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Sports

Richfield Swimmers Head to State With High Hopes

Spartans in search of a top-three team finish, as well as some individual titles, at Class A State Swimming and Diving Meet this weekend.

After taking for the second year in a row, the Richfield boys swimming and diving team qualified enough individuals for Friday and Saturday's state championship competition to believe it has a chance to make a spirited run at a Class A title.

"As a team, we are sitting fourth [based on seedings and section times] right now," Richfield head coach Marc Hamren said. "Hopefully, we can move up."

Going into the state meet, only Fergus Falls, Section 2A champion Breck/Blake and Class A power St. Thomas Academy are seeded higher than Hamren's crew.

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The Spartans—who finished 13th at state last season—qualified six swimmers in all who will compete in all three relay events as well as a half-dozen individual contests, meaning that Richfield will be represented in nine of 12 state races.

"I think we have a shot," Hamren said of moving into the top three Class A places. "We are going into the meet thinking we can win it. If we fall short, we fall short, but when we're this close, we have to give it our best shot."

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In addition to top state laurels, a number of Richfield swimmers have realistic chances at earning state championships.

Junior Max Hamilton heads to state as the Spartans' lone section champion after his time of 1 minute, .75 seconds claimed the 2A title in the 100-yard breaststroke.

That time is currently tied for third among state-qualifying breaststrokers and both he and Hamren believe that the potential is there to move all the way up to No. 1; the current top-seeded time of 59.59 seconds is held by St. Thomas junior Sam Nields.

"I would like to take a second off of my time and finish under a minute," Hamilton said. "After that, we'll see what falls into place."

Hamilton is one of two Spartans that will compete in the breaststroke, joining sophomore Andy Petersen. He is also one of three Richfield swimmers that will compete in the 200-yard individual medley, along with Petersen and sophomore Duncan Pederson—who will also take part in the 100-yard butterfly.

Joning the Spartans' individual state competing roster are: Sophmore Mohab Eid (200-yard freestyle), junior Matt Graham (50- and 100-yard freestyle) and senior Alex Putnam (50- and 100- free).

"We've got several guys seeded in the top eight," Hamren said. "The improvement they've shown over the course of the season has been fantastic and the reason is because they really stepped it up a notch in the practice pool."

All six swimmers will also compete on at least one of the Richfield relay teams.

The Spartans' 200-yard medley relay squad heads to state with the third-fastest time (1:40.63) of those taking to the pool for Class A competition; the state quartet will feature Petersen, Hamilton, Pederson and Graham.

"I think it's possible," said Hamilton of the medley relay's state-championship prospects. "We swam it at sections without [Graham as] our freestyle anchor and now we'll be adding him for state, so hopefully, we can win the championship."

The 400-yard freestyle relay foursome of Putnam, Eid, Graham and Petersen enters state with the fourth-fastest time, while the 200-yard freestyle relay squad of Putnam, Pederson, Graham and Eid is sixth-fastest.

"It's a great group of guys," Hamren said. "Everything came together at the section meet; it was one of those meets where you just smile a lot because the guys are swimming out of their minds."

It all adds up to what could be a very successful state run for Richfield—a team that has one Class A third-place finish in 1997 in its history under Hamren, who has coached the squad since 1975.

"I'm as old as dirt," Hamren joked. "I've been here quite a a few years. This year has been a fantastic one and we hope to finish it on a definite up-note."

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