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Monticello 100

Chisago Lakes 84

Through seven events, the Wildcats were right with Monticello, swimming stroke for stroke. It wasn’t an easy task. Monticello, rated number seven in class “A”, is, and always has been, a swimming power.

“After seven events, we were only two points behind them. That was fun,” said Jim Sauerbry, Chisago Lakes swimming head coach. “We raced well even though our times didn’t show it. We had kids step up when it was close, touching people out at the finish. The kids swam really smart.”

It wasn’t until the breast and backstroke where Monticello pulled away, outscoring the Wildcats 24-8. The 16 points were the difference as the Magic won by 16, 100-84.

Chisago Lakes won three of the 11 events. Brian Willhite kept his winning streak alive by taking first in diving. Also, John Roggemann and Wayne Schafer took first twice. Roggemann won the 100 freestyle while Schafer dominated in the 100 butterfly, winning by six seconds. Both Roggemann and Schafer were members of the 200 medley relay which also took first.

“Wayne is a difference maker in the pool,” remarked Sauerbry. “We won the 200 medley, that was a great start. We were down after diving and we pointed out in the butterfly and freestyle. I think that surprised them a little bit, I don’t think they thought it was going to be that close.”

Individual Results- CL only

(Top 3):

200 Medley Relay:

1. Chisago Lakes 1:54.87

(Roggemann, Stignani, B. Willhite, Schafer).

200 IM:

2. John Roggemann 2:23.27

50 Freestyle:

2. Wayne Schafer 24.16

Diving:

1. Brian Willhite 266.25

3. Jeremy Salokar 240.46

100 Butterfly:

1. Wayne Schafer 56.92

100 Freestyle:

1. John Roggemann 58.03

3. Greg Stignani 59.37

500 Freestyle:

3. Trevor Schuler 6:10.78

200 Freestyle Relay:

2. Chisago Lakes 1:43.50

(S. Boo, Roggemann, Stignani, Schafer)

3. Chisago Lakes 1:59.77

(B. Willhite, Olson, Salokar, Novak)

100 Backstroke:

3. Steve Boo 1:11.20

Chisago Lakes 103

Orono 82

Last Thursday, the Wildcats surprised another state-ranked opponent, only this time they didn’t stop there. Paced by seven personal best performances and one team record, the ‘Cats handed number nine (class “A”) Orono a 103-82 loss.

Right from the start, the Wildcats were fast, really fast. In the 200 medley relay, Chisago Lakes placed second and third. The same happened in the 200 freestyle, and the 200 individual medley. Before you knew it, even though Orono had three first place finishes under their trunks, because of their depth, Chisago Lakes and Orono were tied 23-23. It was a trend that continued all night long.

“We had some super close races, it was really fun to watch,” commented Sauerbry. “It was our depth, that was the key. They (Orono) won eight of the 12 events but we got points by taking second, third, and fourth. It was a total team effort.”

The Wildcats made their move in diving, going 1-2-3. Brian Willhite again took first with 268 points while Jeremy Salokar and Adam Sill followed. The sweep moved Chisago in front 42-35.

The lead grew after Wayne Schafer swam past everyone, including the record books in the 100 butterfly. Schafer’s time of 55.47 was a team record, breaking the previous mark, also held by Schafer. From there, balance reigned supreme as the ‘Cats swam away with it.

Helped by two first place finishes in the 200 freestyle relay and the 400 freestyle relay, the lead grew from 11, to 17, to 21, their largest lead of the meet. It also happened to be the final score, 103-82.

“We swam fast,” smiled Sauerbry. “It’s funny, on Tuesday night, we never really got it and then that night, we had great performances all over the place. It was the most exciting win of the season. The other wins we have had, we were supposed to win. This one, we didn’t know what to expect. It was really a good win for us.”

It’s come at a perfect time. Two meets remain on the schedule before sections, now less than three weeks away.

Individual Results- CL only

(Top 3):

200 Medley Relay:

2. Chisago Lakes 2:03.18

(Boo, B. Willhite, Novak, Turner)

3. Chisago Lakes 2:07.05

(Sill, Salokar, D. Willhite, Swanson)

200 freestyle:

2. Greg Stignani 2:11.18

3. Trevor Schuler 2:14.85

200 IM:

2. John Roggemann 2:23.19

3. Steve Boo 2:32.39

50 Freestyle:

2. Wayne Schafer 23.55

Diving:

1. Brian Willhite 268.45

2. Jeremy Salokar 219.55

3. Adam Sill 213.40

100 Butterfly:

1. Wayne Schafer 55.47

100 Freestyle:

2. John Roggemann 56.50

3. Greg Stignani 58.02

500 Freestyle:

2. Trevor Schuler 5:59.34

3. Andy Shaleen 6:24.61

200 Freestyle Relay:

1. Chisago Lakes 1:41.62

(Turner, Roggemann, Stignani, Schafer)

3. Chisago Lakes 1:50.43

(B. Willhite, Swanson, Salokar, Novak)

100 Backstroke:

3. Steve Boo 1:11.10

100 Breaststroke:

2. Brian Willhite 1:13.77

3. Andrew Turner 1:17.55

400 Freestyle Relay:

1. Chisago Lakes 3:51.06

(Roggemann, Stignani, Boo, Schafer)

2. Chisago Lakes 4:12.43

(Shaleen, Schuler, Novak, D. Willhite)

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