AUSTIN — For the second consecutive season, the Albert Lea girls’ swimming team qualified for the Class A state meet in eight events, including all three relays.

The Tigers won 8 of 12 events for a runner-up finish out of 10 teams with 387 points Friday at the Section 1A meet at Ellis Middle School in Austin.

“Our kids have such great quality,” said Albert Lea coach Jon Schmitz. “We scored a lot of points and did well.”

The Tigers won each relay by at least a second.

“Our relays are going to be really strong (at state), and we’ve got a tough team,” Schmitz said. “We’ve got a couple of girls going on to swim at big-time colleges, and we expect them to light it up as well up there.”

Schmitz referred to seniors Lindsey Horejsi and Anna Andersen, who signed national letters of intent Thursday at Albert Lea High School. Horejsi signed with Minnesota; Andersen with North Dakota.

Horejsi and Andersen both qualified for state in all four of their events.

Last year, Horejsi set the all-class state record in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 1:59.77, but she will compete in other events this year. The same goes for Andersen, the defending state champion in the 50 freestyle with a time of 23.65.

Horejsi qualified in the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays, along with the 50 freestyle and the 100 breaststroke. She qualified with a time of 23.77 seconds in the 50 freestyle and 1:01.87 in the 100 breaststroke. Horejsi set the all-class state record last year in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 59.56 seconds.

In the 100 breaststroke, Albert Lea produced three of the top four finishers. In addition to Horejsi’s first-place finish, Samantha Nielsen was the section runner-up with a time of 1:08.36, and Emily Taylor was fourth in 1:10.27, which was 0.05 seconds behind the state cut time.

Nielsen said competition among teammates makes the team stronger.

“It’s definitely a benefit because Lindsey pushes me all the time, and then there’s E.T. (Taylor) pushing me to be the best I can be,” she said.

Last year, Nielsen took 21st place at state in the 100 breaststroke in 1:11.12. She said her goal is to qualify for the state finals this year.

Andersen qualified in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays along with the 100 and 200 freestyle. She swam a time of 52.54 seconds in the 100 freestyle to beat the rest of the field by 1.56 seconds. Andersen was the state runner-up in the event last year with a time of 51.45. In the 200 freestyle, Andersen won the race in 1:56.45.

Three Albert Lea swimmers qualified for state in three events: Taylor, Bailey Sandon and Ahnika Jensen.

Taylor qualified in the 200 individual medley with a first-place section finish in 2:15.48 and was part of the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays.

Sandon took third place in the 200 individual medley in 2:16.56 to beat the state cut time by 1.23 seconds. She also qualified as part of the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relay teams. In the 100 backstroke, Sandon had a near miss with a third-place finish that was 0.61 seconds shy of the state cut time.

Jensen swam a time of 24.62 — 0.85 seconds behind Horejsi — to qualify in the 50 freestyle. She also qualified as part of the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays.

“Ahnika Jensen lit it up today, there’s no doubt about it,” Schmitz said. “She split 23.9 in the 200 free relay, and that’s pretty special. Her butterfly split in the medley relay was incredible as well. She’s a big-time sprinter right now.”

Jensen also was 0.26 seconds short of the state cut time in the 100 butterfly with a time of 1:01.47.

Simon qualified as part of the 200 and 400 freestyle relay teams.

Schmitz was the section’s Coach of the Year, Albert Lea assistant coach Joey Clapp was co-Assistant Coach of the Year with St. Peter’s Luke Weyandt, and Lindsey Horejsi was the section’s Swimmer of the Year.

Last year, Albert Lea finished third as a team at the section meet and went on to take third at state.

Next, the Tigers will compete in the Class A state prelims at noon Thursday at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center. The state finals will be at noon Friday at the same location.

 

200-yard medley relay: Bailey Sandon, Lindsey Horejsi, Ahnika Jensen and Emily Taylor (first, 1:47.56)*

200-yard freestyle: Anna Andersen (first, 1:56.45)*; Haley Simon (seventh, 2:05.56); Sara Rasmussen (2:07.16)

200-yard individual medley: Emily Taylor (first, 2:15.48)*; Bailey Sandon (third, 2:16.56)*; Samantha Nielsen (eighth, 2:21.62)

50-yard freestyle: Lindsey Horejsi (first, 23.77)*; Ahnika Jensen (second, 24.62)*

100-yard butterfly: Ahnika Jensen (third, 1:01.47); Hannah Schwemmler (sixth, 1:03.38)

100-yard freestyle: Anna Andersen (first, 52.54)*; Haley Simon (sixth, 56.23)

500-yard freestyle: Sara Rasmussen (11th, 5:44.74)

200-yard freestyle relay: Anna Andersen, Ahnika Jensen, Haley Simon and Emily Taylor (first, 1:38.95)*

100-yard backstroke: Bailey Sandon (third, 1:02.52); Jaeda Koziolek (11th, 1:07.35); Natalie Nafzger (15th, 1:10.05)

100-yard breaststroke: Lindsey Horejsi (first, 1:01.87)*; Samantha Nielsen (second, 1:08.36)*; Emily Taylor (fourth, 1:10.27); Lexie Simon (15th, 1:17.22)

400-yard freestyle relay: Anna Andersen, Haley Simon, Bailey Sandon and Lindsey Horejsi (first, 3:39.42)*

*qualified for state