There were more than a few Albert Lea swimmers who had astonished looks on their face when they looked up at the clock following their swims Wednesday at the Section 1A preliminary meet at Austin Ellis Middle School in Austin.

“I thought I was looking at the wrong one,” said Tigers sophomore Galen Schulz about her time in the 50-yard freestyle. “I had to look at it for a long time.”

“When I was walking over to cool down I was still looking over at the clock,” said Tigers sophomore Morgan Field. “That can’t be it. That can’t be my time.”

The clock didn’t lie as Schulz and Field set lifetime bests at the meet and found themselves with times faster than the state meet cut times. Field did it in the 100 breaststroke, delivering easily the most surprising swim of the evening for Albert Lea.

Field turned in the best time of the meet in the 100 breaststroke, finishing in 1 minute, 11.78 seconds. The time was a lifetime best by three seconds and also well under the state cut time of 1:12.21, which is necessary to be below to automatically qualify for the state meet. Field had the fourth-best seed time entering the meet, but put together her most impressive swim of the season.

“I thought I had a chance (at making the state cut time),” Field said. “I never thought I’d get a 1:11 though.”

Though it was a shock to everyone on the team, it was something head coach Jon Schmitz felt Field was capable of doing. She finished fifth in the event last season and it was just a matter of time before it all came together for her.

“She concentrated on that stroke a lot in practice,” Schmitz said. “It was just nice to see her finally put it together.”

The breaststroke has been the premier event for Albert Lea for several years and was once again at the section meet. Senior Gracie Thomas, a state qualifier in the event last season turned in the second-best preliminary time with a 1:12.92 to advance to the finals and junior Amy Horejsi had the seventh-best qualifying time with a 1:14.53.

Schulz was just as impressive during the preliminaries. After setting a lifetime best in the 100-yard freestyle at the conference meet 11 days ago, Schulz added a lifetime best time in the 50-yard freestyle event at the section meet en route to fourth-place finish.

Her time of 25.05 seconds came in at three-tenths of a second faster than the state cut time of 25.37. She also tied for the fourth best time in the 100 freestyle with a 55.66, which is five one-hundredths of a second from the state cut time.

Though Schulz and Field both made state cut times in the prelims, both must either place in the top two in the finals or swim faster than the state cut time in the finals Friday to advance to the state meet. The state cut time is based on a three-year average of the 16th-best time at the state meet.

“I’m really nervous because I have high expectations,” Schulz said. “If I don’t get the state time I’ll be really bummed because I got it now.”

The faster times were due in part to a decision by the Albert Lea coaching staff to change the team’s taper heading into the section meet and the move paid dividends for many swimmers.

“They were not really happy for the first three days last week where they normally would be warming up, warming down,” Schmitz said. “This year we really kept them up in the intensity and yardage.”

Several others were well below their seed time for Albert Lea. Horejsi was more than two seconds faster than her seed time in the 100-yard butterfly and the breaststroke as she advanced to the finals in both events. Thomas was under her seed time in the breaststroke. The 200 freestyle relay was more than two seconds faster, the medley relay was nearly five seconds faster, and Whitney Ramussen was nearly three seconds faster in the 200 freestyle.

“Everything just kind of came together after taper,” Field said.

The finals begin Friday at 7 p.m. at Austin Ellis Middle School.

ALBERT LEA INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

200 medley relay: 6. Albert Lea 1:57.87. 200 freestyle: 17. Whitney Rasmussen 2:13.79; 24. Rachel Gould 2:16.97. 200 individual medley: 10. Morgan Field 2:30.71; 20. Gracie Thomas 2:37.33; 22. Jasmine Hanson 2:39.95. 50 freestyle: 4. Galen Schulz 25.05; 20. Kim Nelson 27.30. 1-meter diving: 12. Karli Kriewall 172.70; 22. Katie Walechka 95; 24. Molly Tuohy 91.4. 100 butterfly: 8. Amy Horejsi 1:05.16; 15. K. Nelson 1:07.95. 100 freestyle: 4. Schulz 55.66; 21. Kemma Bergland 1:00.67. 500 freestyle: 13. Hanson 5:55.28; 22. Gould 6:06.06. 200 freestyle relay: 6. Albert Lea 1:44.95. 100 backstroke: 16. Bergland 1:11.36; 18. Rasmussen 1:12.18. 100 breaststroke: 1. Field 1:11.78; 2. Thomas 1:12.92; 7. Horejsi 1:14.53. 400 freestyle relay: 9. Albert Lea 4:04.65.