Disqualification gives Edina 2A girls' swimming title

Editor's note: Shortly before 3 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 20, the Minnesota State High School League issued an e-mail stating the following:

Following a thorough review of the 2012 State Girls' Swimming and Diving Meet's three relay events, it was determined that no Minnetonka swimmer violated the individual entry limitation rule. No Minnetonka swimmers exceeded that limitation (maximum four events and no more than two individual events).

The story below has been edited to reflect the additional information.

-- Paul Klauda, high school sports editor, Star Tribune

Edina captured its third consecutive Class 2A state swimming championship Saturday night, but it likely didn't happen the way the Hornets drew it up.

With Minnetonka holding a lofty lead down the stretch and initially claiming a victory by 44.5 points, officials ruled it used an illegal entry on the final 400-yard freestyle relay team, which nullified a first-place finish, 40 points and a Minnesota state meet record.

It still would have been enough to capture the state title, but more Skippers relay teams were challenged shortly after the first disqualification. The Minnesota State High School League found all three Minnetonka relay teams were guilty of illegal entry. The correct swimmers were not listed on the relay cards.

Coach Dan Berve claimed responsibility for the 400-yard freestyle relay administrative error after the meet.

"That's my fault," Berve said. "I did not submit that one properly."

MSHSL tournament director Lisa Lissimore said Berve was fully cooperative and took full responsibility. All teams that were affected were notified shortly after the final ruling.

While the Hornets didn't boast immediate victory, they came out of the gate hard, breaking the state meet record in the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:43.97 with Madeleine Eden, Olivia Anderson, Heather Laedtke and Rachel Wittmer.

Anderson won the 100-yard breaststroke with Heather Laedtke finishing fifth to give the Hornets a boost. Anderson added another victory in the 100-yard breaststroke with an automatic All-America time of 1:02.96. Yasmeen Almog finished second in 1-meter diving for Edina.

Chanhassen sophomore sensation Kaia Grobe successfully defended her 50- and 100-yard freestyle titles. She clocked in at 23.06 and 49.97, respectively.

After finishing fourth last year, Maple Grove senior Lexi Tenenbaum captured the 1-meter diving title with a final score of 448.35.

Class 1AClaire Walters wasn't a happy camper about having to move from Texas to Northfield right before her senior year of high school.

"I was about as upset as a teenage girl gets," said Walters, fighting back tears. "That's why I'm so emotional right now. I thought this was going to be the crappiest year of my life -- and it's absolutely not."

Winning the Class 1A girls' swimming and diving state championship on Saturday is a cherry on top of what has turned out to be a positive transition for Walters.

First-year head coach Deb Seitz, previously an assistant for six years, made a risky move on championship Saturday with a couple of last-minute changes to the 200- and 400-yard freestyle relays.

"It was a little nerve-racking, and the girls don't like change so much," Seitz said with a laugh. "We wanted to bring a little more heat to our sprint relay -- and they just brought it. They brought it."

Walters, newly inserted Grete Baker, Emily Lundstrom and Emily Anderson captured the 200 freestyle relay title in 1 minutes, 37.06 seconds, finishing ahead of a powerful Mankato West foursome.

Walters was the 200 freestyle champion in Texas in 4A last year, so she brought experience and star power to an already deep team that finished second at the state meet last year. She was touched out by Mankato West sophomore Chantal Nack in that event on Saturday and was visibly upset.

"But she can now say she's an individual and relay state champion in two different states," Seitz said. "Pretty cool."

Three records brokenMankato West junior Danielle Nack, Chantal's sister, broke two state meet records in successfully defending two individual titles. Her 22.82 time in the 50 freestyle cracked her previous Class 1A record of 22.93 set last fall.

Nack's 52.41 in the 100 butterfly was enough to break the state meet record of 52.73 set by Olympian Rachel Bootsma in 2010 when she swam for Eden Prairie.