San Diego-bound girls' swimmer Hannah Hintermeister from Richfield wins in the classroom, too

Richfield senior Hannah Hintermeister will always treasure state meet memories, whether it be her first event or final high school race.

Hintermeister concluded her prep career by winning the 100-yard breaststroke in the Class 1A girls' swimming meet. She posted a winning time of 1 minute, 4.41 seconds.

The Spartans' Athena Award winner is also No. 1 in her class, accumulating a 4.75 GPA. She took every honors class possible, and in all academic areas. The Athena Award recognizes outstanding female high school senior student-athletes.

Hintermeister's accomplishments in the classroom, pool and other extracurricular activities earned her the Star Tribune All-Metro Student First Award. The award is presented to the student-athlete who has performed at the highest level in the classroom during the 2019-20 school year.

"This is such a big honor," Hintermeister said. "I didn't expect this at all."

Hintermeister is also a dual language immersion student in Spanish, and has earned a platinum-level Seal of Biliteracy.

"That has been one of my most special experiences at Richfield," Hintermeister said. "I've already seen the impact knowing a second language can have on your life. I hope to also continue to study Spanish in college and use it in the career I choose."

She is bound for the University of San Diego, where she will swim while considering a double major that will include Spanish. She is also interested in studying law.

When she announced her commitment to San Diego, Hintermeister cited its "beautiful campus, welcoming environment, and strong balance between swimming and academics" in a Twitter tweet. "I can't wait to be a part of such an awesome team, and to call San Diego my home for the next four years. Huge thanks to my family, coaches, and friends for their constant support. Go Toreros!!"

Hintermeister took third place in the 200 individual medley with a personal-best time of 2:07.58 at the state meet, held at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center on the University of Minnesota campus. She also was a member of the Spartans' 200 freestyle relay team, which finished sixth.

She qualified for the state meet as a freshman after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee while skiing the previous winter. She first qualified for the state meet as a seventh-grader.

"That year or so (after the injury) was probably one of the most frustrating years of my life just from an athletic standpoint," Hintermeister said.

It was at the other end of the spectrum of her first state meet as a 9-year-old with the Piranhas Swim Club. She got caught up dancing and singing "YMCA'' by the Village People before a relay race.

"We went up to the blocks for our relay, still singing the song," Hintermeister said. "Suddenly, I realized that I had been so busy dancing that I had forgotten to go to the bathroom. I ran to the rest room as fast as I could, and barely made it back in time to swim. To this day, my friends joke about how I almost made us miss our relay at our first state meet."

Hintermeister developed into one of Richfield's all-time best. She holds three school records, in the 100 breaststroke (1:04.41), 200 individual medley (2:07.58) and as a member of the 200 medley relay (1:50.60).

"Hannah is a tremendous athlete," Richfield athletic director David Boie said. "Obviously, she is one of our most accomplished swimmers in the history of the school."

She is the senior class president and the National Honor Society secretary. She also served as a teacher's assistant for special needs children and a vacation Bible schoolteacher.

"As a student her record speaks for itself," Boie said. "This is an award written for Hannah. She is the kind of leader that we hope to produce."