McKenzie Luetmer earns state berth in 50-yard freestyle event

The Minnewaska Area-Morris Area Gators competed at the Section 6A Swimming and Diving Meet, Thursday through Saturday at Alexandria Discovery Middle School.

The Gators placed sixth of nine teams in a meet won by Melrose Area, but the Gators did get one state berth as McKenzie Luetmer placed second in the 50-yard freestyle event to earn her first state berth.

The top two individuals and top two relay teams in each event qualified to state along with swimmers and divers that met a pre-determined state standard.

Melrose Area, which won four of the 12 events, won the team title with 406 points, while Alexandria was second with 353 points and Rocori, which also won four events, was third with 308.5 points. Alexandria and fourth-place Sauk Centre also won two events each.

“It was a great weekend of swimming for the Gators,” coach Sam Oellien said.  “We had a lot of great swims and dives and we’re so happy to send McKenzie to the state meet.”

Luetmer will now get ready to compete at the State Class A Swimming and Diving Meet, set for Nov. 16-18 at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis.  Diving prelims are set for Wednesday, Nov. 16, with the swimming prelims beginning at noon, Thursday, Nov. 17 and all finals taking place Friday, Nov. 18.

At the section meet, Melrose Area head coach Nathan Meyer and Alexandria head coach Crysta Krause were named the co-coaches of the year for Section 6A.  In addition, Alexandria’s Aaron Rooney was named the Section 6A diving coach of the year.

The Gators know the Melrose Area team well as Melrose also won the Section 6A True-Team title and WCC championship.  Alexandria also placed second at the true-team meet and Sauk Centre was the runner-up at the WCC Meet.

Section 6A Meet

McKenzie Luetmer highlighted the efforts at the Section 6A Meet by placing second in the 50-yard freestyle race to earn a berth at the state meet.  She swam a time of 25.02 to place just behind champion Megan Willenbring, of Rocori, who was timed in 24.7.  Luetmer had a time of 25.55 at the WCC Meet to win the title.

Luetmer was also eighth in the 100 freestyle event with a time of 56.49, and swam on two relay teams that placed fourth and sixth.

She swam with Lyla Stadtherr, Melena Longtin and Serena Mellgren in the 200 freestyle relay, placing fourth with a time of 1:44.87, and was sixth with the 400 freestyle relay team with Becca Femrite, Longtin and Mellgren.

Clare Barnstuble placed eighth in the diving event with a score of 317.55, while Ella Roering was 15th with 258.75 points.

The 200 medley relay team of Femrite, Lyla Stadtherr, Soffia Stadtherr and Avery Svec earned eighth place (2:05.93), while Femrite was also 11th in the 200 freestyle (2:10.34).

Lyla Stadtherr finished eighth in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:16.36), while Makena Thoen was right behind in 15th place with a time of 1:21.49.

The Gators had a number of other top-16 place finishes as Melena Longtin was 10th (26.39) and Mellgren 12th (26.93) in the 50 freestyle, Mellgren was 12th (1:09.51) and Mesa Kittelson 14th (1:10.2) in the 100 butterfly, Longtin was 12th in the 100 freestyle (58.95), and Femrite was 12th (1:10.01) and Soffia Stadtherr 13th (1:10.03) in the 100 backstroke.

“The section is loaded with a lot of great swimmers, divers and teams so we knew it was going to be tough to send someone to state,” coach Oellien said.  “It’s been a great season of swimming and diving so we’re just happy to extend it another week and looking forward to competing at state.”

