The Westonka boys swim team capped off their regular season Feb. 6 with a thrilling battle in the pool against a formidable Waconia squad. Despite Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) cooperative rules requiring Westonka to compete at the junior varsity/exhibition level in all Metro West Conference meets, the White Hawks made a powerful statement with an array of standout performances.

The meet kicked off with a dominant victory in the 200-yard medley JV relay, as Tyler Finley (backstroke), Brody Helms (breaststroke), Connor Shaw (butterfly), and Niles Senn (freestyle) surged to first place with a time of 2:08.29.

Varsity swimmer Sean Dolder, swimming exhibition, made waves by claiming first place in the JV heat of the 200 freestyle, while Brody Helms put on a strong showing in the 200 IM JV heat, clocking in at 2:28.76 for another first-place finish. In the always-exciting 50 freestyle JV heat, Finley powered through with a time of 32.13, while varsity sprinter Wyatt Helms, also swimming exhibition, blazed through with a time of 24.26.

The intensity continued in the 100-yard butterfly, where varsity swimmer Eren Alemdar delivered an impressive 1:00.86 to take first in the exhibition heat. The 100 freestyle saw Wyatt Helms and Shaw dominate in the exhibition heat, securing first and second place with times of 53.41 and 58.24, respectively.

Endurance was on full display in the 500 freestyle, as Dolder powered through to a first-place finish in the exhibition heat. Meanwhile, Senn took first place swimming the JV heat in this grueling distance event.

The relay events brought even more energy to the pool, with the 200-freestyle relay team of Brody Helms (27.11), Senn (26.27), Finley (31.33), and anchor Dolder (25.55) racing to first place with a time of 1:50.26. In the 100 backstroke, Alemdar continued his strong night, touching the wall in 1:01.70 to take first in the exhibition heat.

To close out the night, the 400 freestyle relay team of Dolder, Shaw, Wyatt Helms, and Alemdar delivered a statement win, taking first place in the exhibition heat with an impressive time of 3:48.37.

With this momentum, the White Hawks now set their sights on the Section Tournament at St. Catherine’s University on Feb. 26. Expect more fast swims and fierce competition as Westonka looks to make a splash in the postseason.

Wings Up, White Hawks!