Joe Drennan
Sports EditorLong before the boys swimming and diving season began, Forest Lake swimming coach Barb Vailodash said she expected big things out of the team.
ìI could tell the boys were swimming strong and would be able to improve their times,î Vailodash said of the team early in the season. ìJust having seen these guys swim I knew there was a lot of ability out there and with good training it was going to come out. From the first day I was telling them they had a lot of potential to do well.î
Before this past weekends section 7AA meet, most anyone would have considered the season a success simply by the margin of improvement the team showed. After winning the section 7AA title there is no doubt the season was a success.
Forest Lake won the section title with 410 points, 91.5 points ahead of second place Coon Rapids who had 318.5 points.
Forest Lake earned their first ever section title with the help of a fourth place finish in the 200-yard medley relay team of M. Sandager, A. Knaak, S. Schultz, and J. Sandager. In the 200-yard freestyle, Sam Gort and Andy Knaak qualified for the state meet by finishing first and second with times of 1:52.73 for Gort and 1:53.64 for Knaak. Jeff Sandager did his part in the 50-yard freestyle when he finished fourth with a time of 23.16.
Forest Lake added to their score when the diving trio of Brian Welch, Sam Chaussee, and Dillon Hudalla finished one-two-three in the diving competition. All three divers also qualified for the state meet with their performances. Welch scored a 398.7, Chaussee a 360, and Hudalla a 358.
ìThey worked hard all year round, to get right where theyíre at,î diving coach Deb Welch said of the Forest Lake divers. ìThey werenít always happy with all their workouts but they are happy with the outcome.î
In the 500-yard freestyle, Knaak qualified for the state meet finishing second with a time of 5:03.59. Gort and Mark Anderson finished third and fourth.
The 200-yard freestyle team of Schultz, Duff, Gort, and Sandager finished in fourth place with a time of 1:35.79.
As if winning the section 7AA title wasnít enough, the team was also named section 7AA academic champions. Valiodash was named section swim coach of the year, and Deb Welch section diving coach of the year. Brian Welch was named diver of the year.
Keys to success
Vailodash said that the swimmers and the parents involved in the program that gave her the opportunity to pass on her knowledge is what helped make this season a success.
ìItís ben a great opportunity for me and a lot of fun,î Vailodash said.
As the divers prepare for the state meet this weekend, Coach Welch says the divers are focusing on technique because by this point in the season they know their dives, but once they get to the state meet the goal is to have fun.
ìItís basically to have fun, we would love to be in the top 16,î Deb Welch said. ìAre the possibilities there? Yes. With two, Brian and Hudalla, being seniors and Chaussee a freshman, itís about having fun.î
Vailodash sees not only the boys swimming and diving program, but also the girls swimming and diving program continuing to grow stronger in the coming years as both teams have coaches who plan to be with their teams for seasons to come.
State meet
The state meet begins Thursday with the diving prelims from 6-8 p.m., then Friday the swimming prelims begin at 6 p.m. The meet concludes Saturday with both the swimming and diving finals, beginning at 6 p.m. The meet will be held at the University of Minnesota Aquatics Center.
Top of Page
