Charlie Crosby Swims 19.57 in 50 Free, Leads Breck/Blake to Minnesota A Title

Minnesota Boys’ High School State Championship Meet – Class A

  • March 3-5, 2022
  • Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • Short Course Yards (25 yards), Prelims/Finals
  • Prelims Results (PDF)
  • Finals Results (PDF)

The Breck/Blake Co-Op team, which is the combined effort of teams from the private Breck School and Blake School in Minneapolis, dominated the 2022 Minnesota Boys’ High School State Championship Class A meet.

Class A includes the state’s smaller high schools. Even with the combined efforts of two schools, the Breck/Blake Co-Op still only includes only about 1,000 students in grades 9-12.

This marks a 6th-straight team title for the Co-Op, and their 8th Class A title since 2009. This year’s win was a particularly dominant one: the Breck/Blake boys finished with 495.5 points. They crushed the runners-up from Alexandria Area High School, who had 203 points.

The team started off by winning the first 4 events of the meet. Their streak wasn’t broken until Chisago Lakes senior Storm Opdahl won the 1-meter title: his 3rd straight. He will dive for Missouri State next fall.

Among the hot start for Breck/Blake was a new all-classes State Record in the 50 yard free. There, senior Charlie Crosby posted a 19.57 to win his third-straight Minnesota State title.

Race Video:

Crosby has dropped big time in each season of his high school career, including breaking 20 for the first time at last year’s meet when he won in 19.87.

Event Progression:

  • 2019, Freshman – Did not swim (22.06 best in club competition)
  • 2020, Sophomore – 20.41 (1st – 20.31 in prelims)
  • 2021, Junior – 19.87 (1st)
  • 2022, Senior – 19.57 (1st)

For Crosby, that swim breaks his own Minnesota Class A and all-time, all-classes records of 19.87 from last year’s meet. Edina’s Peter Larson is the only other swimmer to have broken 20 seconds at a Minnesota High School State Championship. The two will be teammates next year at the University of Texas, where Larson will be a senior and Crosby will be a freshman.

His swim is also the fastest by a high school swimmer this season.

Crosby also won the 100 backstroke in 46.64. That’s another three-peat for him, and a 5th-straight title in the event for Breck/Blake swimmers, though he was just-off his own all-time, all-classes record of 46.41 set last season.

Crosby also bookended the meet with relay leadoffs. In the 200 medley relay, he swam 21.59 to lead Breck/Blake to a new Class A Record. The splits:

  • Charlie Crosby, senior – 21.59
  • Charlie Egeland, junior – 24.54
  • James Pan, senior – 21.76
  • Daniel Gabriel, senior – 21.39
  • Final Time: 1:29.20

The only leg where they didn’t have the fastest split on that relay was Gabriel’s anchor, where he was .22 seconds slower than St Anthony Village anchor Liam Neary.

The team won by over 7 seconds, and just missed Minnetonka’s all-classes record of 1:29.20.

He then led off Breck/Blake’s finishing 400 free relay in 44.10. They finished in 3:02.09, another Class A Record. The splits there:

  • Charlie Crosby, senior – 44.10
  • Jack Schurtz-Ford, junior – 46.82
  • Henry Webb, freshman – 45.08
  • James Pan, senior – 46.09

While this was a senior-heavy Breck/Blake team, Webb, the freshman, is the favorite to lead them into the future. He also picked up an individual win in the 100 free in an All-America time of 45.34, anchored the 200 free relay in 20.39, and placed 3rd in the 200 free in 1:39.09. He was one of three Breck/Blake swimmers in the top four of the 200 free, led by an All-American swim of 1:38.00 by junior Charlie Egeland.

That time breaks the Minnesota Class A Record in the event of 1:39.79, set in 2016 by Warren Sexon.

Completing the front-half sweep for Breck/Blake was senior James Pan, who won the 200 IM in 1:48.12. That marks a second-straight title for him, though his swim was a big off the 1:47.90 that he won with last year that remains the Class A Record.

Pan also won the 100 breaststroke in 54.37. That again just-missed his own Class A Record, which was a 54.16 from last year’s state meet. It did lead a 1-2-4 finish for Breck/Blake, with Charlie Egeland placing 2nd in 54.87. Egeland’s best time coming into this meet was 55.31 from Winter Juniors – West.

