by Dennis Dalman
editor@thenewsleaders.com
The Sartell Sabres boy swimmers took seventh place among 33 competing teams March 7 at the statewide class A high-school swim meet at the Aquatic Center at the University of Minnesota.
The St. Thomas Academy Cadets, who were heavily favored to win, took top honors with 415.5 points. It’s their 14th state championship.
Coached by Jason Anderson, the Sabres garnered 28 points in the tournament.
Second place was Breck-Blake, followed by Faribault, Mankato West, Austin and Chaska.
Two Sabre standouts were Spencer Sathre and Mitchell Dockendorf. Sathre placed fourth in the 200-yard freestyle race and sixth in the 500-yard freestyle race. He was also a member of two of the three Sabre relay teams that placed. Dockendorf placed fifth in the 100-yard backstroke, beating his own record he’d set during the sectional meet two weeks ago.
Jacob Schumacher placed 12th in the 100-yard breaststroke, and Zach Weiler placed 15th in the 100-yard butterfly.
The Sabres placed fifth in the 200-yard medley relay with team members Dockendorf, Jake Martin, Chad Peichel and Weiler; they placed eighth in the 200-yard freestyle relay with members Tyler Kadlec, Peichel, Sathre and Blake Tunnell; and they also placed eighth in the 400-yard freestyle relay with members Dockendorf, Kadlec, Sathre and Erik Skoe.
The other competing teams at the tournament in the Class A division were Simley (eighth place) followed by Hutchinson, Spring Lake Park, Red Wing, Waterown/Delano, Orono, Monticello, Chisago Lakes, Alexandria, Benilde-St. Margaret’s, Dassel-Cokato-Litchfield, Fergus Falls, Grand Rapids, Fridley, Melrose-Sauk Centre, Mankato East-Loyola, Princeton, Park Rapids, Chisolm, Bemidji and Montevideo (tied), Sauk Rapids-Rice, Cold Spring Rocori and Duluth Marshall.
Sartell sophomore Mitchell Dockendorf swims the first part of the 200-yard medley relay of the boys’ swimming and diving state tournament Saturday at the University of Minnesota’s Aquatic Center. The team of Dockendorf, Jake Martin, Chad Peichel and Zach Weiler finished in fifth place.