2006 Girls’ State Meet Wrap Up

 

November 6, 2006

 

The 2006 Girls’ State Meet was an exciting one!  The meet provided record performances, dominant swims, and the kind of drama that goes down to the last relay.  There was something for every fan of swimming to be excited about.

 

The meet started with the IHSSCA welcoming two new members to the Hall of Fame.  Larry Swanson and Susan Trumbower-Crawford were inducted this year.  Larry coached in Davenport from 1969 to 2000.  Larry coached at Central and North Davenport High Schools through his career and was an outstanding advocate of swimming through his career.  While Larry has passed away, his contributions to swimming in the Davenport community will long be remembered.  Susan was the first Valley Tiger to win an individual state crown in 1973.  Susan also led the Tigers to state team titles in 1974 and 1975.  Congratulations to both families!

 

This year’s meet provided four automatic All-American times and six All-American consideration times.  Fans watched West Des Moines Valley set two new state records.  The 200 Free Relay team of Lisa Nathanson, Alexa Meheson, Kelsey Galles, and McKensie Carr set the new mark at 1:36.19.  The 400 Free Relay team of Alexa Meheson, Lisa Nathanson, Johanna Wubbena, and McKensie Carr set the new standard at 3:32.65.  Fans watched three young women finish as double winners in individual events.  Valley’s Lisa Nathanson won the 200 and 100 Freestyle events, while teammate Alexa Meheson won the 50 Free and 100 Butterfly.  Ankeny’s Jaryn Studer was a double winner in the 200 IM and the 100 Breaststroke.

 

West Des Moines Valley captured its second consecutive team title with a dominant performance, totaling 355 points.  Marshalltown placed second in the team race with 160 points, just one point ahead of third place Ankeny with 159 points.  Congratulations go to Coach Mark Norby and his staff on being named the Coaching Staff of the Year.  Alexa Meheson was named the Athlete of the Year with her automatic All-American performances in both her individual titles.

 

The 2006 Girls’ State Meet had outstanding performances, fast times, and gave swimming fans much to cheer about.  Many of the higher place finishers were underclassmen, so we will look for another exciting meet next year!

 

 

 

Mike Loupee

President, IHSSCA