EP girls swimmers headed to State Tournament Nov. 16-18

After what head coach Bill Bloomberg called an “outstanding” Section 2AA Championships meet, Eden Prairie High School girls swim and dive is sending several swimmers to the State Tournament this week. 

The Eagles boasted 35 time drops and 31 best times at sections, which were held Nov. 8-10 at the Art Downey Aquatic Center in Edina. Meet highlights include:

• Senior Ella Drewes placed 6th in the 100 breaststroke (a state-qualifying time) and 11th in the 100 free. 
• Sophomore Sydney Thompson dropped 6 seconds in her 200 IM and placed 11th in the 100 fly. 
• Senior Elizabeth Barton placed 11th in the 50 free. 
• Sophomore Avery Pennell dropped 9 seconds in her 200 free. 

In addition to Drewes’ breaststroke qualifying swim, the Eagles’ 200 medley relay will head to state after placing 5th.

The state-qualifying 200 medley relay team members are Thompson, Drewes, Barton, and sophomore Payton Bui. State team alternates are senior Keira Fogarty and freshmen Siri Dunn and Tanya Singh.

Advertisement

The 200 free relay just missed qualifying for state by .87 seconds, Bloomberg said. 

Bloomberg praised his team and noted the tough competition in the Eagles’ section.

“If we were in any other section, we would have had way more people qualifying for finals,” he said. “There are eight sections in the state, and ours sent a third of the swimmers that qualified on time to the state championships.”

Eagles fans can support the team at the State Tournament, to be held Nov. 16-18 at the University of Minnesota’s Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center. 

The sections team (pictured below):

• Top row (L-R): Sydney Thompson, Avery Pennell, Ellie Pennington, Siri Dunn, Ella Drewes, Elizabeth Barton, Al Amundson, Alice Stoppel, Katie LaCombe, and Keira Fogarty.
• Bottom row (L-R): Olivia Barfoed, Bonarissa Lobo, Tanya Singh, Sarah Ouachani, Sydney Thompson, Payton Bui, Amelia Noll, and Sally Grajkowske.