Recently, Head Coach Heather Mayfield was asked, “If anybody told you three years ago that you’d be fighting for section champion or that you would be conference champions, what would you have said?” Her response was, “I would have said you’re crazy.”
The Agates Swim and Dive team, a co-op of Two Harbors, Grand Marais, and Marshall schools, has been exceeding expectations all season. They’ve found themselves not only conference champions, but undefeated in dual meets for the year. They’ve found themselves not only seeded exceptionally well for sections, but dropping times under major pressure and finishing second, with four teammates state-bound. They’ve found themselves not only doing well in the pool, but excelling in the classroom with a combined GPA of 3.87 for grades 10–12 and earning the Gold Standard of academic excellence.
The rise of the program has been exponential. Last year, the team finished sixth at sectionals, two places higher than the year before. In 2022, they placed ninth, and the year before that, tenth.
“This was never on my radar,” said Mayfield. “Everything was just crazy. I would ask them to do one thing, and they would take it to the next level. They gave me everything they had and more.”
The same was true at the Section 7A Girls Swimming and Diving Championship, held November 6–8 at Duluth East High School, an event the coach felt they were more than ready for.
“They were super excited,” she said. “They were fired up, ready to go, and knew this was everything we worked for. Everybody had different goals in mind, and they just crushed them.”
Goals are a focus for Mayfield and the team all season, displayed on big posters and executed in the pool. As the season progresses, the goals grow, too.
“They cross them off and will say, ‘Okay, I need to dream bigger,’” said Mayfield. “We talk a lot about it. I think a lot of times, when you talk through things like expectations, it really helps.”
That mindset paid off in the pool. Senior Bella Imholte didn’t just meet expectations, she shattered them. At sectionals, she won the 200 freestyle, breaking her own Section 7A record, the pool record, and her school record with a time of 1:54.85. She also won the 100 backstroke, qualifying for state in both events, and anchored the 400 freestyle relay, which placed second and earned a state berth.
“She’s just had a record-breaking year, once again,” said her coach. “She makes everybody around her great. She builds them up.”
It isn’t only Imholte’s talent and leadership that will be missed next season. According to Mayfield, “She’s just like a big goofball. She makes everything fun.”
Imholte was selected as Section 7A Swimmer of the Year again this year, an accomplishment the coach can’t remember anyone ever earning multiple years in a row. Imholte’s repeat selection was the exclamation point on a season full of breakthroughs. She wasn’t alone in making waves.
Junior Lucy Lane wasn’t far behind, placing second in the 200 freestyle and winning the 500 freestyle, which secured her own spot at state.
“Lucy and Bella took first and second, and that completely blew my mind,” said Mayfield. “Lucy joining the team actually pushed Bella as well.”
A force to be reckoned with, Mayfield said, “I was prepared for Lucy to have a really amazing shot to make it to state in the 500. In the 200, she was going to have to fight her tail off. And oh my gosh, she did. It was probably one of the best events of the entire day, between that and the 200 and the 400 relay. It was just amazing.”
Mayfield attributes part of Lane’s success to her off-season dedication, swimming with the Lake Superior Swim Club. Many swimmers who put in the work outside the regular season are now seeing the results in the pool.
The 400 freestyle relay Mayfield referred to was another state qualifier for the team. Traditionally, state-qualifying relay lineups rely more heavily on seniors, but the Agates broke the mold. Sophomore Brynn von Goertz, eighth-grader Rylee Schmitz, Lane, and Imholte finished in second place.
“They just put their heart and soul into that race,” said Mayfield. “I’ve never seen anything like it before. Those girls swam for each other, for the team, for the community. It was the coolest thing. It was incredible.”
Though the event was a success for the team, it was not without misfortune. Sophomore Harper Smith narrowly missed being state-bound. She came in fifth place, missing by just one point out of 287. But she kept her chin up and is looking forward.
“She picked herself up and got on the bus,” said Mayfield. “She said, ‘I’m starting dive school camp on Sunday. I’m going to make myself better.’ She didn’t let it take her down. She found a way to say, ‘This is how I’m going to be better next year, and I’m getting that goal. Nothing’s going to stop me.’”
Additional highlights of preliminaries and finals include:
200 Medley Relay
Bella Imholte, Aria Oswald-Swenson, Rylee Schmitz, Harper Smith – 5th place – 2:00.82
200 Freestyle
Bella Imholte – 1:54.85 – 1st place – STATE BOUND Lucy Lane – 2:01.82 – 2nd place – STATE BOUND Toby McDonald – 2:18.44 – 8th place Claire Dreier – 2:21.25 – 24th place
200 IM
Rylee Schmitz – 2:31.60 – 7th place Ella Aebly – 2:35.90 – 13th place Natalia Smith – 2:38.69 – 17th place
50 Freestyle
Brynn von Goertz – 26.27 – 5th place Elizabeth Larson – 29.30 – 21st place Lilly Chirhart – 30.57 – 35th place Madison Brandt – 32.74 – 45th place
Diving
Harper Smith – 287.45 – 5th place Wynne Scandin – 236.10 – 7th place Aria Oswald Swenson – 187.65 – 12th place
100 Fly
Rylee Schmitz – 1:10.71 – 15th place Natalia Smith – 1:14.44 – 19th place
100 Freestyle
Brynn von Goertz – 58.41 – 7th place Ella Aebly – 1:00.70 – 15th place MJ Wharton – 1:01.85 – 18th place Kate Senst – 1:08.35 – 37th place
500 Freestyle
Lucy Lane – 5:32.18 – Section Champion – STATE BOUND Toby McDonald – 5:52.84 – 5th place Claire Dreier – 6:11.22 – 13th place Elizabeth Larson – 6:24.63 – 18th place
200 Freestyle Relay
Ella Aebly, Wynne Scandin, Lucy Lane, Brynn von Goertz – 1:49.71 – 7th place
100 Backstroke
Bella Imholte – 59.90 – Section Champion – STATE BOUND Harper Smith – 1:07.30 – 5th place MJ Wharton – 1:07.72 – 10th place
100 Breaststroke Aria Oswald-Swenson – 1:18.59 – 10th place Quinn Johnson – 1:24.92 – 22nd place Wynne Scandin – 1:25.26 – 23rd place Lucy Wright – 1:35.20 – 37th place
“The personal wins, the individual wins that we have, are incredible wins for us,” said Mayfield. “They pushed each other every single day in practice. They swam for each other. They worked for each other. They purely love the sport, and they love the team.”
The team now turns its focus to the Minnesota State High School League Girls Swimming and Diving Championships, held November 14–16 at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center in Minneapolis. Mayfield says the preparation is both physical and a mental mindset.
While the spotlight remained firmly on her athletes, Head Coach Heather Mayfield was quietly honored by her peers as Section 7A Coach of the Year.
“I didn’t post it anywhere,” she said. “I just wanted it to be about the girls. When your fellow coaches vote for you, it’s such an honor.”
It’s a well-deserved and long-overdue award for a coach who says the hardest part of the season is not seeing the girls every day once it ends. She makes up for it by showing up at their other sports, proving that her influence reaches far beyond the pool.
Congratulations on an incredible season, and best of luck at state, Agates! Swim fast, cheer loud, and make every moment in the pool count. We’re all rooting for you!
