Schools
EHS Senior Campbell Makes Quick Impact on Swim Team
The Edina swimmer, who joined the Hornets this year, will compete in four events at the state meet this weekend.
Maryellen Campbell is a relatively new face on the girls swimming and diving team. The senior, who moved from Long Island as a junior, is in her first season with the Hornets.
But her impact is substantial.
Campbell, who began swimming in kindergarten, became a staple of Edina’s team this fall and qualified for four events at this week’s Class AA state meet.
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“We’re really fortunate,” Hornets coach Jeff Mace said, adding: “At the same time I wish she would have moved here as a 7th-grader.”
But that’s what the senior brings to the Hornets’ club, which has at least one qualifier in every event at this year’s state tournament. Edina’s quest for back-to-back state titles is very much a possibility at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center this weekend.
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The preliminary round begins at 6 p.m. Friday, and the championships begin at 6 p.m. Saturday.
Campbell is in the middle of the action, having won the 200 IM at the Section 6AA meet and helped Edina’s 200 medley relay and 200 freestyle relay each win the section title. She also took second in the 100 breaststroke behind teammate Olivia Anderson.
“I was pretty pumped up,” Campbell said. “I knew I could do that time, I just didn’t know it would be on Saturday. So I was happy about that.”
The dominant section performance couldn’t have come at a better time for Edina’s squad, and that makes it equally sweet for Campbell. Having always swam club during her career, her fall with the Hornets has taught her just how important team results are to this program.
“So far in my swimming career before joining Edina High School, I was never exposed as much to the ‘You swim for yourself but more importantly you swim for your team,’” she said. “Especially in club, it's more individually focused. But it’s definitely repeated that the overall outcome is how the team does and how everyone does as a whole.”
That, along with a deep group of talent, could help the Hornets deliver its 10th state team title this fall.
“She’s a very strong gal—very strong-willed as well,” Mace said. “She came through for the team. I think the team is really important to her, and that helped her swim fast.”
