Robert Brewer/MDN Seen here perfecting his backstroke technique earlier this season, Minot's Dominic Yoder placed first in this event at the WDA Championships over the weekend with an all-state first-team time of 54.58 seconds. Yoder also captured the WDA Senior Athlete of the Year Award and will look to defend his backstroke state title this Saturday.

The Magi boys swim and dive team continued its remarkable run this year by wrapping up the Western Dakota Association Championship this past Saturday, the 39th conference title in club history.

With a final team score of 599, Minot far outpaced runner-up Bismarck Century who posted a score of 245. In total, Minot won eight of the day’s 12 events.

In the competition’s first individual race, it was Minot junior Grant Schaeffer who logged an all-state first-team time of 1:47.83 to pace the field. Meanwhile, teammate Alex King’s time of 1:48.83 was good for second place, as well as an all-state second-team finish. Fellow Minot swimmer Levi VonBokern’s time of 1:53.34 placed third.

In the 200-yard individual medley, Minot’s Dominic Yoder, who was also named the WDA Senior Athlete of the Year, took first with an all-state second-team time of 2:00.62. Fellow Minot senior Josh Boen also registered an all-state second-team time of 2:01.83 and came in third.

Peyton Bartsch’s third-place time (23.13) in the 50-yard freestyle and Jaron Coombs third-place finish in the one-meter dive (399.95) represented Minot’s top performers in those two events. Coombs’ score qualified as an all-state first team effort.

Bartsch continued his excellence in the 100-yard butterfly with a first-place time of 55.99 seconds. Sophomore teammate Jaxon Reinke placed second in the event with a time of 56.65 seconds. Then in the 100-yard freestyle, Schaeffer’s second-place effort of 50 seconds represented Minot’s top swimmer in that race.

King notched the Magi’s top time in the 500-yard freestyle (5:05.25) which was good for second, and Yoder was dominant again in the 100-yard backstroke, recording an all-state first-team effort of 54.58 to win the race. In the 100-yard breaststroke, Boen took first with a time of 1:00.06 to secure an all-state first-team finish.

In relay competition, the team of Yoder, Boen, Bartsch and Reinke earned the top spot in the 200-yard medley (1:39.58). Then in the 200-yard freestyle, King, Reinke, Bartsch and Schaeffer also took first (1:31.59). In the final relay race of the day, Schaeffer, Boen, King and Yoder capped off their club’s championship performance with a first-place time of 3:18.34.

Next up on the schedule, Minot plans to compete in the state championship in Bismarck this Saturday. If they win, it would be the Magi’s fourth consecutive state title, and 29th in school history.