Larsen takes 16th at state

MARSHALLTOWN — Fairfield sophomore Willow Larsen continued to dart up the swimming leader boards at the 2021 state meet this weekend.

Larsen, who finished 24th in the state 100-yard backstroke as a sophomore, improved her placement by eight spots. She finished 16th on Saturday with a final time of 1:00.73.

Larsen qualified for Saturday’s finals with a 14th-place finish in the preliminary race on Friday. In her first swim, Larsen touched the wall in 59.22 seconds. That put her in Saturday’s ‘B’ final, giving her the chance to finish anywhere from 9th to 16th.

Both of Larsen’s swims this weekend out-did her final time at the 2020 state meet. Last year, she finished in 1:00.71.

Cedar Falls senior Grace Frericks won the backstroke with a final time of 54.67 seconds. That was just enough to edge defending champion Scarlet Martin of Fairfield, who touched the wall in 54.92 seconds.

Larsen’s 16th place finish gave Fairfield 1 point in the state meet. She was the only Trojan qualifier.

100-YARD BACKSTROKE A-FINAL: 1. Grace Frericks (12), Cedar Falls 54.67; 2. Scarlet Martin (12), Iowa City West 54.92; 3. Payden Rafferty (10), Waukee 56.66; 4. Alexis Henning (12), Ankeny 57.54; 5. Julia Sweetman (12), Dowling Catholic 58.23; 6. Jordan Kloth (12), Ames 58.70; 7. Avery Schmidt (11), Wahlert 58.83; 8. Hannah Cousins (10), Davenport Central 59.22.

100-YARD BACKSTROKE B-FINAL: 9. Zoey Davey (9), Waukee 57.51; 10. Abby Wilcox (10), Dowling Catholic 57.85; 11. Abby Hala (12), Ames 58.64; 12. Carlee Wilkins (10), Iowa City West 59.70; 13. Anne Baumann (12), Cedar Rapids Kennedy 1:00.25; 14. Sydnie Collins (10), Lewis Central 1:00.46; 15. Morgan Hunt (12) Valley 1:00.70; Willow Larsen (10), Fairfield 1:00.73.