Swimming 2021-22 preview: Record-setting seniors make Breck/Blake a force in the pool

Charlie Crosby is the state's top boys' swimming recruit in the Class of 2022. James Pan isn't too far behind. The Breck/Blake duo form a dynamic one-two combination in the pool.

"They love to compete," Breck/Blake coach Brian Wright said of two Breck seniors who have been with the program since middle school.

Crosby will head to Texas after graduation and join the currently No. 1-ranked Longhorns. Pan will be off to the Ivy League to swim for Princeton.

Crosby is a freestyle sprinter and backstroker. He is the state's record holder in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 19.87 seconds set last season at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center on the University of Minnesota campus. He broke the record set by Edina's Peter Larson, now competing for the Longhorns, in 2019.

He also holds the Class 1A record in the 100 backstroke with a time of 47.65 set in 2020. The all-class record of 47.52 was established by Jack Dahlgren of Chanhassen in 2018.

Pan specializes in the breaststroke and individual medley. He is the Class 1A record holder in both events — 54.16 in the 100 breaststroke and 1 minute, 47.90 seconds in the 200 individual medley.

The two also make up half of Breck/Blake's record-setting 200 freestyle relay team in Class 1A with a time of 1:23.60.

"Their value to our team goes well beyond their speed in the pool."

With Crosby and Pan leading the way, don't expect Breck/Blake to end its run of winning the Class 1A team championship.

The team is going for its sixth consecutive crown after winning by 168.5 points in 2021, when Crosby and Pan had a hand in six first-place finishes — half of the meet's events. It is possible another six are in the making.

In Class 2A, the field will once again be looking to catch Edina. The Hornets won their third straight title, by 101 points, last season and has plenty of depth coming back.

Results are from state meet in 2021, unless noted.

• Max Dow, Edina, senior: sixth in 2A 200 freestyle and eighth in 100 freestyle. College: undecided.

• Patrick Horton, Edina, senior: second in 2A 100 backstroke and fourth in 100 butterfly. College: Emory.

• Jackson Kehler, Eagan, senior: first in 2A 200 and 500 freestyle in 2020 but didn't compete at the high school level last season. College: Utah.

• Evan Kindseth, Rosemount, senior: second in 2A 500 freestyle and 11th in 200 individual medley. College: Miami (Ohio).

• Luke Logue, Eden Prairie, junior: first in 2A 100 backstroke and fifth in 200 individual medley. College: undecided.

• James Pan, Breck/Blake, senior: first in 1A 100 breaststroke and 200 individual medley. College: Princeton.

• Noah Rabb, Andover, senior: ninth in 2A 100 backstroke and 12th in 200 individual medley. College: Oklahoma Christian.