Century High School, located in the capital Bismarck, has won the 2015 North Dakota Girls’ High School State Swimming and Diving Meet. Century had previously won the championship in 2009,2010 and 2011, but the previous two championship had gone to traditional power Minot.
Century won with 310.5 points, while second place was the same as the previous year, as West Fargo finished with 273 points. West Fargo’s coach, Sally Richardson, was named Coach of the Year.
The Powerade Senior Athlete of the Year was Fargo North’s Breah Anderson, who won both the 50 (23.49) and 100 freestyle (51.71).
The win was the 17th State championship for coach Kathy Aspaas, who is probably best known as the coach of retired phenom Dagny Knutson. Aspaas won 16 of those titles for Minot before joining Century this past season- she was c0-coach with Justine Friede.
Sophomore Vanessa Hermann was a standout performer for Century, she recorded wins in both the 200 IM (2:05.75) and 100 breaststroke (1:03.23). That time was just .01 short of the automatic All-American standard. Century also captured the 200 Medley Relay (1:47.45) with Brianna Rittenbach, Carly Palmer, Tess Sether and Abby Bourgois.
Sophomore Lexi Ljunggren took both the 200 (1:51.45) and 500 freestyle (4:57.98) for Grand Forks North. West Fargo would win both the 200 (1:38.05) and 400 Freestyle Relays (3:31.15) with the same four swimmers: Mykin Gunning, Molly Steinkopf, Andie Peterson, Hallie Peterson.
Hallie Peterson glided to an easy victory in the 100 butterfly (57.49). Emma Hepper of Bismarck won the 100 backstroke by just .01 over Century’s Rittenbach. Her winning time was 57.54.
Brittany Dixon of Shanley High School was dominant, winning diving by 40 points in 442.80.
Full Results, North Dakota Girls’ High School State Championships
Worth noting that Vanessa Hermann was 1:02.94 in prelims of the 100 Breaststroke, breaking Keri Hehn’s state record from 1997