Athletes of the week: Fridley swimmer Allen shines in section meet

In the Section 4, Class 1A meet, the junior won the 100 butterfly and the 200 freestyle and swam on the winning 200 and 400 freestyle relay teams. His performance led to Allen's selection by coaches as the section swimmer of the year.

Allen said he was grateful for the honor, but he has his sights set on a bigger prize.

"The real goal is to win state," he said.

Allen's times in the individual events (51.03 in the 100 butterfly, 1:44.68 in the 200 freestyle) earned him the top seed in both events in the Class 1A state meet, which begins Thursday at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center. But even that was met with nothing more than polite acceptance.

"It's nice to get seeded first to get that middle lane, but that only helps in the prelims," he said. "And really, nothing matters until the finals."

Allen did get excited, however, when talking about the performance of Alex Ambuhl, his teammate and friend. Ambuhl won the 50 and 100 freestyles and swam with Allen on the winning relays.

"We went into the meet talking about winning all of our races," Allen said. "It was good to see him win. I swim in the offseason, but Alex doesn't. He lifts weight and plays other sports, but he works really hard during the season. I'm really proud of that."

The senior was the model of consistency at the Class 1A gymnastics state meet, putting up all-around scores of 36.75 and 36.8375 on consecutive days and guiding the Trojans to their first team title since 2001.

Blake roared through the Class 1A state tournament field, scoring 18 goals en route to the state championship. Lund, a sophomore forward, was the Bears' leading scorer with five goals and five assists.

Petersen scored the most notable goal in girls' hockey history, the game-winner in the sixth overtime of a 4-3 semifinal victory over Lakeville North in the Class 2A state tournament. She had eight points, helping the Skippers to their third consecutive title.

The senior won the 113-pound title in the Section 5, 2A meet, pinning all four opponents in a total of less than four minutes. He improved to 41-1 this season and won his 150th career match.

The sophomore goalie posted back-to-back shutouts in the Section 3, 2A playoffs. He made 48 saves in defeating Rosemount and Apple Valley each by 4-0.