Albert Lea boys’ swim team falls to Mankato West in the pool

 

The Albert Lea boys’ swim and dive team hosted Mankato West Thursday night in its third of four home meets this season.

Despite finishing in second place in two races, the Tigers’ small lineup was no match for the large number of Scarlets, as they swam away with the meet.

In the first race of the night, the team of freshman Jakob Malakowsky, eighth-grader Pacey Brekke, sophomore William Taylor and junior Garrett Everett took fourth place in the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 2:12.71. Taylor was up again a short time later, in the 200-yard individual medley. He grabbed his second fourth-place finish with a time of 2:33.17.

Everett, Malakowsky and senior Louis Wagner each swam in the 50-yard freestyle, with Everett taking the best position of the three — coming in fourth with a time of 25:86. Wagner was just behind in fifth with a time of 29.66, and Malakowsky finished sixth at 30.20.

Taylor took yet another fourth-place finish in the 100-yard butterfly, coming in with a time of 1:11.83. Everett was up next and captured the best solo finish for the Tigers, claiming second place with a time of 57.39 in the 100-yard freestyle.

Junior Thomas Lundell, Everett, Wagner and Taylor then took second place in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:49.53. Malakowsky and Wagner ended their night with a fourth- and fifth-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke, respectively. Malakowsky finished in 1:17.30 and Wagner in 1:24.63.

In Albert Lea’s final race of the meet, Lundell finished fourth in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:24.45.

The Tigers will end their home season Thursday when they host the Falcons of Faribault before heading to Rochester for the Big Nine Conference meet Feb. 9.