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Dolphins win 25 events in South Dakota State Long Course Championships at Aberdeen

roger merriam, watertown public opinion
·2 min read

ABERDEEN — Another fine showing the Watertown Area Swim Club Dolphins concluded with another runner-up finish over the weekend in the 2023 South Dakota Long Course Championships.

Seventeen swim clubs competed. Sioux Falls topped the field with 7,407 points, followed oby Watertown at 4,268 and host Aberdeen 2,416. Brookings (1552.5) edged Rushmore (1,551) for fourth and the Dakota Riptide of Mitchell took sixth with 1,318.5 points.

Watertown has finished second behind Sioux Falls in each of the past five state long course championships (no meet was held in 2020 due to COVID-19) and the past seven state short course championships in the winter.

Seven Dolphin swimmers won a combined 23 individual races in the state meet, including six by Owen Muller (13-14 boys), five each by Crosby Bass (8-and-under boys) and Elsie Boettcher (15-16 girls), three by RJ Matthies (11-12 boys), two by Justine Kranz (11-12 girls) and one each by Logan Dexter (11-12 boys) and Madelynne Storm (17-19 girls).

The 2023 Watertown Area Swim Club summer swim team placed second over the weekend in the South Dakota Long Course State Championships at Aberdeen. Team members include, from left to right in front, coach Donna Bierschbach, Rob Johnson, Lee Kreutner, Campbell DeBoer, Vivian Mathiason, Edie Hoftiezer, Crosby Bass, Kegan Kasparek and coach Chuck Baechler; second row, Ryan Steffen, Malachi Peterson, Jack Kreutner, Cayson Feininger, Auggie Brewster, JB Jensen, TyLynn Wellnitz, Collins DeBoer, June Olson, Charlotte Holien and Khloe Campbell; third row, Logan Dexter, Mason Wookey, Ian McAreavey, Jackson Ahmann, RJ Matthies, Nolan Boettcher, Kole Muller, Clayton Muller, Channing DeBoer, Abigail Highman and Sara Peterson; fourth row, Madison Haslem, Joanie Makens, Harper Meidinger, Zoey Peterson, Sienna Schaunaman, Rylie Stangl, Kamelia Mjoun, Jada Leigh Wellnitz, Roslyn Waite, Josephine Waite, Madelynne Storm and Sydney Sparks; fifth row, Maurina Street, Liam Street, Thomas Bass, Justine Kranz, Leila Byer, Elsie Boettcher, Levi Peterson, Kuper Brownlee, Madison Cyrus and Camryn Langerock; and back row, Ross Ritter, Zavier Kranz, Simon Hendricks, Kaden Zink, Haydn McGillivary, Owen Muller, Jay McAreavey, Isaiah Makens, Parker Hoftiezer and Talon DiCarlo.

Dexter and Matthies also joined Clayton Muller in swimming on the winning 11-12 boys' 200-meter freestyle and medley relays. Penn Feist also swam on the 200 freestyle and Channing DeBoer on the 200 medley.

Many WASC swimmers contributed points by placing in the top 16 of individual events or swimming on relay teams that placed in the top eight.

Kranz (11-12 girls), Owen Muller (13-14 boys) and Boettcher (15-16) finished as the high-point award winners in their respective divisions.

Bass and Matthies each were second and Kaden Zink (17-19 boys) third. Kegan Kasparek (fifth, 8-and-under boys), Khloe Campbell (fourth, 9-10 girls), TyLynn Wellnitz (fifth, 9-10 girls), McKenna Falak (fourth, 17-19 girls) and Storm (fifth, 17-19 girls) also were among the top five in their divisions.

Complete team scores, high-point standings and WASC individual and relay results can be found by visiting www.thepublicopinion.com.

State Team Scores:: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23886062-2023-final-team-scores?responsive=1&title=1

Individual High-Point Standings: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23886063-2023-individual-high-point-honors?responsive=1&title=1

WASC Individual Results: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23886065-2023-wasc-results?responsive=1&title=1

WASC Relays: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23886064-2023-wasc-relays?responsive=1&title=1

Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on Twitter @PO_Sports

This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Watertown Area Swim Club records another state runner-up finish