1 Great Grobe: Chanhassen freshman Kaia Grobe got her high school career underway by becoming a double winner (50- and 100-yard freestyle) in the Class 2A state meet. Her winning times were only four-tenths of a second off the state meet record times. She also swam on the school's 200 medley and 400 freestyle relay teams, which finished fifth and seventh, respectively.
2 Lake superior: Looking for a power conference? The Lake claimed three of the top four spots (champion Edina, runner-up Minnetonka and fourth-place Eden Prairie) in the Class 2A state meet a year ago. Also, Wayzata came in seventh place and Hopkins was 20th.
3 Rochester relevance: No Rochester school has won the girls' state swimming team title, but John Marshall and Mayo -- both with young squads -- finished fifth and sixth, respectively, in the 2A meet a year ago. Can they develop enough depth to overtake the Lake powers this season?
4 On our own -- again: Chaska's program is back on its own after splitting from its co-op with Chanhassen. First-year coach Megan Braun said the Hawks' strengths have been adapting to change and coming together quickly as a new "old" team. The Hawks will be young, with only two seniors on the roster.
5 Olympic overture: Every four years during a two-week period of the Olympics, swimming and diving grabs the national spotlight. What kind of trickle-down effect does it have at the high school level? "During this time, we have quite a few athletes sign up with the dream of becoming the next Rachel Bootsma [Eden Prairie], Brittany Viola [daughter of former Twins pitcher Frank], Michael Phelps or David Boudia," Wayzata coach Elizabeth Hansen said. As far as her program, Hansen's roster stands at 114 athletes, "which is great for our program and the sports of swimming and diving."
RON HAGGSTROM
