Central Zone North Sectionals
- Rochester, MN
- March 13-16, 2025
- SCY (SC Yards)
- Meet Central
- Livestream
- Recaps: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3
- Results available via Meet Mobile: “2025 MN RSC CZ North Section Spring Champions”
Twin brothers went 1-2 in the boys’ 50 free and a 15-year-old from St. Charles, Illinois continued his big sophomore season to conclude the Rochester edition of the Speedo Senior Sectionals Series.
16-year-old brothers Blake and Cale Tebeest finished 1-2 in the 50 yard freestyle, with Blake grabbing victory in 20.03 and Cale finishing 2nd in 20.45. This is their second head-to-head in finals this week, with Blake winning both races (he also got the 100 free, where Cale was 4th).
In the 100 backstroke, Blake was upended by 15-year-old Thomas McMillan from the St. Charles Swim Team in Illinois. McMillan won in 47.45, which takes three-tenths off his previous best time done at the Illinois State Championship meet in late February. He was the runner-up there to another sophomore Luke Vatev, who didn’t race at Sectionals this weekend.
The resurgent Fox Valley Swim Team also finished its meet with two more wins from Keian Lam, who will swim for Princeton in the fall. First he won the 100 breast in 54.68, and he later added a win in the 200 IM in 1:48.52.
His efforts left Fox Valley just 3 points shy of the visiting Seattle Metropolitan Aquatic Club; Fox Valley was the top-finishing team in the combined scoring that is actually located in the Central Zone.
Will Mulgrew from the Shawmut Aquatic Club in Massachusetts won the 1650 free in 15:10.65, pulling away late in a good battle with Nevada Max Carlsen (15:11.69).
In the girls’ racing, Lydia Soldatke won the 100 back in 54.22, pulling by Haley Weiler (54.34) on the back-half of the race.
Virginia commit Sophia Umstead won the 100 breaststroke in 1:01.01 and the 200 IM in 1:58.96, giving her three individual event wins this week (including the 200 breast in 2:11.18). Coming into the meet, she had no short course Sectionals titles and only one long course title from last summer in Columbus (most of her spring sectionals meets had been in long course in previous seasons).
Ella Gaca Thiele from FAST in Colorado won a nailbiter in the 50 free in 23.12 ahead of Julia Ogren from the host team Rochester (23.17).
The meet concluded with a 16:43.32 in the girls’ mile from Ellie Bina of the North Suburban Aquatic Club in Minnesota. That is a three-and-a-half second drop from her time from Winter Juniors in December and gives her the first Summer Junior Nationals cut of her career.
Final Team Scores
Boys Top 5:
- Seattle Metropolitan Aquatic Club – 437
- Fox Valley Swim Team – 434
- Fort Collins Area Swim Team – 299
- MCFarland Spartan Sharks – 298
- Shawmut Aquatic Club – 262
Girls Top 5:
- Seattle Metropolitan Aquatic Club – 462.5
- Michigan Lakeshore Aquatics – 394.5
- St. Charles Swim Team – 287
- (TIE) Fort Collins Area Swim Team/Sioux Falls Swim Team – 227
Combined Top 5:
- SNAC – 899.5
- Fort Collins – 526
- Fox Valley Swim Team – 520.5
- Shawmut Aquatic Club – 486.5
- Sioux Falls Swim Team – 411.5
