Albert Lea girls’ swim team wins Big Nine Conference title

Published 4:56 am Monday, November 2, 2015

The Albert Lea girls’ swimming team celebrates with the trophy for winning the Big Nine Conference title Saturday at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. — Provided

The Albert Lea girls’ swimming team celebrates with the trophy for winning the Big Nine Conference title Saturday at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. — Provided

After compiling an 9-0 dual record, the Albert Lea girls’ swimming team’s continued its dominance.

First-place finishes in nine of 12 events — including conference records in the 200-yard medley relay and the 100 freestyle — propelled the Tigers to a title Saturday at the Big Nine Conference meet at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul.

Albert Lea finished with 389 points, which was 54 more than second-place Rochester Mayo and 124 more than No. 3 Faribault. Mankato West, a team that finished fifth at the Class A state meet last year, took fourth place with 250 points.

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Albert Lea’s 200 medley relay team of Bailey Sandon, Lindsey Horejsi, Ahnika Jensen and Emily Taylor completed the race in 1:48.48 to beat second-place Faribault by 8.59 seconds and the previous conference record from 2014 set by Sandon, Horejsi, Jensen and Anna Andersen by 0.21 seconds.

In the 100 freestyle, Andersen set the conference record in 51.66 seconds. She beat second-place finisher Megan Gehrke of Faribault by 2.77 seconds and the previous conference record from Mankato West’s Danielle Nack in 2011 by 0.05 seconds.

Coming into the meet, current Albert Lea swimmers had conference records in four events: the 200 medley relay, 200 individual medley, 200 freestyle relay and 100 breaststroke.

Andersen and Horejsi were conference champs in all four of their events.

In addition setting the conferences record in the 100 freestyle, and 200 medley relay, Andersen led the Tigers to conference titles in two other relays: the 200 and 400 freestyle.

Along with Horejsi’s part in the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays, she was the Big Nine champ with a time of 2:06.39 in the 200 individual medley — a race that she set the conference record in last year with a time of 2:05.30 — and the 500 freestyle in 5:15.20.

Bailey Sandon and Ahnika Jensen were conference champs in three events, as were Emily Taylor and Haley Simon in two.

Sandon and Jensen were both part of two gold-medal relay teams and one championship individual event.

Sandon swam legs of the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays and won the 100 backstroke in 1:02.93 to edge Mankato West’s Rachel Phinney by 0.03 seconds.

Jensen beat Faribault’s Bre Bresnahan by 0.42 seconds to win the 50 freestyle in 24.74 seconds. Jensen was also a part of the Tigers’ 200 medley and 200 freestyle relay teams.

Taylor and Simon both swam legs of two conference-champion relay teams.

Next, Albert Lea will compete at the two-day Section 1A meet. Day 1 will be Nov. 11, and Day 2 will be Nov. 13. Times have not been announced.