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The Chisago Lakes Wildcats girls swimming and diving team competed at the Section 5A True Team meet on October 10, delivering an impressive performance to finish second overall by just one point in a tightly contested competition.

Monticello won the meet with 1,441 points, while Chisago Lakes finished second with 1,341, narrowly edging Becker, which scored 1,340. The one-point margin made every event count as the Wildcats battled throughout the meet.

"This season we have spent some time talking about how important it is to lift others up, lead by example, and be a good teammate," Chisago Lakes head coach Amanda Husfeldt said. "Hours are spent each day practicing side by side and by working together they are bringing out the best in each other."

Chisago Lakes opened with a third-place finish in the 200-yard medley relay. The team of Lyla Nelson, Olivia Cunningham, Annika Coleman and Avery MacIver finished in 2:00.19.

Eloise Arntson earned an individual victory in the 200-yard freestyle, winning in 1:57.91. Kaia Casey followed with another first-place finish in the 200-yard individual medley, swimming 2:07.84 to break her own school record of 2:10.75 by nearly three seconds.

"Kaia Casey has rebroke her record in the 200 IM multiple times," Husfeldt said, noting that Casey also set a new school record in the 100-yard butterfly earlier this season with a time of 1:00.13, breaking the previous record of 1:00.43 that had stood since 2011.

The Wildcats continued to collect team points in the 50-yard freestyle. Ingrid Olson placed seventh in 26.62, followed by MacIver in ninth in 27.00, Coleman in 12th in 27.47 and Nelson in 14th in 27.65.

Chisago Lakes’ young diving squad grabbed a few points as well, with Lila Leadholm placing 12th with 258.60 points, Sophia Berglund finishing 14th with 227.50, Caroline Anderson in 15th with 210.20, and Jocelyn McKinnon in 16th with 209.20. The divers have been working to increase the difficulty of their dives, building a foundation for higher scores as they gain experience.

"Our young group of divers now have four athletes with an 11-dive list and were able to compete on Saturday with their 11-dives at the true team meet," Husfeldt said.

In the 100-yard freestyle, Olson placed sixth in 57.68, MacIver finished eighth in 59.12, Coleman took ninth in 59.56, and Nelson placed 10th in 1:00.56.

Casey delivered another standout performance in the 500-yard freestyle, winning in 5:09.14 and setting a new meet record. Arntson added an important second-place finish in 5:19.15, giving the Wildcats a one-two finish in the event.

The 200-yard freestyle relay team of Olson, MacIver, Arntson and Casey captured first place in 1:42.72. Casey anchored the relay with a 24.09 split. The performance came within 0.79 seconds of the school record of 1:41.93.

"At the True Team meet on Saturday, our 200 free relay and our 400 free relay finished in the top spot," Husfeldt said. "In all three relays we had both our A and B relays finish in the top 8 to earn medals."

In the 100-yard backstroke, Reese Blum placed sixth in 1:13.48, Magdalene Bruce finished 11th in 1:15.71, and Julia Wakefield placed 14th in 1:18.13.

Brooke Lind led the Wildcats in the 100-yard breaststroke with a third-place finish in 1:11.70. Cunningham placed fifth in 1:13.08, and Vayda MacIver finished eighth in 1:18.73.

"Across the team, athletes have been busy breaking their season and personal bests," Husfeldt said. "From our 7th graders, all the way to our seniors we have seen tremendous growth throughout the season."

The meet finished with another record-breaking performance from the Wildcats in the 400-yard freestyle relay. Olson, Lind, Arntson and Casey combined for a time of 3:39.98, breaking the previous Chisago Lakes school record of 3:44.33 by 4.35 seconds and establishing a new meet record.

Husfeldt said the relay "crushed the record" that had stood since 2010, adding another highlight to a season that has already featured several record-breaking performances.

The relay’s performance capped a strong team effort and helped Chisago Lakes secure second place, just one point ahead of Becker.

"Our depth has continued to improve throughout the season," Husfeldt said. "The athletes are continually striving to get better in the pool and we are excited to see where all of their hard work takes them!"

For Husfeldt, the team's success has been just as rewarding to watch outside of the competition itself.

"It is a joy to be able to be with them each afternoon (and some Saturdays) in the pool and watch as they help and push each other, and work together as a team to support and build each other up," she said.

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