•  The 2022 roster for the Minnewaska Area/Morris Area Gators’ swimming and diving team includes 24 athletes from Morris Area-CA, senior Makarian Schott; juniors Kaia Anderson, Sage Barnstuble, Gabby Schneider and Chaeli Zahl; sophomores Sarah Dougherty, Vylet Frank, Cora Gartland, Amy Varga, Lorin Wilts and Isabel Guerra; ninth-graders Clare Barnstuble, Allie Staples and Jillian Schott; eighth-graders Isabelle Emmert and Berdine Kleindl; and seventh-graders Marissa DeVries, Alejandra Garcia Bernabe, Aranza Guerrero Lara, Shelby Hoberg, Yavonne VanHorn, Azul Villagomez Martinez, Kendra Steffen and Akayla Werk; along with 29 athletes from Minnewaska Area, seniors Miranda Longtin, Mckenzie Luetmer, Serena Mellgren, Leslie Murken, Hannah Poshek, Avery Svec and Makena Thoen; juniors Katie Koenig and Soffia Stadtherr; sophomores Rudy Baylor, Jenna Detko, Rebecca Femrite, Leandra Graham and Melena Longtin; ninth-graders Mesa Kittelson, Phemie Oeltjen, Sophie Recker, Ella Roering and Lyla Stadtherr; eighth-graders Tommi Devick, Maria Heidelberger and Abbigail Peterson; and seventh-graders Sadie Daniels, Hayden Fadness, Addisen Johnson, Mari Jordahl, Ella Larson, Isannah Walsh and Raelyn Williams.

at Section 6A Swimming and Diving Meet

Team scoring:

(1) Melrose Area 406  (2) Alexandria 353  (3) Rocori 345  (4) Sauk Centre 308.5  (5) Albany 218.5  (6) Minnewaska Area-Morris Area Gators 168  (7) Little Falls 155  (8) St. Cloud Apollo 82  (9) Holdingford 73

Individual results (State qualifiers and Gators):

200 medley relay:  (1) Melrose Area 1:50.42  (2) Alexandria 1:51.15  (3) Sauk Centre 1:51.23 . . . (8) Gators (Becca Femrite, Lyla Stadtherr, Soffia Stadtherr, Avery Svec) 2:05.93

200 freestyle:  (1) Laney Schneider, Rocori 2:00.26  (2) Brooklyn Millward, Alex 2:00.28 . . . (11) Femrite, Gators 2:10.34

200 individual medley:  (1) Hallie Drossel, Mel 2:10.87  (2) Ariana Outhwaite, Roc 2:14.29

50 freestyle:  (1) Megan Willenbring, Roc 24.7  (2) McKenzie Luetmer, Gators 25.02 . . . (10) Melena Longtin, Gators 26.39  (12) Serena Mellgren, Gators 26.93

Diving:  (1) CeCe Woods, Rocori 393.8  (2) Erica Johnson, Alex 380.6  (3) Lauren Hornstein, Alex 348.6  (4) Katelyn Motter, Rocori 347.1 . . . (8) Clare Barnstuble, Gators 317.55  (15) Ella Roering, Gators 258.75

100 butterfly:  (1) Stella Schirmers, SC 59.72  (2) Willenbring 1:01.28 . . . (12) Mellgren, Gators 1:09.51  (14) Mesa Kittelson, Gators 1:10.20

100 freestyle:  (1) Jisella Haskamp, Alex 53.55  (2) Megan Heveron, SC 54.47 . . . (8) Luetmer, Gators 56.49  (12) Longtin, Gators 58.95

500 freestyle:  (1) Ariana Outhwaite, Roc 5:24.42  (2) Emily McLachlan, Albany 5:28.25

200 freestyle relay:  (1) Melrose 1:40.81  (2) Rocori 1:40.85 . . . (4) Gators (L. Stadtherr, Melena Longtin, Serena Mellgren, McKenzie Luetmer) 1:44.87

100 backstroke:  (1) Schirmers, SC 58.91  (2) Katie Spanier, Albany 1:01.03 . . . (12) Femrite, Gators 1:10.01  (13) S. Stadtherr, Gators 1:10.03

100 breaststroke:  (1) Drossel, Mel 1:04.72  (2) Brooke Bromenshenkel, SC 1:09.17 . . . (8) L. Stadtherr, Gators 1:16.36  (15) Makena Thoen, Gators 1:21.49

400 freestyle relay:  (1) Alexandria 3:42.37  (2) Rocori 3:43.89 . . . (6) Gators (Femrite, Longtin, Mellgren, Luetmer) 3:54.15