Viewfinder: Stillwater Takes Second At State Synchronized Swimming Meet

Stillwater Area’s Summer Olson climbed atop the podium to her first place perch Friday, embracing in a vibrant hug with each of her six competitors along the way.

The junior girls synchronized swimmer enjoyed her moment after winning the extended solo championship at Friday’s state meet. Still, even in enjoying the moment she wanted to share it with others.

“It feels good, but it’s like the whole team thing,” she said. “I like it a lot better when the whole team is up there with me.”

It’s that team-first mentality that helped the Ponies excel at this year’s state meet, taking second place overall as a team with 97 points. Wayzata won the state championship with 169 points.

But while Wayzata took 10 of the 12 possible first place finishes at the two day event Thursday and Friday at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center, it was Olson who stood out. Olson was part of those two first place finishes wrestled away from the Trojans, winning the extended solo and teaming with Joy Hammer and Claire Rutscher to win the extended trio title.

“We get so close,” Olson said of the Ponies’ squad. “Our team is like a family. Even in our whole section—our section is really close and we’re all friends.”

Stillwater coach Judy Luzaich said Olson’s work ethic is what makes her such a successful synchronized swimmer—something she could see in Olson since seventh grade.

“She is self-motivated, she is not self-serving at all,” Luzaich said. “You could just see the way she handles herself, the way she acts.”

That work ethic was evident across the board for the Ponies, who put together several strong performances at the state meet.

Molly Sneden took third in the long solo competition, and Katie Koenning and Vessa Pearsall teamed up to take third in the long duet competition. Their teammates, Skyler Olson and Abby Roth, took fourth in long duet.

Megan Talbot and Olivia VanOrsdale took third in the extended duet category. Emily Adrian, Claire Haws and Becky Winkel took fourth in long trio.

Dana Milan, Madeline Hall, Marissa Kuehn, Morgan McBride, Bekka Schindel, Katelyn Sonnee, Samantha Sonnee, and Zoe Wichser took third in short team, while Adrian, MacKenzie Diggans, Haws, Jordyn McLean and Megan Weaver took second in the long team event.

Natalie Bergstrom, Joy Hammer, Hannah Mulhausen, Summer Olson, Rutscher, Sneden, Talbot and VanOrsdale took second in the extended team competition.

FINAL TEAM RESULTS — 1. Wayzata, 2. Stillwater, 3. Forest Lake, 4. Edina, T5. St. Louis Park, T5. Prior Lake, 7. Hopkins, 8. Columbia Heights, 9. Richfield, 10. Bloomington, T11. Itasca, T11. Eden Prairie, 13. Maple Grove-Osseo