After 14 total meets in the season, losing only one of their three conference meets and winning half of their eight dual meets, the Orono Swim Team went to State on March 7.

“State went well,” OMW captain Chase Olsen said. “We got 13th out of the 33 schools that qualified and had three all-state swims.”

Will Brenton received 3rd in the 100 meter backstroke, Andy Kileen received 6th in the 500 meter freestyle and the team received 6th in the Medley Relay, where Will Brenton swam first doing backstroke, followed by Peter Sherek swimming breaststroke, Andy Kileen swimming butterfly stroke and Olsen swimming freestyle..

“We were not state champs but overall, I am very proud of the guys,” sophomore Andy Kileen said. “We worked hard for three hours a day for three months and it really paid off.”

According to the Minnesota State High School League, the team is very young, consisting of 19 underclassmen and only three upperclassmen. Because of this they expect to do very well in the upcoming years and are anticipating another go at the State title.

“Like I said, we have a young team with a bright future and many things to accomplish,” Kileen said.

Despite not being titled State champions, many of the team’s members are very content with how they competed at State and are excited for future opportunities to compete for the State title,

“Being all-state is pretty cool,” Olsen said. “It was a lot of fun to be on the podium at the University of Minnesota aquatic center because it’s one of the fastest pools in our nation. Hopefully it’s something I will get to experience again next year.”