7th grader swims career-best 100-yard breaststroke at U of M

MINNEAPOLIS — As teammates Lindsy Horejsi and Morgan Field watched Horejsi’s 100-yard breaststroke time flash onto the scoreboard Friday at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center, neither cared she missed the state finals cut by .23 seconds.

Rather, both were ecstatic as the seventh-grader finished a career-best race in 1 minute and 8.45 seconds, and moved from the No. 23 seed into ninth place going into Saturday’s Class A consolation round.

“I feel amazing with that time,” Horejsi said.

Horejsi swam the 50 yards in 32.36 seconds, a full 1 1/2 seconds faster than she did at the Section 1A meet on Nov. 12.

“What a phenomenal race,” Albert Lea head coach Jon Schmitz said. “After the first stroke of the race she was gone.”

According to Schmitz, the 100-yard breaststroke was the fastest race at the state tournament, making Horejsi’s feat even more remarkable.

“Things she had problems with at sections were corrected,” Schmitz said. “It was unbelievable.”

Horejsi was edged by the Blake School’s Laine Higgins, who finished in eighth place in 1:08.22.

Field, who also swam in the event, finished 26th in 1:12.59 and was the first to congratulate Horejsi as she exited the pool.

Kathyn Ostrom, of St. Louis Park, finished first in the 100-yard breastroke preliminaries in 1:05.58.

The Tigers No. 15-seeded 200-yard medley relay team finished short of their goals at state, finishing 18th, and shy of the state consolation cut by less than 1/2 second.

“We swam hard,” Field said. “It just didn’t work out the way we would have liked.”

The team, made up of senior Amy Horejsi, juniors Galen Schulz and Field, and Lindsey Horejsi, finished in 1:55.67. Their Section 1A seed time was 1:55.12.

“Everybody’s mind and hearts were in it,” said Schulz.

Lindsey Horejsi was the only Tigers swimmer to participate in Saturday’s events.

Sophomore Karli Kriewall dived for the Tigers on Saturday. Going into the state diving finals she was in fifth place with 250.3 points, trailing fourth place Alissa Lager, of St. Peter, by 4 1/4 points.