Monticello win Class 1A girls swimming and diving title; Edina takes 2A
Monticello’s Adalynn Biegler won two events, set a record and swam on two winning relays. Edina’s Libbi McCarthy pulled off the two-event, two-relay, one-record combo, too.
By Heather Rule
For the Minnesota Star Tribune
Monticello’s first triumph Saturday came via state record. Junior Adalynn Biegler beat her own record in the 200 freestyle, finishing in 1 minute, 46.93 seconds in the second event of the Class 1A girls swimming and diving state meet.
“I just set the meet off to a really good start,” Biegler said. “I’m really proud of all my races today.”
Biegler set the tone for Monticello’s first girls swimming and diving team championship at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center at the University of Minnesota. Monticello, which took third last year, won with 227 points, beating past champion Visitation (210 points) and last year’s winner, Orono (180).
“It’s surreal,” said Monticello coach Stacy Biegler, who is Adalynn’s mother. “We did our work on Friday that we needed to, and Thursday, and they put us in such a good position. They held their times and places or moved up.”
Monticello won four events, including both of its relays (200 freestyle and 400 freestyle), and two individual swims from Biegler, the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly (53.48). The Magic scored points in five of eight individual events and had two divers place in the top eight.
“I’m just so overwhelmed with happiness,” Adalynn Biegler said. “It’s just an amazing feeling.”
Biegler, junior Scarlet Urick, junior Elsie Farnsworth and senior Ella Vagle made up the winning relay teams for Monticello.
Orono finished second to Monticello in two relays. Orono senior Graycin Andreen swam the anchor leg on both relays, and she finished second to Biegler in the 200 freestyle (1:50.63), an event Andreen won last year, and 100 butterfly (56.03).
Visitation, winner of 10 of the past 12 team titles, took an early lead in the meet. The Blazers placed second in the opening 200 medley relay, freshman Iris Povolny took third in the 200 freestyle and later fourth in the 500 freestyle, and junior Merry Miller won the 200 individual medley (2:05.94). But Monticello led the rest of the way after the fifth event, diving.
Alaina Biebl goes back-to-back in 100 backstroke
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Senior Alaina Biebl, swimming for the Mounds Park Academy, St. Croix Preparatory Academy, Gentry Academy Blue Wave, defended her 100 backstroke championship (56.73). She also took third in the 200 individual medley (2:07.47) and swam the first leg of the winning 200 medley relay.
Biebl, who will swim at Colorado State, fulfilled her goal of winning back-to-back backstroke titles. But she was also excited about the winning relay.
“That was our goal all season, to win the medley relay,” Biebl said. “Really happy with how that turned out.”
Chloe Aarness wins diving title
Hastings junior Chloe Aarness secured the Class 1A diving state title with 465.40 points over second-place Bailey Monette, a junior from Westonka Holy Family, (446.80 points).
Class 1A meet records
Minnesota all-time and Class 1A record: 200 freestyle, 1:46.93, Adalynn Biegler (Monticello). Previous state record: 1:47.33 in 2016 by Carly Quast (Wayzata). Previous Class 1A record: 1:47.36 on Nov. 14, 2025, by Biegler.
Minnesota all-time and Class 1A record: 100 freestyle, 49.17, Adalynn Biegler (Monticello), in the first leg of the 400 freestyle relay. Previous state record in 100 freestyle: 49.20 in 2024 by Biegler.
Class 2A: Edina overcomes Minnetonka
Edina and Minnetonka split one-two finishes in the first two relays of the Class 2A finals, with Edina winning the 200 medley relay and Minnetonka winning the 200 freestyle relay. Each team racked up points in nearly every event.
Edina led by three points headed into the final event, the 400 freestyle relay. The same four swimmers who won the event for Edina last year defended their event crown, ultimately sealing another team championship for the Hornets.
“The goal coming into the meet was move up whenever you can today, and trust the coaches to put you in the relays that will score the most points, because we knew it was going to come down to a very small margin,” Edina assistant coach Mellanie Pusateri said.
Edina won with 342 points. The championship is the third in four years, seventh in nine years and 20th overall for Edina’s girls swimming and diving team.
The meet was a battle with rival Minnetonka, last year’s champion, which took second place with 332 points, followed by Stillwater (200 points) and Wayzata (125 points).
In addition to winning two relays, Edina won three individual events. Sophomore Bobbi Simmons won the 100 backstroke (54.57). Senior Libbi McCarthy, a member of the two winning relays, won the 50 free (a Class 2A record 22.52) and 100 free (49.32) after finishing as runner-up in each a year ago. She also won the 50 free as a sophomore.
“What was on my mind was I had to win them for my team,” McCarthy said. “I had to win my events. I had to show up. And I had to leave everything in the pool.”
Title defense x2 for Havermann
East Ridge junior Logan Havermann defended her 200 individual medley championship (2:01.26), finishing one second ahead of Edina’s Simmons (2:02.26). Havermann gained on Simmons at the turns for the breaststroke and freestyle in the back half of the race.
Havermann took this approach: “ ‘If I can still see her on the backstroke, there’s a chance I can come back.’ I pushed it really hard on that back half. I love my back half of that IM.”
Havermann later defended her 100 breaststroke title (1:03.67). She also swam on the fourth-place East Ridge relays in the 200 medley and 400 freestyle.
Ashley Mouyenga wins 2A diving title
Wayzata junior Ashley Mouyenga won the Class 2A diving championship with 490.70 points. Maple Grove senior Ellis Landry placed second (408.80 points). Mouyenga took third place in last year’s finals with 428.80 points.
Edina junior Cat Muir jumped from 15th place after the prelims to fifth in the finals with 365.40 points.
“That was a huge point difference for us,” Pusateri said.
Class 2A meet records
Class 2A record: 50 freestyle, 22.52, Libbi McCarthy (Edina). Previous Class 2A record: 22.54 in 2015 by Rachel Wittmer (Edina).
HEATHER RULE, for the Minnesota Star Tribune
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