BISMARCK — The Minot High School girls swimming and diving team used a strong finish to secure fifth place in at the state meet at BSC Aquatic & Wellness Center in Bismarck.

After Friday’s first round, the Majettes earned 155 points on Saturday. Minot pushed ahead of Dickinson (148 points) and Williston (147), while Century won the competition with 355.5 points.

The Majettes finished second-best between WDA teams, mirroring their performance at last weekend’s WDA meet in Bismarck. West Fargo Sheyenne finished second on Saturday with 329 points, Fargo Davies took a third-place finish with 292.5 points and West Fargo earned fourth place with 177 points.

Swim

Saturday’s action started with a bit of a stumble, as a false start disqualified the Majettes from the 200-yard individual medley. However, Minot bounced back and enjoyed a successful second session.

“As a team, we did so well,” Minot head coach Emily Jensen said. “We had a little hiccup with the first event and the DQ. I’m so proud that we held our composure through the whole meet. Little by little, we just made our way back. We had kids moving up here and there in every event.”

Minot sophomore Payton Luzardo (55.82 seconds) earned a ninth-place finish in the 100-yard freestyle. Luzardo dropped 1.81 seconds off her preliminary time of 56.09.

The team of Luzardo (25.17), freshman Elise Altringer (26.14), junior Brynn Neumann (25.63) and senior Brooklyn Filler (25.50) finished fourth in the 200-yard freestyle relay. The Majettes shaved 5.38 seconds off their entry time, as their final result of 1:42.44 marked the biggest gap between all teams’ entry and final times.

“To pick one event or one swim is so hard,” Jensen said. “We did this as a team, and the coaching staff could not be prouder.”

The Majettes continued to receive key contributions from their sophomore class, as sophomore Jordn Wolsky (1:01.52) finished eighth in the 100-yard backstroke. Wolsky entered the state competition with a time of 1:04.54.

Minot finished the day with a sixth-place finish in the 400-yard relay. Seniors Allie Elliott (56.93) and Iris Jessen (57.03) joined Wolsky (55.25) and Luzardo (55.81) to post a final time of 3:45.02.

The 400-yard relay quartet dropped 4.7 seconds off its entry time of 3:49.72.

“For a team our size, we talked all year about the challenge for us to be up with those bigger teams,” Jensen said. “It was such a good day for the Majettes.

Dive

In the midst of the one-meter diving competition, fortune turned Minot’s way. A duo of young Majettes came through in the clutch, providing critical boosts to the team’s overall score.

Eighth-grader Ella Kesler (374.70) and sophomore Bella Price (369.90) gave the Majettes a jolt, finishing in the respective sixth and seventh places. Kesler improved upon her entry score by 99.5 points, while Price exceeded her previous total by 101.6 points.

“After diving, we took a big jump in team points,” Jensen said. “To think that none of those divers have ever competed their whole list at a state meet is incredible. You couldn’t wipe the smiles off their faces.”

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