Boys' Swim Sets Five School Records

This year marks a significant milestone for Benilde-St. Margaret’s boys’ swim team as they broke five school records throughout the 2023-2024 season. Reflecting on the team’s collective dedication, captain Lucas Haenel ‘24 shared, “The team really showed how much hard work we put in this year when everyone dropped significant time at sections and state. It's always fun to think that your entire season is going into this meet so you can leave everything in the water.”

Setting the stage for success at the Section 2A meet held Thursday, Feb. 22 - Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024, Joey Sandhoefner ‘25 broke the first record of the 2024 season in the 100 Fly clocking an impressive 54:10. This meet would prove to be pivotal for the team as a Red Knight would qualify for State in every single swimming event including both individual competitions and relays.

Emphasizing the team's ability to perform under pressure, the Red Knight swimmers broke four additional school records during the State Tournament held Thursday, Feb. 29 - Saturday, Mar. 2, 2024, at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center on the Minneapolis campus of the University of Minnesota. 

“Our long season of hard work culminated in a great State meet where we saw 4 school records set and the most state points scored in BSM history,” said head coach Ryan Miksch. “A big contributor to our success was the positive and fun environment that the guys created each day in practice.”

In the 2022-2023 season, Sandhoefner made waves by shattering the school record in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 58:74, securing sixth place at the 2023 MSHSL Boys’ Swim & Dive State Tournament.

Looking ahead, Miksch conveyed optimism about the team's future, “We only graduate one senior this year, and we'll be led by a strong senior class next year. We're set to have our best season ever.” 

The anticipation for the team’s continued success is evident, and the Red Knights are set to only build upon this season's accomplishments. Haenel added, “I'm definitely going to miss this team because we always push each other to work harder and that was a big reason why we did so well this year. The team is only going to get better since I’m the only senior on the team, so it should be fun to follow along next year.”

New School Records:

• 100 Fly 54.10 (Joey Sandhoefner)

• 200 Medley Relay 1:37.97 (Lucas Haenel, Joey Sandhoefner, Lucas Wurst ‘25, Will Gadtke ‘25)

• 200 IM 2:03.43 (Lucas Haenel)

• 100 Breast 57.01 (Joey Sandhoefner)

• 400 Free Relay 3:15.96 (Mason Rokala ‘25, Lucas Haenel, Joey Sandhoefner, Lucas Wurst)

Notable Achievements at the State Tournament:

• 200 Medley Relay team - 7th place (Lucas Haenel, JoeySandhoefner, Lucas Wurst, Will Gadtke)

• 200 Free - Mason Rokala - 8th place

• 50 Free - Lucas Wurst - 5th place

• 100 Free - Lucas Wurst - 5th place

• 500 Free - Mason Rokala - 8th place

• 100 Breast - Joey Sandhoefner - 4th place

• 400 Free Relay - 6th place (Mason Rokala, Lucas Haenel, Joey Sandhoefner, Lucas Wurst)

Congratulations to our swimmers, we are #BSMproud of their accomplishments as school record holders and student-athletes.