Swimmers finish at sections; Brooke Pasmick top finisher for young Nighthawk team

2017 Northeast Range/Ely swim team at the pool in Babbitt. Bottom (l-r): Brooke Pasmick, Maarja Faltesek, Laura Pasmick, Shayla Zaverl, Kayla Mellesmoen, Morgan McClelland; Middle: Assistant Coach Kara Jean Baker, Aili Bee, Elizabeth Omerza, Abby Koivisto, Kelly Thompson, Alice Wolter, Tesla Humphreys, Head Coach Jason Limp; Top: Ava Sundell, Carena Debeltz, Lily Tedrick, Alli Kreckelberg, Cedar Ohlhauser, Evie Cavalier, Maggie Dammann, Assistant Coach Lynn Gulbrandson. Photo by Eric Sherman Images.
by Tom Coombe -
Several Northeast Range/Ely swimmers advanced to the final day of the Section 7A meet, and the Nighthawks topped one area rival in the team standings.
NRE, which fielded one of the smallest and youngest teams in the section, wound up 10th among 11 teams at an event that wrapped up Saturday at Hibbing.
Brooke Pasmick had the best individual showing, taking eighth in the 50-yard freestyle and reaching the championship heat.
The Nighthawks also scored in a smattering of other events and had three relays in consolation heats.
“We had an amazing Section meet,” said head coach Jason Limp. “The girls worked so hard over the course of an extremely tough season, and it shows in the results. We just missed having two relays in the finals but the girls still dropped a ton of time.”
Brooke Pasmick, a sophomore, swam the 50 freestyle in 26.47 seconds to take eighth. She also got to the consolation heat in the 100 backstroke and was 10th (1:08.76).
Kayla Mellesmoen also had a pair of finals appearances, taking 10th in the 50 freestyle (26.77) and 13th in the 100 freestyle (59.45).
“Standout swims for us were Kayla Mellesmoen in the 50 and 100 freestyle and Brooke Pasmick in the 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke,” said Limp.
NRE’s top relay quartet was the foursome of Mellesmoen, Laura Pasmick, Shayla Zaverl and Brooke Pasmick. They placed 10th in 4:14.43.
The NRE combination of Kelly Thompson, Maarja Faltesek, Lily Tedrick and Zaverl wound up 11th in 2:26.43, and it was the Pasmicks, Zaverl and Mellesmoen taking 11th in the 200 freestyle relay (1:56.67).
“Every year we are getting better and sending more swimmers back on the second day for individual swims in the finals/consolation heats.” said Limp. “We have an incredibly young team; three-fourths of the team are eighth grade or below. So we are already looking at next year and can’t wait to see what our younger girls will do. I am so proud of my girls this season and what they have accomplished!”
Preliminaries
Prior to Saturday’s finals, the Nighthawks took part in the 7A preliminary rounds Nov. 9 at Hibbing.
Other Nighthawk competitors were:
• 200 freestyle - 35. Morgan McClelland, 2:46.72; 38. Aili Bee, 2:49.57; 41. Cedar Ohlhauser, 3:12.92;
• 200 individual medley - 30. Tedrick, 3:05.63; 32. Maggie Dammann, 3:33.18;
• 50 freestyle - 41. Elizabeth Omerza, 35.25; 43. Alice Wolter, 38.55;
• 100 butterfly - 30. Tedrick, 1:25.83; 31. Dammann, 1:46.75;
• 100 freestyle - 26. Zaverl, 1:02.68; 43. Omerza, 1:21.55; 44. Wolter, 1:33.76;
• 500 freestyle - 21. Humphreys, 6:31.62; 32. Kelly Thompson, 6:58.39; 35. Ohlhauser, 8:30.41;
• 100 backstroke- 29. Humphreys, 1:22.20; 30. Kelly Thompson, 1:22.43; 33. McClelland, 1:26.01;
• 100 breaststroke - 27. Faltesek, 1:28.77; 28. Laura Pasmick, 1:29.82; 33. Bee, 1:34.24.