Albert Lea swimmer Lindsey Horejsi sets national record

Apparently, swimming at the University of Minnesota's pool agrees with Lindsey Horejsi. The Albert Lea senior, chasing her fourth consecutive 100-yard breaststroke championship, set a national high school record in the event in Thursday's Class 1A preliminaries.

Horejsi's time of 58.56 seconds broke the previous mark of 58.75, set in 2009 by Kasey Carlson of Los Lamas High School in Walnut Creek, Calif.

Horejsi signed with Minnesota in early November. "I was kind of nervous coming into state," Horejsi said." I didn't know how I was going to swim. Especially this being my home pool."

Horejsi also finished first in the 50 freestyle prelims and swam on the Tigers' 200 medley and 400 freestyle relay teams that qualified for Friday's finals.

Abbie Dolan's quest for a third 100 freestyle title in a row in Class 1A is intact, but the Visitation senior's best swim came in the 200 freestyle in which she set a state meet record of 1:47.72. It was 1:47.86, set by Cretin-Derham Hall's Kiera Janzen in 2008. Dolan also anchored Visitation's 200 and 400 freestyle relay teams, both of which qualified first for the finals.

• In Class 2A, Wayzata's Madison Preiss had the top qualifying time in the 200 individual medley (2:02.42) and will go for her third consecutive championship in that event.

Rachel Wittmer is broadening her horizons a bit. The Edina junior was a high-profile double-winner in the 2014 Class 2A state meet, winning the 50 and 100 freestyles, two of the most visible events.

She will be back to defend her 50 freestyle title in Friday's finals after cruising to a time of 23.30 seconds, but she won't be defending her 100 freestyle championship. She qualified instead in the 100 butterfly.

"We have another girl who is good in the 100 free, so I'm doing the 100 fly," said Wittmer, who admitted to a few personal butterflies before swimming the butterfly. "I'm a little nervous about it."

As it turned out, her time of 55.18 was the top qualifying time.

With a smile visible in the pool and out, it's not hard to pick out Carly Quast. The Wayzata junior, fourth in both the 200 freestyle and 100 backstroke a year ago, has made significant improvement. So much so that Thursday she was the top qualifier for the finals in both events.

"I really stepped it up during club season," said Quast, who swims for Aquajets outside high school. "I worked a lot harder.

"I'm just having so much fun swimming," she said. "I'm probably smiling in the pool."

Dueling cousins

• Minnetonka's Riley Donlin and Wayzata's Colleen Donlin are first cousins. They will swim against each other in Friday's 100 freestyle. Riley had the top prelim time (51.16), Colleen the fifth (51.25).

Jim Paulsen • 612-673-7737