Knights Girls’ Swim Team Takes 11th at State

It wasn’t another state championship, but Kasey Roberts wrapped up a sensational high school career with a pair of medals draped around her neck.

The future Iowa State Cyclone took third place in the 200IM, an event she won last year, and then matched that bronze with another in the 100-yard breaststroke to become the Knights’ most-decorated state swimmer in AA history.

Roberts, who helped lead the STMA squad to Section Championships in both the traditional and “true team” format this season, was also a team captain.

Here’s a breakdown of the overall results for the Knights, who scored 89 points en route to 11th place. Wayzata won the title with 275.

8th in the 200-yard Medley Relay

Carly Roberts, sister Kasey, Lexi Heil and Krisin Pieper, an up-and-coming eighth-grader, made their way into the finals with a best time (team) in the prelims Tuesday. They finished eighth behind Lakeville North, and improved on their prelim time in the championship heat. Chanhassen won the event in state record time.

3rd and 16th in the 200-yard IM

Present met future for STMA after Kasey Roberts and Emma Lezer, just a seventh-grader, qualified for this one. Roberts finished in 2:03.52, a bit slower than her prelim time, which would have been good enough for silver, but still well ahead of fourth place for the bronze. Sophomore Madison Preiss of Wayzata won the event with the swim of her life, bettering her preliminary time by nearly two seconds.  Lezer, to her credit, used the experience to earn a spot on the consolation final and came in eighth, for 16th over all and her first AA points.

5th in 200-yard Freestyle Relay

The highlight for the day, as a team, came in the 200 free relay, as the Knights topped some tough competition. Edina won the race in State AA record time, but STMA topped their team best with a race for the season. Karly Roberts, Heil, Maddie Gallagher and Kasey Roberts wound up with a time in the finals more than a half-second better than their prelim swim to wind up ahead of teams from Mayo, Armstrong and swim heavyweight Farmington.

3rd in the 100-yard breaststroke

Edina’s Olivia Anderson was the odds-on favorite and did pull out the win, but again, Wayzata’s Preiss jumped in for the silver, and Roberts pulled in for the bronze.

15th in 400-yard Freestyle Relay

Taylor Pherson joined the trio of Carly Roberts, Gallagher and Heil in this one, but couldn’t crack into the final with a preliminary swim time. Still, the young squad, anchored by Carly Roberts, bettered its preliminary time by more than a second in the consolation final, and held off St. Paul Central.