The lights were bright, the pool was fast and the lakes area made its presence felt at the 2025 MSHSL Class A Girls Swim and Dive Championships at the University of Minnesota’s Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center.
While Monticello captured the team state title behind a record-setting performance from junior standout Adalynn Biegler, it was Park Rapids junior sprinter Avery Schueller and Detroit Lakes sophomore Grace Hamm that highlighted the story for local fans.
Monticello won the Class A crown with 227 points, edging Visitation (210) and Orono (180) in a deep and balanced team race. Park Rapids finished 17th with 48 points and Detroit Lakes tied for 39th with 6 points.
Few swimmers in the building had a busier or more impressive day than Park Rapids junior Avery Schueller.
Schueller turned in one of the meet’s top sprint performances, reaching the championship final in both the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events and landing on the podium in each.
In the 50 freestyle — traditionally one of the most hotly contested events of the meet — Schueller sprinted to third place in 23.83 seconds, placing her among the very best sprinters in Class A. She returned later in the session and backed it up with a fifth-place finish in the 100 freestyle, stopping the clock in 52.67.
Schueller then helped Park Rapids to a top-10 relay finish as well. Swimming alongside Whitney Seifert, Cassidy Grewe and Tenley Schueller, the Panthers placed ninth in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:40.88, winning the B-final and adding valuable team points.
Every one of Park Rapids’ 48 team points came from Schueller’s two individual events and the Panthers’ 200 free relay, giving the program a 17th-place finish in the final team standings and underscoring just how impactful one elite sprinter and a strong relay can be at the state level.
Detroit Lakes sophomore Grace Hamm carried the Lakers’ banner into the state finals and made her trip count.
Hamm qualified for the consolation final in the 100-yard butterfly and then climbed the standings in the evening session, racing to 11th place overall in 59.69 seconds. She went out in 27.52 on the opening 50 and brought it home in 32.17 to dip under the one-minute mark on the state stage.
Her performance earned six team points, enough to place Detroit Lakes on the scoreboard in a tie for 39th place.
Hamm’s state result capped a big postseason for the Lakers, who had already turned heads at the Section 8A meet. With her versatility in the butterfly and individual medley and Detroit Lakes’ growing depth in relays and diving, the program appears well-positioned to turn this year’s breakthrough into even more state scoring opportunities in the coming seasons.
At the front of the team race, Monticello put together a dominant weekend to secure its first Class A championship. The Magic were led by Biegler, who rewrote the record book in the 200-yard freestyle, winning in 1:46.93 — a time that now stands as both the Minnesota all-time and Class A record. Monticello also powered to victories in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays to pull away in the team standings.
Visitation, Orono, Westonka Holy Family and Mounds Park Academy rounded out a loaded top five, reflecting the depth and speed of the field across all events.
For lakes area teams, though, the 2025 state meet will be remembered most for the performances close to home: Schueller’s double podium sprint heroics and relay leadership for Park Rapids and Hamm’s scoring swim in the butterfly for Detroit Lakes in one of Minnesota’s most competitive Class A sections.