'All about finishes' for St. Thomas swimmers

One spectator was overheard at the Class 1A state meet last year after a Fergus Falls swimmer finished ahead of a St. Thomas Academy athlete by merely hundredths of a second.

"Someone in the stands said, 'Oh, that's only one point, it's not going to make a difference,'" St. Thomas Academy head coach John Barnes recalled.

Barnes' squad lost by one point to the upstart Otters, something this year's team gets a stern reminder of constantly.

"I can tell you that I remind them of that quite a bit -- every day," said Barnes, the 14th-year head coach behind nine state titles. "Every time I see somebody do something lazy or stupid in practice, they get reminded that it could cost us one point."

It wasn't just the one race that meant second place for St. Thomas Academy. Barnes said there were four or five races in which Fergus Falls out-touched the Cadets. When those are all added up, it came to less than one tenth of a second.

And one big point.

"It's the little things, and I really think that was part of the problem last year," senior captain Paul Brunkhorst said. "A couple things went wrong here and there. This year, he's really pounding into us that it's all about finishes and gunning it to the end."

"He likes to motivate us with that. It works for the whole team," Johanns said.

St. Thomas Academy has captured nine Class 1A state titles dating back to 1999, plus an additional seven consecutive True Team titles. But the past three state performances haven't been to their liking: second place in 2009, third place in 2010 and last year's runner-up finish by just one point.

Brunkhorst has been swimming varsity for the Cadets for six years. He's twice experienced the grand prize, during the tail end of St. Thomas Academy's four consecutive championships from 2005 through 2008.

Johanns, on the other hand, is in just his fourth year, meaning he has only fallen short of a state title.

"It's been kind of disappointing," Johanns said. "This year it's one of my big goals to go out there, try to help the team and try to take back the title for St. Thomas Academy."

Led by a core of seniors, Barnes' team is strong from top to bottom. They remind the veteran coach of his teams in the early 2000s, a compliment considering the five state titles from 1999 through 2003.

Johanns placed third in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard backstroke. Brunkhorst is a key relay swimmer, breaststroker and butterflier. Junior Michael Berg is a top-five finisher in both the 200- and 500-yard freestyle. Sam Johnson, Tim Anderson, Sam Nields, Jeremey Connors and junior captain Luke Schneeman are already key returning state contributors.

It's indeed a potent lineup, one that hopes for a different ending.