The Hastings Raiders girls swimming and diving team opened the 2026 season with plenty of depth, then turned that depth into a first-place finish at the Metro East Conference Relays on Thursday, Aug. 27, at The Grove in Inver Grove Heights, home of the Simley Spartans swim team.
Head coach Katie McAlpin entered the season excited about a mix of returning veterans and a large group of younger swimmers joining the program. Hastings opened the year with 33 swimmers on the roster. McAlpin emphasized the size of the group, saying 33 swimmers “is A LOT.”
That depth was on display throughout the conference relays as Hastings scored 130 points to edge Mahtomedi, which finished second with 122. Two Rivers followed with 114, Simley scored 84, Hill-Murray had 66, Tartan-North finished with 50 and the Loons Swim and Dive team had 46.
Hastings got off to a strong start by winning the opening 400 medley relay. Emma Dehmlow, Maddy Ritter, Sofia Kovalenko and Lila Salzman combined for a time of 4 minutes, 22.20 seconds, finishing more than 15 seconds ahead of runner-up Two Rivers.
The Raiders followed with a runner-up finish in the 200 freestyle relay. Alliah Clark, Charlotte Latch, Jenna Arneson and Lily Burks finished in 1:53.41. Hastings added another second-place finish in the next 400 medley relay, with Salzman, Kovalenko, Chloe Aarness and Dehmlow recording a time of 4:28.82.
Diving provided another event victory for Hastings. The Raider divers combined for 238.20 points, well ahead of Two Rivers in second place with 116.75, giving Hastings another 18 points toward the team standings.
Mari Hall, Lauren Beaudet, Emery Malm and Greta Larson placed fourth for Hastings in the 200 butterfly relay with a time of 2:12.94. The Raiders then came within less than a second of another victory in the 850 freestyle relay. Charlotte Latch, Ritter, Arneson and Burks finished second in 9:49.92, just behind Two Rivers at 9:49.20.
Hastings placed fifth in the 200 backstroke relay, where Malm, Aubriella Cox, Clark and Emilia Krause finished in 2:27.71. The Raiders returned to the runner-up spot in the 200 breaststroke relay, with Aarness, Emma Anderson, Elayna Latch and Ritter combining for a time of 2:31.44.
The Raiders finished the meet the same way they started it, with a victory. Kovalenko, Larson, Dehmlow and Salzman won the 400 freestyle relay in 3:55.10, holding off Mahtomedi, which finished second in 3:58.83. Hastings also had its B relay of Arneson, Charlotte Latch, Malm and Burks finish in 4:19.44.
With victories in two swimming relays and diving, along with several runner-up finishes, Hastings accumulated enough points throughout the nine-event meet to claim the conference relay team title and give McAlpin’s large group of returning and new Raiders a successful start to the season.
The Raiders have a break before returning to competition Thursday, Sept. 10, when they host Two Rivers at 6 p.m. at the Hastings Middle School Pool. Hastings will remain home Thursday, Sept. 17, for a 6 p.m. meet against South St. Paul/Minnehaha.