In case you missed it, the Minot High School boys swimming and diving team brought home their second straight state title Saturday after two days of intense competition in Bismarck. After following the team this season, it’s easy to see how the team came together to be able to pull off such a feat.

From the first practice, the team was in a unique position with exactly half of their team made up of returning swimmers and the other half new to the high school team.

“It’s credit to the culture that our seniors set for our team this year,” Minot High head coach Jake Solper said after the state meet Saturday. “Guys that were new to the team this year figured out really quickly that when you become a member of the high school team, you better figure out how to compete because that’s what we do in practice and that’s what we do at meets.”

These new to the team athletes heavily contributed to the depth throughout the season and came up big at the state meet, but that isn’t to discredit the work of the athletes that have been on the team for years or the seniors that stepped up and led the team this season.

Coach of the Year Jake Solper, diving coach Kao Jenne and assistant coaches Ken Disher and Jordan Foley did a great job developing these athletes into the state championship team.

Senior captains Peyton Huss, Steve Novak and Mikel Bahl supported by the entire senior class lifted the team this season.

New to the team athletes Grant Schaeffer, Alexander King and Kalen Hill found themselves in the top eight while eighth-grader Levi VonBokern found himself in the top 16 at the state meet and truly bought into the culture of Minot swimming. Juniors William Walker-Rozo, Layton King, Jack Wolsky, Reece Pederson, Zac Spaulding, Harrison Shanklin and Griffin Schaeffer continue to grow in and out of the pool and we have no doubt they will do an amazing job leading the team next season.

To the seniors that dedicated all four years to this program and have seen two state titles in their careers, your impact on the team will be remembered for years to come. Even as you move on to future endeavors, we hope you always look back on these times with full hearts, knowing you had a hand in making these championships a reality.

“Our team kind of set their goals and our upperclassmen made sure everyone was supportive of those goals and they made it a reality,” Solper said.

To the athletes’ support systems that raise, lead and teach these athletes, we would like to say thank you. We hope watching these athletes has been as fun for you as it has been for us.

Congratulations to the swimming and diving Magi on another memorable season. We look forward to what you will bring to the pool next season! #RollMagi

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