by Theodore Tollefson

The Hastings Raiders Girls Swimming team had their final week of multi scheduled meets and split the meets they had between their opponents for the week.

The Raiders first meet for this last week was at home against the Farmington Tigers on Tuesday, September 28. The meet was one of the most competitive for the Raiders Girls Swim team on the season, the Raiders and Tigers went back and forth in time finishes prior to the diving events.

Diving was one for the record books at Hastings Middle School against the Tigers that Tuesday. However, it was one of the Tiger divers who set a new pool record at Hastings Middle School for a six dive event. Jordyn Schmucker, a junior diver for the Farmington Tigers, set the new highest score for the six dive event at Hastings Middle School with a score of 269.35. This broke the previous record set by a Stillwater swimmer back in 2012.

Following the diving events, the Raiders and Tigers kept up their back and forth action with scores in all their events for relays. In the end, the Tigers came out on top from the final event, the 400 yard freestyle relay, with a score of 95 to 90.

The swimmers of the meet for Hastings were Sunshyne Lewis, Emma Carter, and Izzy Green, Lewis had dropped times in both individual events, the 200 yard individual medley junior varsity relay and the 100 yard freestyle junior varsity relay, dropping two seconds of her previous records for both events and setting a lifetime best in the 100 yard freestyle.

Carter had lifetime best times set in both of her individual events on Tuesday cutting three seconds off her 200 yard individual medley junior varsity relay and one second off the 100 yard breaststroke junior varsity relay. Green had dropped her personal times both her individual meets as well. Green had cut off two seconds in the 200 yard freestyle varsity relay and eight seconds off the 500 yard freestyle varsity relay.

“It was a great battle all the way to the end against Farmington,” said Raiders Girls Swimming Head Coach Katie McAlpin. “The diver of the meet was Greta Larson. She was very consistent throughout the event and had a great second place finish behind the diver who set the new Hastings pool record.”

Thursday’s meet on the road against South St. Paul was the fifth conference meet for the Raiders of the season. The swimmers of the meet were Lila Salzman and again Carter. Salzman had a lifetime best time set in the 100 yard backstroke varsity relay finishing in third place and finished first in the 200 yard freestyle junior varsity event finishing in first for the Raiders.

Carter had best times in both the 50 yard freestyle junior varsity event and 100 yard backstroke junior varsity event. In the 50 yard freestyle, Carter finished second overall and second for the Raiders behind Kira Aarness and the 100 yard backstroke, Carter finished second overall and second for the Raiders behind Green.

The Raiders came out on top against South St. Paul on Thursday won 94 to 85 in their meet. Coach McAlpin shared, “We had our fifth conference dual meet win. We beat South St Paul 94 to 85. We were able to really mix up this meet. The girls drew their events out of a bowl and had a great time with them! The diver of the meet was Chloe Aarness. Chloe had her best scores in her lifetime and performed some of her harder dives.”

The Raiders Girls Swim team have their next meet on today at Hastings Middle School against North St. Paul. The meet begins at 6:00 p.m. and is senior night for the Raiders.