Champs Edina and Breck/Blake cruise in boys swimming state prelims

Edina sophomore Jiarui Xue had the top qualifying times in the 200 IM and the 500 freestyle and swam a leg on the Hornets' 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle relay teams, which had the top qualifying times Friday in the boys swimming state meet at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center.

In the 200 IM, Xue had a time of 1:50.33. In the 500 freestyle, Xue's time of 4:36.07 edged defending champion Grant Wodny of Duluth East. Wodny had a time of 4:37.05.

St. Cloud Tech/Cathedral freshman Micah Davis had the top qualifying times in the 200 freestyle (1:39.56) and 100 butterfly (48.70). Wodny, the defending champion in the 200 freestyle, had the fourth-fastest qualifying time (1:40.23).

In the 100 backstroke, Mounds View senior Josh Wallin outdueled Eden Prarie senior Luke Logue, the defending champion, for the top time. Wallin swam a 50.12, while Logue had a time of 50.41. Logue swam a leg on Eden Prairie's 200 medley relay team, which had the top time of 1:32.59.

Breck/Blake opened its bid for a seventh consecutive Class 1A title with a dominating performance in the preliminaries.

Senior Charlie Egeland and sophomore Henry Webb each had the top qualifying times in two events, and all three Breck/Blake relay teams had the top qualifying time.

Egeland had the top time in the 200 IM (1:47.27) before setting a state meet record in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 0:53.53.

Webb had the top times in the 100 freestyle (0:45.40) and 200 freestyle (1:39.20).

Egeland swam a leg for the 200 medley relay team, which had a time of 1:33.42, and Webb swam a leg on the 200 freestyle relay (1:26.12). They both swam on the 400 freestyle (3:10.58). Breck/Blake is the defending champion in all three events.