Prep athletes of the week: Edina sophomore's influence in pool is immediate

Wittmer is only a sophomore, but she has already made a name for herself in the swimming world. She turned in another dominant performance Saturday in the Maroon & Gold Invitational at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center.

Wittmer won the 50- and 100-yard freestyles with times of 23.66 and 51.66 seconds. She is the defending Class 2A champ in the 50.

"Rachel always puts the team accomplishments ahead of her own," Edina coach Jeff Mace said.

Over the weekend, she anchored the 200 and 400 freestyle relay teams to victory as the Hornets won the team title. Both relay teams won with meet-record times — 1 minute, 36.97 seconds in the 200 and 3:31.10 in the 400.

"Rachel has this incredible gift of making swimming fun for everybody around her," Mace said.

When the Bulldogs take to the air, you better know where their No. 1 wide receiver is on the field. He caught three touchdown passes, giving him 12 this season, as Class 4A, No. 6 Becker downed Albany 34-14 in a Granite Ridge matchup. Blomgren finished with seven receptions for 145 yards.

A senior captain, Burgstahler's name is synonymous with the school record book. She broke the school and Hutchinson pool records in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:05.81 in their dual meet. Burgstahler is a part of the school's records in 10 of the 12 events.

The junior forward has been instrumental in the Panthers' seven-game winning streak and climb into third place in the South Suburban Conference. She scored four goals in victories over Rosemount, Owatonna and Northfield — all on the road.

The young attacker turned in a stellar week for the Hawks. The sophomore netted all four goals in a 4-0 victory over Highland Park in a St. Paul City Conference match. He also scored the lone goal in a 1-0 triumph over Como Park. His five-goal outburst brings his season total to 11, to go along with three assists.

Cottew is a big reason the Class 1A, No. 1 Millers are peaking at the right time. The senior forward had three goals and two assists in an 8-0 victory over No. 10 DeLaSalle in a nonconference matchup. She has 18 goals and 15 assists this season for the unbeaten Millers (13-0).