Warriors' Etterman sets new standard
STATE HIGH SCHOOL SWIMMING AND DIVING
While all the well-deserved praise was on Katy Etterman Saturday, on Sunday she was quick to deflect it.
The junior secured the highest finish ever by a Brainerd Warriors diver in the Class 2A state swimming and diving meet Saturday at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center.
Etterman entered Saturday's finals in eighth place and jumped up one spot to seventh with a 347.65 to one-up former teammate Sam Smith, who placed eighth last year.
"If I had to rate the experience as a whole, out of 10 I would give it an 11," said Etterman. "It was amazing.
"There were two dives (on Saturday) I wasn't happy with, but the rest of them all seemed to go as well as I could have hoped they would."
Brainerd junior Katy Etterman completed the first of her three dives during Saturday's Class 2A swimming and diving finals at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center in Minneapolis. The Warrior placed seventh to claim the highest state finish by a Brainerd diver.
Bill Johnson
Etterman had secured 253.85 points in Thursday's prelims and semifinals, putting her four points behind senior Tessa Kahring of Cambridge-Isanti. She made that up and topped Kahring by 10 points.
Stillwater's Maggie Keefer repeated as the Class 2A state champion with 451.55 points. Woodbury's Erin Kohlbeck was second and Eagan's Sarah McCrady third.
"She just finished it off with a solid final round," said Warrior diving coach Mary Streiff. "I don't think she would want to change anything that happened. She hit all of them. A lot of credit needs to go to Katy. She was watching the other girls in warmups and said, 'Wow, they're all really good.' I told her you don't stand on the podium because you're not good. I think she got that realization and now knows she can compete with those kids."
Etterman did stand on the podium to receiver her seventh-place medal. While there she made a quick mental note
"Four of the girls that were ahead of me were seniors," said Etterman. "So next year my goal is to place in the top five and if I can the top three."
If Etterman seems confident she is. But then most others would be too if they had her secret weapon.
"I owe all of this to Mary," said Etterman. "I really want to thank her. She is an amazing coach who worked around my busy schedule. She would come in on Tuesday's at 6 a.m. every week during the season so I could go to gymnastics after school. She's just a really great coach and I'm lucky to have her."
Team Score: 1-Stillwater 265
200 medley relay: 1-Edina 1:44.90
200 freestyle: 1-Kiera Janzen (Cretin-DH) 1:48.51
200 individual medley: 1-Abby Duncan (Champlin Park) 2:03.12
50 freestyle: 1-Hannah Bowen (Stillwater) 22.76
Diving: 1-Maggie Keefer (Stillwater) 451.55, 7-Katy Etterman (Brainerd) 357.35
100 butterfly: 1-Meghan Cummings (Eden Prairie) 54.89
100 freestyle: 1-Bowen (Stillwater) 50.26
500 freestyle: 1-Janzen (C-DH) 4:50.73
200 freestyle relay 1-Stillwater 1:34.94
100 backstroke: 1-Tess Behrens (Maple Grove) 54.47
100 breaststroke: 1-Duncan (Champlin Park) 1:01.33
400 freestyle relay: 1-Stillwater 3:27.64
JEREMY MILLSOP may be reached at jeremy.millsop@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5856.