Lumberjacks nipped by Agates in swimming opener

CLOQUET – Ask anyone who was in attendance Tuesday night, the Herb Drew Pool was packed for Cloquet-Esko-Carlton’s girls swimming opener.

The Lumberjacks enjoyed every minute of it.

“It was a full house,” said CEC head coach Stacia Grayson. “It was crazy in there, but kind of cool, too.”

As the crowd piled in the steamy pool area, fans watched visiting Two Harbors defeat the ’Jacks 58-35, but that didn’t take away from the excitement between the pair of opponents.

“Our girls were excited and ready to swim,” said Grayson. “There were some nerves there but that’s good to see.”

Though CEC (0-1) came up short on the scoreboard, they managed to win three of the 11 events, including a pair of individual races, as well as a relay, too.

Cloquet junior Kayla Whipple was crowned both the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle champion Tuesday, while she combined with senior captain Aimee Goldschmidt and sophomore Alyson Denman and Kristina Erickson to take home the 200-meter freestyle relay competition.

Whipple impressed most, especially her coach.

“She’s looking really strong right now,” said Grayson. “She’s a good sprinter who has good starts, good turns and a good race attitude.”

But Grayson knows her ’Jacks can improve within the swim lanes.

“We have to work on our finish into the wall,” she said. “But that comes with growing pains.”

Nonetheless, Grayson has been quite pleased with her young, hard-working swim squad this fall.

“I’ve been really impressed with them at practice,” she continued. “You can tell they have been swimming a lot and that’s really nice to see. The girls are pushing hard and we hope to keep it up.”

CEC will take part in the Superior Relays on Saturday. Their next home meet is set for Sept. 23 against Proctor-Hermantown.

Tags: sports, cloquet, esko, carlton, swimming