Prep athletes of the week: Back-to-back meets no problem for Lakeville North swimmer

The night before competing in the distinguished Maroon and Gold Invitational, Lakeville North had a dual meet against Apple Valley. The Panthers won Friday, with Trepanier, a junior, providing four first-place finishes.

He may not have been rested for the Maroon and Gold, but he was ready.

On Saturday Trepanier won the 50 freestyle (20.50 seconds) and 100 freestyle (45.55) races in the Maroon division, both in meet-record time. In addition, he anchored the second-place 200 freestyle relay team with a sub-20 second (19.96) split.

"I had a lot of confidence because of how well I swam the night before," Trepanier said. "I knew I was in shape and I had the speed."

He was particularly proud of his time in the 50, just four-hundredths of a second off his personal best.

"It was only the second time I've broken 21 seconds in a training suit," he said. "And breaking 20 seconds anchoring the 200 free relay was a pretty big accomplishment."

Having with meets on consecutive days "does drain you, but it helps prepare for the end of the season,'' he said. "It's great that we get that opportunity."

Saturday marked the one-year anniversary of a knee injury that ended Backes' junior season. The 6-1 guard marked the occasion with 37 points and 15 rebounds in a 68-60 victory over Grand Rapids, capping a week in which she scored 92 points in three games.

The Pioneers have won four consecutive games, all with Bailey, a junior, in goal. Last week she stopped 50 of 52 shots she faced in victories over White Bear Lake (3-0), Mahtomedi (5-1) and high-scoring Centennial (2-1). improving her save percentage to .933.

The senior laid waste to the field in the classic-style race at the Mesabi East Invitational on Saturday, covering the 5K Giants Ridge course in 17 minutes, 23.5 seconds, nearly 10 seconds faster than the runner-up. Stillwater won the girls' team title.

BEN OLSON

Olson dominated the field in the classic-style race at the Loppet Invitational Saturday at Theodore Wirth Park. He posted a time of 12:35.22, more than 35 seconds faster than the second-place finisher.

The junior playmaker has had at least three points in each of his past four games, sparking the Elks' four-game victory streak. Last week he had three goals and an assist in a 5-1 victory over Andover, and a goal and two assists in a 3-0 blanking of Blaine.

The junior posted two career-best results and tied another on the way to winning the all-around title at the Faribault Invitational. Her scores of 9.75 in the floor exercise and 38.35 in the all-around were her best ever, and her 9.65 balance beam score tied a career high.

JIM PAULSEN

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