Whalers win third straight state championship

SUPERIOR — It was a three-peat for the Superior Whalers Swim Team on Feb. 19 at the Minnesota YMCA State Meet held at the University of Minnesota Aquatics Center.

"It is pretty awesome," said coach Stefan Pagnucci.

Key factors to the program's success are a large number of swimmers, and swimmers who are well-rounded and willing to push themselves, Pagnucci said.

On the numbers side, the Whalers had 116 swimmers at the sectional meet and 115 went on to swim at the state meet, Pagnucci said.

Sending nearly every swimmer from sectionals to state was unheard of when Pagnucci and his wife, Shawn, started coaching the Whalers nine years ago, he said.

"We’d have about two-thirds of our kids who swam at sectionals (who) would go on and qualify for state ... Now it’s 100%. Pretty much if you compete at sectionals, our coaching staff does a great job of putting together a lineup to give every kid their best chance to make it (to state)," Pagnucci said.

The coaches also encourage the young athletes to go outside their comfort zones and compete in races that might be difficult or not their favorites.

For example, when the Telegram asked Charlotte Poynter, 8, of Superior, what she likes about the butterfly stroke, her reply was a candid, "Not much."

Poynter's mother, Val, who is one of the team's coaches, chuckled and clarified that the butterfly is not Charlotte's favorite swim, but she's good at it. Charlotte will swim the 25-yard butterfly at the 2023 YMCA North Central Regional Championship Swim Meet, which begins Friday, March 17.

Even though she's not a big fan of the butterfly stroke, Charlotte said one of her favorite things about swimming is racing and learning different strokes. Her favorite, for the record, is the breaststroke because she can breathe with every stroke.

"I think it’s fun to race, and I get to have fun and do different strokes and stuff," she said.

Charlotte's sister, 11-year-old Zoe, swam in three events at state and said she dropped time in all of them.

Why does she like being on the Whalers?

"I like swimming because it’s fun, and I can be with my friends on the team," Zoe said.

For Miles Olson, 8, of Superior, swimming is a fun way for him to strengthen his lungs.

"I have asthma, and I like how it helps me make my lungs stronger," Olson said. "I also like that it helps me practice swimming for when I swim at my lake cabin. And I just like how it makes me be able to swim faster."

Olson hit the wall 3 milliseconds ahead of his competitor in the 25-yard breaststroke at the state meet, one of five races he participated in. It was his second appearance at the state tournament, so he said he felt more comfortable compared to last year because he knew what to expect. He will swim the 25-yard backstroke at regionals, along with two other events.

Violet Warden, 11, of Esko, is in her second season with the Whalers. She recorded personal best times in every event she participated in at the state meet.

She appreciates that the coaches suggest swimmers try hard events.

"I like that all the coaches on Whalers are super nice, and they push me into events that I wouldn’t normally try if I wasn’t there with them," she said.

Warden swam the 1,000-yard freestyle at the sectional meet on her coaches' recommendation.

When they asked if she wanted to try it, "I said I think that I can do it because if my coach thinks that I can do it, I know I can do it," Warden told the Telegram.

Olson also said he likes the coaches, as well as being on a team with swimmers of various ages.

"I really like my teammates ... I like that they’re different ages," Olson said. "They can tell me what to do better and what to do and to cheer."

Pagnucci said the energy from the kids is palpable during competitions, and the coaches work hard to make sure each child knows they contributed to the team's success.

"It’s a lot of good energy. They cheer so well for each other. It’s a team victory. Everyone’s a part of it whether you score a couple points in a relay or compete in a tough thing," he said. "Whatever it is that we’re doing, you can’t win a meet like this without a whole group of people doing the right stuff. We’re really proud."