INVER GROVE HEIGHTS – They’re not at state yet.

Friday, February 22, 2002

INVER GROVE HEIGHTS – They’re not at state yet.

But coach Jon Schmitz and company are well on their way.

Schmitz’s Albert Lea contingent had a stellar showing in the preliminaries of the Section 1A Boys’ Swimming and Diving Meet Thursday at the Inver Grove Heights Veterans Memorial Community Center.

The Tigers will have seven representatives in the finals, all three relays and four in individual events. Six of them clocked under the state qualifying time Thursday. The Tigers also have 12 other spots in the consolation finals.

Ryan Lowe, Ben Lindeman, Ben Matheson and Mitch Johnson teamed to win the prelims in the 200-yard freestyle relay in 1:33.51. The state standard is 1:36.53.

Ben Schreiber, an eighth-grader, claimed the top finals seed in the 100 breaststroke, winning the prelims in 1:04.42. Matheson was sixth in 1:06.13. Both are under the state standard of 1:06.20. Matheson also made the finals in the 200 individual medley.

The Tigers were also under the qualifying time in the 200 medley relay, where Ethan Berg, Schreiber, Justin Elwood and Lowe were third in 1:46.55. Lindeman, Colton Jensen, Elwood and Johnson were third in the 400 freestyle relay in 3:26.97, way under the qualifying mark of 3:34.53.

Johnson qualified fifth in the 100 freestyle in 50.07. The state standard is 51.33. Though Johnson and Lindeman qualified 10th and 11th, respectively, in the 200 freestyle, both had times under the state qualifying mark.

The Tigers’ other consolation finalists: Lindeman, 200 free and 500 free; Jensen, 200 free and 500 free; Schreiber, 200 IM; Berg, 50 free and 100 free; Lowe, 50 free and 100 free; Elwood, 100 butterfly; Chris Jackson, 100 breast.

The finals are Saturday at 1 p.m. at the same site as the preliminaries. The top four finishers and those meeting the standard go to state.