AUSTIN – Members of the Albert Lea girls’ swimming and diving team won’t feel like strangers in the finals of the Section 1A championships.

Friday, November 09, 2001

AUSTIN – Members of the Albert Lea girls’ swimming and diving team won’t feel like strangers in the finals of the Section 1A championships.

They’ll have plenty of teammates to keep them company.

The Tigers qualified nine individuals for tonight’s finals at Ellis Middle School in Austin, three in the championship heat and seven in consolation. The top finishers and those meeting qualifying standards advance to state.

As it has all season, the 100-yard breaststroke was the Tigers’ best event, with Leah Matheson and Krista Horejsi making the finals and Megan Austin reaching the consolation finals. Matheson, an eighth-grader, was seventh in 1:15.26, Horejsi eighth in 1:15.46 and Austin 16th in 1:18.35. Horejsi is a freshman, Austin a junior.

The other Albert Lea finalist was senior Laura Grund, who took seventh in the 100 freestyle in 57.46 seconds. She made the consolation finals in the 50 free, where she was 10th in 26.25.

Juniors Brooke Kaasa and Chelsea Cole qualified for the consolation heat in two events apiece. Kaasa was 11th in the 200 freestyle in 2:10.33 and 13th in the 500 free in 5:58.07, Cole 11th in the 200 free in 2:12.47 and 14th in the 100 butterfly in 1:09.28.

Also making the consolation finals were Amy Leach, 16th, 200 individual medley, 2:35.52; Lonna Vanderploeg, 15th, 50 free, 27.19; and Kaeli Wayne, 16th, 100 back, 1:09.62.

The Tigers were sixth in the 400 freestyle relay and seventh in the 200 freestyle relay. They were disqualified in the medley.

The state meet is Nov. 19-21 at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center in Minneapolis.