Boys swimming and diving: Willmar Cardinals senior advances to state finals

Feb. 27—MINNEAPOLIS — Four individuals and three relay teams from the West Central Tribune area have advanced to their respective championship heats following the Class A state boys swimming preliminaries on Friday at the University of Minnesota's Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center.

Saturday's finals are set for noon. The top eight finishers in each event earn all-state honors.

Willmar senior Sam Sheets advanced to the championship in both of his events.

Sheets took fifth in the 50-yard freestyle, where two other area swimmers have advanced, in 21.65 seconds and seventh in the 100 breaststroke in a school-record 1:00.39. The previous record of 1:01.01 was by Ray Nelson in 2003, according to Willmar head coach Carl Shuldes.

Sheets also led off in the 200 freestyle relay that was eighth in 1:29.62. He swam with freshman Beckham Sebesta, sophomore Matthew Lammers and junior Abram Schueler.

Dassel-Cokato/Litchfield seniors Dominic Borg and Matthew Defries are in championship heats.

Borg was sixth in the 50 freestyle in 21.66 and shared sixth place in the 100 freestyle with St. Paul Como Park's Joe Schumacher in 48.16. Defries placed fourth in the 100 freestyle 48.03.

Borg and Defries were on the 200 and 400 freestyle relays that swim in championship heats.

Borg, Defries and juniors Noah Sarff and Parker Josephson were third in the 400 freestyle relay in 3:15.32. Sarff, Josephson, Defries and Borg were fourth in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:28.18.

Montevideo junior Hayden Blom will swim in the championship heat. He was eighth in the preliminary in 21.97.