After diving broke the Breck/Blake momentum mid-meet, Hutchinson sophomore Conner Hogan picked up a win in the 100 fly. He was the runner-up last year. This is Hogan’s third State Championship meet in Minnesota after qualifying in 2020 as an 8th grader.

After Webb’s win in the 100 free, Simley High’s Nico Losinski won the 500 free in a new Class A Record of 4:34.46. That broke the old record of 4:35.36 that was set in 2016 also by Warren Sexon.

Breck/Blake picked up a win in the 200 free relay even without their top swimmer Crosby. This was by-far the closest margin of their three relay wins, though it was also their youngest relay with three non-seniors.

Splits:

  • Charlie Egeland, junior – 21.45
  • Jack Schurtz-Ford, junior – 21.49
  • Daniel Gabriel, senior – 22.28
  • Henry Webb, freshman – 20.39

Alexandria Area High was 2nd in 1:26.44, including a pair of 20.5 second splits from Nicolas Welle and Carter Holm.

That wrapped up a 2nd place team finish for Alexandria Area, repeating their runner-up finish at last year’s state championship meet.

Final Standings – Top 5 Team Scores

  1. Breck/Blake – 495.5
  2. Alexandria Area High – 203
  3. St. Thomas Academy – 172
  4. Mankato East – 157.5
  5. Hutchinson – 139

 

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Michael Charles Crosby
1 year ago

Yes, this team is two schools. That said, other teams field more swimmers in Class A. The major difference is the number of swimmers on this team that swim year round. Most of the kids on this team swim club during the offseason. This team is small but powerful and looks to be so for a few more years (all be it closer with the loss of these seniors). With state record holders aplenty this year, this was a special year and the team showed it.

If you want to talk about competitiveness, look to the Alexandria team. They sent an even smaller group to the state meet and stood their ground against every other Class A school but the… Read more »

Washed up
2 years ago

Fastest team and fastest swimmer in Minnesota. They beat the winner of the large school meet in a duel meet. They should move up to large school division. Small school division is meant for out state small cities – not for elite private schools. Have won 6 years in a row – enough is enough.

Mr Piano
Reply to  Washed up
2 years ago

They’re two schools though

Coach T
Reply to  Mr Piano
2 years ago

Even more reason to move up

super classy swim
2 years ago

he suffered the wrath of sussy

Correction
2 years ago

46.41 100 backstroke record was from prelims, his best time from the previous year was 47.68. The prior record was 47.52 set by Dahlgren in 2018.

PFA
2 years ago

This is entirely satirical and also look up the context for yourself, but he had both a good 50 free and 50 back leadoff. Too bad he said that he was going to break the National HS record in the 100 back and raise the steaks. If he didn’t say that I would be talking about his 50 free and how it’s the 7th fastest ever in high school competition and also being in the top 10 in the 100 back but don’t make promises on the internet you can’t keep Charlie especially in the face to sussy. Anyways good job

Wanna Sprite?
2 years ago

But did he break the National highschool record in the 100 back?

Ricky Fuentez
Reply to  Wanna Sprite?
2 years ago

That was funny but the dude had gnarly drops. I believe he was like 20.3 and 48 low before.

HighSchoolSwimEnthusiast
Reply to  Ricky Fuentez
2 years ago

false

Former Big10
2 years ago

45.0 split from a freshman, too… Liking the MN to TX pipeline that’s developing 😀

jablo
Reply to  Former Big10
2 years ago

yeah that 45.0 split from a high school freshman is DISGUSTING

Washed up
Reply to  Former Big10
2 years ago

These minnesota kids never swim much faster for Texas than they did in high school. It seems to me that Texas is great at recruiting but not getting their recruits much faster?

Mr Piano
Reply to  Washed up
2 years ago

Part of that may be on the individual

JeahBrah
Reply to  Washed up
2 years ago

Revisionist history. The only 2 in recent times have been the Larson brothers.
JT’s freestyle bests in high school were 1:37.9, 4:16.9 and 15:11. He improved to 1:33.9, 4:13.4 and 14:48.
Peter’s free bests in high school were 43.4, 1:35.3 and 4:20.3. He’s already improved to 42.7, 1:32.5 and 4:14.5 in just 2 years, and is primed for more drops this year. His 200 back was great in high school and has only improved a small amount, but that hasn’t been his college focus.

About Braden Keith

Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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