Swimmers rally to win Babbitt meet

It came down to the final event, but the Ely Timberwolves pulled out the victory at Tuesday’s high school girls swim meet at Babbitt.A convincing victory in the 400 freestyle relay gave the Wolves a first-place finish at the four-team Babbitt Quad. Ely edged past Cloquet and gained 364 points to the Lumberjacks’ 360. Host BEST (295) and Chisholm lagged behind (222).Cloquet led by four points going into the final event, but Meghan Furnstahl, Betsy Guck, Ali Schulze and Angie Mackie combined to form the winning relay combination, taking first in 4;04.45 and topping the rest of the field by five seconds or more.It was part of a big afternoon for Schulze, who had a hand in all four of Ely’s first-place showings.Schulze led off the meet by teaming with Mackie, Furnstahl and Chaudoin on the Wolves’ winning 200 medley relay (2:16.07) quartet.Later, the senior picked up individual wins in both the 200 individual medley (2:32.88) and 100 breaststroke (1:16.41).Ely’s depth proved to be the difference in the meet, with Wolves piling up points in every event.Furnstahl had the team’s only other second-place finish, a 28.26-second spring in the 50 freestyle.Mackie (100 freestyle) and Audrey Kothe (500 freestyle) added thirds.Fourth-place points went to Mackie (200 freestyle), Guck (100 butterfly), Emily Weisinger (50 freestyle) and two relays - the 200 and 400 freestyle units with Chaudoin, Laura Schulze, Amber Adams and Marlayna Whiting.Others finishing in the top-six were:• Beth Wilmunen, Maren Gotchnik, Guck, Adams, fifth, 200 medley relay;• Whiting, fifth, 200 freestyle;• Chaudoin, fifth, 100 butterfly;• Furnstahl, fifth, 100 freestyle;• Whititng, fifth, 500 freestyle;• Laura Schulze, sixth, 500 freestyle;• Wilmunen, Gotchnik, Kothe, Nicole Charles, fifth, 200 freestyle relay;• Wilmunen, fifth, 100 backstroke;• Gotchnik, fifth, 100 breaststroke.Wolves fourth at RapidsAli Schulze and diver Candice Smrekar had strong efforts Thursday, when the Wolves were fourth in an eight-team meet at Grand Rapids.Schulze continued her stellar senior season with runner-up performances in both the 200 individual medley (2:31.92) and 100 breaststroke (1:16.47).In diving, Smrekar continued her push for a return visit to the state meet with a 197-point outing that was good for second place, behind only Maggie Rosier (204) of Mesabi East.The Wolves’ 400 freestyle relay also placed second.Taconite resultsEly matched up with top competition from the area and state at the Oct. 2 Taconite Invitational.The Wolves were eighth in an 11-team event won by Roseville, with Duluth East second.Schulze had Ely’s best individual standing, a second-place swim of 1:16.25 in the 100 breaststroke.Smrekar was third in diving, behind two section rivals, Mesabi East’s Rosier and Stacey Peterson of Eveleth-Gilbert.Guck, Furnstahl, Ali Schulze and Mackie teamed to take third in the 400 freestyle relay.