By Becky Walz,
Starting off the 200 individual medley with the butterfly was Naomi Kutz who went on to finish fifth for the Vikings Thursday. (Photo by Becky Walz)
The Decorah swim and dive team opened the 2024 season last week with a pair of meets in three days with many new faces in the pool looking to contribute.
“We swam well against some very strong competition. We are a young team and that creates a lot of opportunities to get better each meet. We had two meets in less than 48 hours, I am impressed with how hard we competed on tired bodies – progress, not perfection,” said Coach Loran Storts.
Opening at home
It was a busy night at the Luther College Natatorium as the Vikings hosted a double dual with Waterloo and Mason City. Decorah defeated Mason City 101 to 80 and fell to Waterloo 106 to 77.
Liz Bucksa was the big winner of the night in the pool, winning a pair of individual races and teaming up for a relay win. In the 50 free, the sophomore touched the wall a second faster than teammate Bella Sailor in 26.02 seconds. After winning the shortest race of the night, Bucksa went on to win the longest as she finished the 500 free in 5:48.21. She also anchored the 200 free relay to a gold. In 1:51.69, Sailor, Avalea Burns, Grace Baker and Bucksa won by more than three seconds. The Viking also led off the runner-up finishing 200 medley relay. Bucksa joined her talents with Burns, Sailor and Jenna Schissel for silver in 2:00.01.
In addition to finishing silver in the 50 free individual, Sailor was the runner-up in the 100 fly as she stopped the clock at 1:06.58. Schissel, a freshman, took second in the 200 individual medley in 2:27.76 and the 100 breast in 1:16.09.
Race results
200 medley relay – 2. Liz Bucksa, Avalea Burns, Bella Sailor, Jenna Schissel, 2:00.01; 5. Lauren Holthaus, Liv Anderson, Naomi Kutz, Aubree Gesing, 2:45.95; Exhibition: Jena Peters, Addison Lickiss, Adeline Bollinger, McKenna Demaray, 2:25.98; Annika Becker, Sophia Gardner, Molly Kuehner, Stella Pole, 2:31.07
200 free – 5. McKenzie Tollefson 2:33.15; 6. Reagan Lubahn 2:39.24; 8. Bridget Bentley 2:44.24
200 IM – 2. Schissel 2:27.76; 4. Burns 2:40.33; 5. Kutz 2:43.60
50 free – 1. Bucksa 26.02; 2. Sailor 27.12; 5. Grace Baker 29.07; 7. Anderson 30.53; Exhibition: Holthaus 29.33; Lubahn 31.28; Gesing 31.59; Becker 32.17; Peters 32.26; Tollefson 32.30; Demaray 32.43; Gardner 32.64; Kate Pattison 32.83; Bollinger 32.95; Ana Simon 33.34; Kuehner 33.66; Lickiss 34.73; Kinley Leliefield 35.64; Pole 37.01; Esme Cuevas 37.48; Margaret Hahn 37.51; Adalyn Farley 38.46
1 mtr. diving – 4. Ava Carolan 145.65
100 fly – 2. Sailor 1:06.58; 7. Kuehner 1:36.79
100 free – 4. Baker 1:06.67; 6. Bentley 1:09.53; 8. Gardner 1:12.55; 10. Pattison 1:14.09; 12. Pole 1:25.06; Exhibition: Simon 1:16.42; Hahn 1:23.79; Leliefield 1:25.57; Farley 1:26.18
500 free – 1. Bucksa 5:48.21; 3. Kutz 6:33.28
200 free relay – 1. Sailor, Burns, Baker, Bucksa, 1:51.69; 4. Anderson, Bentley, Bollinger, Demaray, 2:04.84; Exhibition: Lickiss, Cuevas, Hahn, Becker, 2:19.41; Kuehner, Farley, Gardner, Gesing, 2:38.50
100 back – 4. Holthaus 1:17.17; 9. Peters 1:33.47; 10. Bollinger 1:34.59; 11. Cuevas 1:44.00
100 breast – 2. Schissel 1:16.09; 4. Burns 1:17.98; 7. Gesing 1:26.69
400 free relay – 3. Baker, Bentley, Tollefson, Schissel, 4:27.76; 5. Kutz, Holthaus, Lubahn, Anderson, 4:37.79; Exhibition: Demaray, Simon, Pole, Peters, 5:22.98; Ericksen, Pattison, Leliefield, Farley, 5:36.02
Over the weekend
After opening the season at home Thursday, the Vikings were back in the pool Saturday at Dubuque Senior in the Ram Relays. This invite is different from others in that all events are conducted as relays.
Cedar Falls was the champion with 118 points. Decorah finished sixth with 44.
Decorah’s best varsity finish was a pair of thirds in the 200 medley and 300 breast relays. In the medley event it was Bucksa, Schissel, Sailor and Baker touching the wall in 2:04.18, while Burns, Bucksa and Schissel went 3:47.50 in the breast relay.
Burns and Sailor won the junior varsity 400 individual medley relay in 5:13.31. In the 400 free relay it was Ana Simon Stella Pole, Lauren Holthaus and Annika Becker claiming silver in the JV division in 5:16.06. Reagen Lubahn, Aubree Gesing and McKenna Demaray stopped in the clock at 2:13.11 in the JV 200 free relay to take home bronze.
Ram Relay team scores
1. Cedar Falls 118; 2. Bettendorf 81; 3. Cedar Rapids Kennedy 62; 4. Dubuque Senior 53; 5. Wahlert Catholic 51; 6. Decorah 44; 7. Dubuque Hempstead 39
Varsity race results
200 medley relay – 3. Bucksa, Schissel, Sailor, Baker, 2:04.18
600 free relay – 7. Lubahn, Bentley, Tollefson, 7:52.20
400 IM relay – 4. Bucksa, Schissel, 4:59.99
200 free relay – 4. Baker, Sailor, Burns, Tollefson, 1:57.89
300 fly relay – 4. Bucksa, Kutz, Sailor, 3:36.84
1000 free relay – 7. Schissel, Kutz, 12:34.88
300 back relay – 7. Holthaus, Farley, Becker, 4:29.01
300 breast relay – 3. Burns, Bucksa, Schissel, 3:47.50
400 free relay – 5. Baker, Bentley, Tollefson, Lubahn, 4:34.89
JV race results
200 medley relay – 4. Holthaus, Pattison, Becker, Pole, 2:34.35
600 free relay – 5. Simon, Demaray, Hahn, 8:49.82
400 IM relay – 1. Burns, Sailor, 5:13.31
200 free relay – 3. Simon, Pole, Bentley, Demaray, 2:13.11
300 back relay – 4. Pattison, Peters, Lubahn, 4:24.08
300 breast relay – 3. Lubahn, Gesing, Demaray, 4:39.35
400 free relay – 2. Simon, Pole, Holthaus, Becker, 5:16.06
Heading west
The Vikings will be back in competition at Mason City Saturday, Sept. 7, at 10 a.m.
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