By John George
The list of Section qualifiers for the Yellowjacket swim team keeps growing. And they're barely a quarter of the way through their season.
Perham has already has eight swimmers qualify for sections, based on minimum time requirements. Several of those girls, six to be exact (Erika Conlin, Leah Richter, Kaila Formanek, Sara Formanek, Abby Kratzke and Jeanna Kratzke) have qualified in multiple events.
Several more section positions were filled Saturday at the Park Rapids Invite. Perham (250) finished fifth at the seven-team meet. Brainerd was first with a score of 550, followed by Sauk Centre (388.5) and Melrose (388) in a virtual dead-heat for second place.
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Abby Kratzke was already qualified for sections in the 100 butterfly coming into the meet. Saturday she lowered her personal best to 1:09.70, a new school record. She finished in third place with a time nearly two seconds lower than her season low.
Kratzke did qualify for sections again, this time in the 100 backstroke, where she finished 10th (1:14.28).
The Formanek sisters put their name on the qualifying list again. Kaila, already qualified in the 50 free and 100 free, added another event with a time of 1:16.92 in the 100 butterfly (16th place). Older sister Sara qualified in the 100 free. She was already qualified in the 50 free.
Diver Ashley Niemela also secured a spot at sections with a 5th place score of 156.05.
Already set in three events for the postseason, Richter cemented her position as one of the teams leading point-scorers. Richter finished fifth in the 200 I.M. and fourth in the 100 fly and was one a pair of sixth place relays, the 200 medley relay and the 200 free relay.
The Jackets also had a pair of top-10 finishes in the 100 breaststroke. Seventh grader Kelsey Kratzke finished fifth overall with a time of 1:19.74. Older cousin Jeanna Kratzke was close behind in seventh (1:21.32).
Perham will return to Park Rapids today (Sept. 21) for a dual against the Panthers starting at 6 p.m.
The Jackets finished ahead of Park Rapids at the invite on Saturday.
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"We've been looking forward to show them how much we've improved," head coach Sheri Ressler said earlier this year.
The Jackets will have a "home" meet on Sept. 26 at Detroit Lakes against the Lakers, then return north to Fosston for an invite on Sept. 30.
TUESDAY UPDATE
Jackets second at S-M
Abby Kratzke reset her school 100 fly record as Perham finished second to D.L. at the S-M Triangular.
Tuesday, September 19
at Staples-Motley
1. Detroit Lakes 146, 2. Perham 105, 3. Staples-Motley 67.
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200 Medley Relay--1. D.L. 2:01.57, 2. Perham 2:07.99, 5. Perham 2:19.62.
200 Free--1. King (DL) 22:06.24, 4. Conlin (P) 2:23.98.
200 I.M.--1. Paakh (DL) 2:22.22, 2. Richter (P) 2:33.57.
50 Free--1. Lawrenz (DL), 2. S. Formanek (P) 28.40.
Diving--1. Dugger (DL) 193.05, 2. Mickelson (P) 162.45, 3. Niemela (P) 129.0
100 Fly--1. Paakh (DL) 1:01.95, 3. A. Kratzke (P) 1:09.14.
100 Free--1. Lawrenz (DL) 58.30, 3. J. Kratzke (P) 1:02.90.
500 Free--1. Larson (DL) 5:49.0, 2. Conlin (P) 6:26.10, 3. Ressler (P) 6:43.35.
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200 Free Relay--1. Perham 1:53.72.
100 Back--1. Oak (DL) 1:11.06, 3. A. Kratzke (P) 1:15.32.
100 Breast--1. Iverson (SM) 1:19.07, 2. K. Kratzke (P) 1:19.84.
400 Free Relay--1. DL 4:03.0, 2. Perham 4:15.16.
