their top team in the 200 medley, 200 free and 400 free relays. In the 200 free BHS has four of the eight championship lanes as Jamie Vanasse, Morgan Williams, Alyssa Wright and Lexie Hendricks all posted top-eight times Friday.
In the 200 individual medley Steph Frey, Erin Arndt and Libby McRae will compete in the championship heat while Katie Krause and Danielle Hoven will be Bemidji’s championship representatives in the 50 free.
BHS will have McRae and Arndt in the 100 fly while Maris Jahner, Williams and Frey will swim in today’s 100 free.
Bemidji also is stacked in the 500 free as Hendricks, Alyssa Wright, Mackenzie Ritchie and Vanasse all qualified for the championship heat.
In the 100 back BHS will be represented by Madi Knutson and Kayla Hewitt while Hoven will race in the top heat of the 100 breast stroke.
In diving the Jacks will be represented in the championship round by Kylei Grosfield.
The top two individual finishers in today’s swimming races and the top four divers will also earn berths at the state meet.
