LAUREN MOELLER
Prior Lake • swimming
A bout of unexplained dizziness and fainting spells kept Moeller, now a sophomore, out of the pool for more than a year. After a seemingly endless series of visits to medical specialists, she was diagnosed with autonomic dysfunction, making it difficult for her to manage her blood pressure.
She would likely grow out of it, doctors said, but in the meantime she'd have to manage her symptoms and learn to heed her body. She was not allowed to swim until she had gone six months without a fainting episode.
"It hit me really hard, watching all my friends in the water," Moeller said.
She was given the go-ahead to resume swimming in May, "but then COVID hit," her mother, Kellie, said.
Prior Lake coach Katie Haycraft said Moeller is "just super-resilient. When she couldn't be in pool last year, she was our team manager and she always had a smile on her face."
Moeller finally got to swim competitively with the Lakers this fall and her results have surprised even her. In two meets last week, she had seven first-place finishes, including placing first in all four of her events in a dual meet with Eagan.
"I am so happy to be back," Moeller said. "I never thought I would get to this point so quickly. I thought I'd have to lower my expectations. But now I'm back and I can do the things I want to do again, like swim."
Like any normal high school sophomore, she gets to pursue another goal.
