Seven MAC individuals earn state championships

Seven members of the Mitchell Aquatic Club won individual state championships over the weekend, with three swimmers earning multiple titles.

The state swim meet was held Friday through Sunday at Frank Olsen Park in Sioux Falls.

Thirteen-year-old Tevyn Waddell won six individual state titles in the girls’ 13-14 year-old division. She won the 100-, 200-, 400- and 800-meter freestyles along with the 100 and 200 backstrokes. She also took second in the 1,500 freestyle and broke seven MAC team records over the weekend.

“She was outstanding,” first-year MAC coach Kyle Margheim said of Waddell’s performance. “Not only did she win her events, but she was swimming times in her longer races that were 30 seconds faster than she was swimming in earlier meets.

“I couldn’t believe how fast she was going.”

In all, 17 MAC records fell during the three-day event.

“Some of the records that were broken were quite old,” Margheim said.

Ethan Huber won four events in the boys’ 9-10 division. He took first in the 50 and 100 backstrokes, as well as the 100 freestyle and the 100 butterfly. Huber, who set four MAC records at the state meet, also took second place in the 200 freestyle, 200 individual medley and the 50 butterfly.

Christian Fossum won the 400 freestyle and the 200 butterfly in the boys’ 13-14 division. He also took second place in the 200 and 1,500 freestyles and the 100 butterfly. Fossum, who also broke four MAC records over the weekend, was the third-place finisher in the 400 individual medley and 800 freestyle.

Trina Young, Mackenzie Miller, Isaac Smith and Zach Olson also won state titles for the MAC.

Young won the 100 butterfly in the girls’ 17-19 division. She also was second in the 200 and 400 freestyles and third in the 100 freestyle and 200 individual medley.

Miller won the 50 breaststroke and took second in the 100 breaststroke in the girls’ 9-10 division.

Smith was the champion in the 100 backstroke for the 15-16 boys’ division. He also was second in the 200 backstroke and third in the 200 and 400 individual medley. Smith set the MAC record in the 100 backstroke.

Olson won the 100 breaststroke and was second in the 200 breaststroke in the boys’ 15-16 division.

Cailey Scott took second place in the 200 freestyle, 200 individual medley and 100 backstroke. She was third in the 50 butterfly and 100 butterfly. Scott set the MAC record in the 200 freestyle.

Gray Determan set the MAC record in the 800 freestyle on his way to a second-place finish in the boys’ 13-14 division. He also was second in the 400 freestyle and third in the 1,500 freestyle.

Gage Nelson took third in the 100 butterfly and 200 freestyle in the boys’ 9-10 division.

Alyssa Honermann was second in the 100 breaststroke in the girls’ 17-19 division. Karlie Brown took third in the 800 freestyle in the 13-14 girls’ division.

In the relays, MAC had five teams take second place. Brynn Palmer, Ashlin DeBoer, Scott and Miller teamed up to take runner-up in the girls’ 9-10 division for the 200 freestyle and 200 medley relays.

Emmie Honermann, Kristin Pistulka, Brown and Waddell got second in the 400 freestyle relay and third in the 400 medley relay in the girls’ 13-14 division.

Dushan Mirkovic, Zach Smith, Determan and Fossum teamed up to take second in the 400 freestyle and 400 medley relays in the boys’ 13-14 division.

MAC finished the weekend in fifth place as a team.

“I was just very proud of how the kids swam this weekend,” Margheim said. “It’s a long meet and it’s a long weekend and I just felt like we just kept swimming better each day.

“I saw some things we need to improve on going into the winter season, but for my first year as a coach, this was even better than I could have hoped.”

MAC also had six athletes — Huber, Miller, Scott, Waddell, Determan and Fossum — qualify for the Central Zone Meet in Topeka, Kan. The six swimmers will compete on Team South Dakota against teams from North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Illinois, Arkansas and Wisconsin at the regional meet, which is for swimmers 14-and-under and is set for this weekend. The event is a USA Swimming sanctioned meet.

Tags: mac, sports, swimming