9 state records and a national high school record dropped in a historic season for Minnesota high school boys swimming. Minnetonka accounted for 4 of those state records and the national records in winning their first state title since 2011.
Senior Sam Schilling sped to state records in all four of his races for the Skippers. The Virginia commit broke two individual records in prelims and then focused on relays in the finals session. Friday night at the preliminary session, Schilling went 1:35.82 to smash the old state record in the 200 free by a second and a half. Later in the night, Schilling would go 44.02 to take seven tenths off the old state record in the 100 free.
Saturday, Schilling kicked off the meet as part of Minnetonka’s 200 medley relay, the banner swim of the meet. The Skippers set a new national public high school record with a 1:29.20. We covered that swim in detail when it happened here, but the team was powered by a massive 19.73 anchor leg from Schilling plus a 24.82 breaststroke leg from senior Corey Lau. Junior John Shelstad was 21.51 on fly and Erik Gessner (also a junior) led off in 23.14.
Schilling came right off that swim to win the 200 free, but the double proved too tough for him to lower his state record further. He was 1:36.92. Schilling also won the 100 free in 44.20 (again just off his state record) and then helped Minnetonka break the state’s 400 free relay record with a 3:01.59. That’s two and a half seconds faster than any team in state history. Schilling was 43.3 on the anchor leg, with Shelstad leading off in 45.48, Joe Hanson splitting 45.9 and Thomas Pederson 46.82.
For Minnetonka, Lau also won the 100 breaststroke in 55.04 to survive a very tough challenge from Eastview’s Sam Pekarek (55.09). Lau, who holds the state record at 54.90 from last year, will attend Princeton next fall.
The individual star of the meet was John Thomas Larson, competing on a team of one. Larson represented the Minnesota Online High School team, which took 20th overall on nothing more than two wins from Larson. The Texas commit went 1:46.30 in the 200 IM (blowing away an 11-year-old state record), then perhaps more impressively was 4:16.92 in the 500 free, winning by almost 20 full seconds and taking almost 10 off the standing state record.
Eden Prairie High School took second as a team behind three state titles and two state records. Joshua Withers won the 100 fly in 48.25, breaking the class AA state record he set a year ago but falling just shy of the 48.20 all-time state record from 1995. And the 200 free relay team of Withers, Nicholas Tullemans, Soren Dunn and Jordan Greenberg broke the class AA and all-time records twice. In prelims, they were 1:23.50 and in finals they went 1:23.50 to shave another hundredth off. Withers led off in 21.19 in finals, Tullemans was 21.09, Dunn 21.27 and Greenberg 19.94.
Greenberg also won the 50 free in 20.33, coming a tenth off of the state record held by NCAA All-American Michael Richards from 2007. Greenberg will attend Stanford next year.
One final state record went to Chanhassen’s Jack Dahlgren (a junior) in the 100 back. He was 48.28 to break AA and all-time state marks.
Hastings junior Vova Tipler nailed a front three-and-a-half to blow out the diving field, scoring 494.40.
Top 5 Teams:
- Minnetonka – 340
- Eden Prairie – 274
- Chanhassen – 155
- Stillwater – 140
- Shakopee – 122.5
Thomas Larson looks like a future threat in 400/500 Free.
Oh… Soren Dunn is my teammate. It’s shocking to see him go a 19.94 split in the 50 free at just 15 years old. I’m so happy for him 😀 this kid isn’t going anywhere.
It was Jordan Greenberg, the 50FR State Champion, who split a 19.94. Dunn’s split was 21.27, and swam a sub 1-min 100BR (59.43).
And talking about high school swimming, don’t forget to report the New Jersey championships with my idol 🙂 Destin Lasco! I’ve seen he has not disappointed.
Idol is probably a little bit too much. 🙂 Maybe in the future. More seriously I follow his progression since he broke his first NAG record and I like his technique. Definitely my favorite US junior swimmer on the men’s side.
2 best times for him with 47.67 in the 100 back and 1.48.07 in the 200 IM
Hopefully the UVA coach can teach Sam hownto swim. His splits are UGLY
Are you talking about the 20.42 – 22.95 anchoring of the 400 Free Relay where he could prepare or the 200 Free he swam minutes after he just split 19.93 anchoring the Medley Relay setting a national record and then by Minnesota rule had to report to the podium without a stand in allowed and to not properly prepare for his 200 Free a few minutes later. This kid is most importantly the epitome of humbled excellence and he can swim a relay like few I have seen. As the article perfectly stated he put his team first in finals, but that point was missed by you. Your comment shows you are very good at making a judgement without facts.… Read more »
His 200 free two years in a row. His 100 is his $ event. You swim 3 in college.
So he swam his 200 2 years in a row just minutes after splitting 19.75 and 19.73 on the Medley Relay. IMO relays are his money event, he almost chased down a guy that split 19.93 last year. Wow so you think 22, 24, 24, 24 is a poorly split race? I’d have to disagree on that one.
I swam at that meet and was supposed to go to the podium, but I didn’t and cooled down. I was threatened to be kicked out of the meet, and cooled down anyway, AND gotnanstate titke after. Not questioning his character or ability, but he could be a lot smarter with his splits.
Too bad for you. I swam our HS Medley Relay 37 years ago as a senior and our breaststroker split 24.5 as a freshman. I know what it’s like to spot a special kid as a I worked out with that guy 24 hours a week for a year my senior year. This kid is special and he has his priorities right he honored his team and the honor of setting a national record.
Kibler and Larson go to Texas.
Haas, Smith, Conger
The freestyle training group to prepare Tokyo 2020 is pretty good 🙂
to prepare the 2020 olympic trials
All in good time.