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Schools

State Swimming Title? Minnetonka's Freestyle Leads The Way

The Skippers' unusually deep freestyle talent has them in position to win a state championship on Saturday.

Minnetonka girls swimming and diving coach Dan Berve fancies himself fortunate. In a sport where depth is a necessity, his Skippers squad has the numbers and the talent to continuously compete for a state championship.

This year will be no different.

Minnetonka will send 17 entrants to the Class AA state meet this weekend at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center, and despite facing difficult competition across the board the Skippers like their chances. Their biggest asset? A bevy of talented freestyle swimmers.

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Swimming prelims begin Friday at 6 p.m., and the championships begin Saturday at 6 p.m.

“If you can be strong in those freestyles, it definitely helps  your chances of putting a good team together,” Berve said. “I feel like right from the start of the season, the freestyle has been a strength that we’ve had.”

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Minnetonka will send seven freestyle swimmers to state this weekend, making up 13 of the team’s 17 entrants.

Perhaps the team’s top freestyle swimmer is sophomore Isabel Wyer, who will compete in the 200 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle relay and 400 freestyle relay. She is seeded second in the 200 freestyle, first in the 100 freestyle and was the anchor on both relays in the section meet.

Berve said Wyer has a personality that loves to compete, hates to lose and enjoys racing. Wyer, who did not expect to race for the Skippers this year after injuring her shoulder a year ago, said she planned to just race for her swim club. But when Berve took over the program, she said she decided to return.

“I decided to do high school right at the last moment,” Wyer said. “I’ve improved so much, not only physically but mentally.”

Wyer is just one of several freestylers making the difference. Jenny Einhorn and Carolyn Kane will each compete in the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle and both the 200 and 400 freestyle relays, and Amelia Schilling will race in the 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle and 400 freestyle.

“I knew we would be really strong in the freestyle so we set ourselves up to do that,” Berve said. “We could have done a few things differently to spread ourselves out, but at the same time going into the state meet if we wanted to qualify as many kids as possible, we stacked those freestyle events.”

Why is this team so talented in this particular swim?

“I don’t know why we ended up with all the freestylers,” Liz Kane said. “Chance has it. You look at Edina, and they have a lot of non-freestylers.”

Regardless, the team’s depth puts them in position to contend for this weekend’s state title. The Skippers think they’ve got a shot.

“Personally I want to win it,” Wyer said. “I think we can. We have high expectations, but I think we can come through.”

MInnetonka’s State Freestyle Swimmers

200 freestyle: Isabel Wyer, Delaney Ambrosen, Amelia Schilling

50 freestyle: Jenny Einhorn, Carolyn Kane, Abby Saddler, Liz Kane

100 freestyle: Isabel Wyer, Jenny Einhorn, Carolyn Kane

500 freestyle: Amelia Schilling

200 freestyle relay: Carolyn Kane, Jenny Einhorn, Abby Saddler, Isabel Wyer

400 freestyle relay: Carolyn Kane, Jenny Einhorn, Amelia Schilling, Isabel Wyer

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