The Hastings High School Boys Swim and Dive team closed out their 2024-25 season with plenty to be proud of, blending veteran leadership with emerging young talent under the steady guidance of Head Coach Katie McAlpin. From the early meets in December to a strong showing at sections and sending a Raider to state, this squad showed grit, improvement, and a positive trajectory for the future of the program.
The Raiders kicked off the winter by placing second at the Conference Relays, highlighted by wins in both the diving relay and the grueling 850-freestyle relay. It was clear from the start that the team was primed to make some noise. That momentum carried over into January, where their schedule ramped up with back-to-back meets and invites that tested their depth and endurance.
Their first big test came with the Duluth Invite on January fourth. The team made the long trip north and came away with a respectable fifth-place finish out of eight teams. Diving standout Charlie Jensen led the way with a second-place finish, but it wasn’t just about the podium. Coach McAlpin emphasized the individual progress her athletes made across the board. Senior Alex Culp and sophomore Jack McAlpin earned Swimmer of the Meet honors, each recording personal bests in all their events. Culp shaved significant time, cutting nine seconds in the 200 freestyle and posting solid drops in his other three events. McAlpin delivered an equally impressive performance, chopping sixteen seconds off his 500 freestyle and dropping time in each race.
The meet also featured breakout swims from underclassmen Kenny Andrea, who dropped a whopping forty-four seconds across his four events, and Oscar Green, who trimmed ten seconds off his 100 butterfly and seven off his breaststroke. The team’s ability to show that kind of across-the-board improvement was a theme that would continue all season.
Just a few days later, on January 7, Hastings hosted Two Rivers in their first dual meet of the new year and kept the energy high, dominating the competition 105-76. The night belonged to Oliver Gergen and Sammy Green, both earning Swimmer of the Meet honors. Gergen swept all his races with season-best times, while Green cut five seconds in the 200 freestyle and clocked a personal best in the 100 freestyle. Jensen once again took top honors in diving, setting another personal best score, while younger swimmers like Oscar Green and Alex Culp continued to chip away at their personal records.
The next major challenge came with the True Team section meet, a grueling two-day event that mimics the format of sections. Hastings finished sixth out of seven teams, but the placement didn’t tell the whole story. Jensen was rock solid again, placing fifth in diving with a personal best score of 336.25. Thomas Foss stood out, winning the 100 butterfly, taking second in the 100 backstroke, and contributing on two relays. Russell Schalk quietly had one of his best meets of the year, trimming time off both his 50 and 100 freestyle swims. Kenny Andrea and Sammy Green also posted noticeable drops, with Andrea cutting thirteen seconds in the backstroke and Green shaving six seconds in the individual medley. It was a meet that showcased the team’s resilience and potential, even against some of the toughest competition in the state.
The Raiders kept rolling through January. On January 20, they hosted Apple Valley in a non-conference showdown and won convincingly, taking eight out of twelve events and notching a 99-84 victory. In fact, Hastings went into exhibition mode for the final race, a testament to how dominant they were that day. Relay teams featuring veterans like Tristan Herbst, Charlie Jensen, Thomas Foss, and Oliver Gergen led the way, while the younger group continued to make their presence known.
James Jensen earned Swimmer of the Meet honors after cutting time in all four events, dropping eight seconds overall and grabbing second in the 200 free. The Green brothers, Oscar and Sammy, had stellar performances again, with Oscar slicing seven seconds off his 100 freestyle relay split and Sammy cutting fourteen seconds in the 500 freestyle. Jack McAlpin chipped in with a sixteen-second drop in his 200 freestyle, another sign of the program’s depth.
Through January and early February, the Raiders enjoyed a three-meet home stand, facing off against conference rivals like Simley, Tartan/North St. Paul, St. Thomas Academy, and a non-conference meet against Farmington. Parent’s Night and Senior Night gave the community a chance to celebrate not just the swimmers’ results but also the hard work and dedication behind the scenes. Each meet brought more time cuts, more wins, and more reasons for optimism.
As the season wrapped up, the focus shifted to sections where Thomas Foss proved he was among the state’s elite. At the Section 3AA meet, Foss became the 100-butterfly champion with a blazing time of 52.21 and took second in the 100 backstroke with a time of 54.18, securing his place at the state meet. Foss represented Hastings at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center, swimming in the Class AA preliminaries on March 7, a fitting capstone to his season.
Looking back, it was a year marked by steady growth, leadership from upperclassmen, and promising talent rising through the ranks. Coach McAlpin consistently praised the team’s work ethic and willingness to improve, meet after meet. The Raiders might have started the year as underdogs in some circles, but they finished as a team that earned respect across the conference and the section. With a core of young swimmers already making waves and strong leadership setting the tone, the future of Hastings Boys Swim and Dive looks bright.