Senior Micah Brecht captures Section 2AA one-meter diving title as Chanhassen-Chaska qualifies athletes for state in nearly every event.

“Taper Season” is the time of year when swim teams dial back the yardage and intensity in practices to achieve peak performance at the section meet, in an effort to qualify as many athletes as possible for the State Meet.
Based on Chanhassen-Chaska’s Section 2AA results, their “Taper Season” went very, very well.

The Stormhawks finished in second place at the Section 2AA Swimming and Diving meet with 342.5 points, edging Eden Prairie, and punching tickets to the State Meet in nearly every event.  Minnetonka, the defending state runner-up, took home the 2026 Section 2AA championship.

“The swimmers and diver heading into the State Meet are very excited and very results driven,” said Head Coach Joseph Mau. “They all expect to have incredible performances next week.”

Senior captain Micah Brecht captured the Section 2AA diving championship with 422.05 points — the only Stormhawk to win an individual event.

“He really jump-started the excitement for the team with such a strong performance,” Mau said.

Junior Izyndro Warain was the team’s most consistent performer, finishing second in both the 200 IM (1:54.58) and 100 Breaststroke (:58.25) and was the only Stormhawk to place second in two individual events.

“As is his style, Izyndro quietly competes and leads by example, humbly competing with a fierce fire that most people rarely notice,” Mau said.

Junior Bryson Hougas also punched his State ticket with a second-place finish in the 100 Butterfly (:51.00). According to Mau, Hougas has a legitimate shot at breaking the team record at State.

Another inspiring performance came from senior Owen Schneider, who qualified for his first individual State Meet appearance with a sixth-place finish in the 500 Freestyle (4:51.51).

“Swimming that fast in the most brutal event of the meet was simply jaw-dropping,” Mau said. “He works so hard and competes so well. As coaches, Sam Brennan and I were very proud.”

Junior Ethan Burd also earned his way to State with a seventh-place finish in the 200 Freestyle (1:44.58) and sixth in the 100 Freestyle (:47.63).

The Stormhawks’ relay teams also delivered, with all three teams qualifying for the State Meet.

The 200 Medley Relay of Sam Kvam, Owen Larson, Hougas and Joey Petersen finished fourth (1:35.91) and could potentially break the team record at State. The 200 Freestyle Relay of Warain, Andon Schoenberger, Petersen and Burd placed fourth (1:28.77), while the 400 Freestyle Relay of Burd, Schneider, Kvam and Warain finished third (3:13.36).

Kvam, a senior captain, also qualified individually with a ninth-place finish in the 100 Backstroke (:52.55).

One of the most encouraging performances came from freshman Eli Melquist, who finished seventh in the 500 Freestyle — just shy of the State qualifying time — and posted a personal best in the 200 Freestyle.

“The biggest surprise for the Stormhawks was definitely freshman Eli Melquist,” Mau said. “He is one of the top workers on the team every day and he made a huge impact in many events throughout the dual-meet season.”

The State Meet begins Thursday, Feb. 26, with diving preliminaries, followed by swimming preliminaries on Friday and finals on Saturday — all at the University of Minnesota Aquatics Center.

Brecht will look to add a state diving title to his section championship. Warain will aim for the podium in both the 200 IM and 100 Breaststroke. Hougas will chase the team record in the 100 Butterfly. Burd, Kvam and Schneider will do their best to make some noise in their individual events at State, while the relay teams push for podium finishes and potential records.

Coach Mau summed his team’s prospects for the State Meet with one brief statement. “This group will definitely leave no doubt next week.”

Chanhassen-Chaska Boys Section 2AA Results:

200 Medley Relay
4^th Place – Kvam, Larson, Hougas, Petersen

200 Freestyle
7^th Place – Ethan Burd
8^th Place – Owen Schneider
12^th Place – Andon Schoenberger
13^th Place – Eli Melquist

200 Individual Medley
2^nd Place – Izyndro Warain
12^th Place – Owen Larson
13^th Place – Noah Swanson
14^th Place – Cullen Whiteman

50 Freestyle
4^th Place – Sam Kvam
8^th Place – Joey Petersen
13^th Place (tie) – Daniel Uvera
13^th Place (tie) – Logan Storm

One-Meter Diving
CHAMPION – Micah Brecht
9^th Place – Casey Person
13^th Place – Josh Wallis

100 Butterfly
2^nd Place – Bryson Hougas
11^th Place – Gavin Rasmussen
13^th Place – Oliver Fauzie

100 Freestyle
6^th Place – Ethan Burd
10^th Place – Joey Petersen
12^th Place – Andon Schoenberger

500 Freestyle
6^th Place – Owen Schneider
7^th Place – Eli Melquist
17^th Place – Asher Mornard
18^th Place – Gabe Currie

200 Freestyle Relay
4^th Place – Warain, Schoenberger, Petersen, Burd

100 Backstroke
9^th Place – Sam Kvam
12^th Place – Daniel Uvera
14^th Place – Gavin Maki
15^th Place – Cullen Whiteman

100 Breaststroke
2^nd Place – Izyndro Warain
10^th Place – Owen Larson
14^th Place – Noah Swanson
16^th Place – Oliver Fauzie

400 Freestyle Relay
3^rd Place – Burd, Schneider, Kvam, Warain

---

The Minnesota State High School League Class AA Swimming and Diving Championships take place Feb. 26-28 at the University of Minnesota Aquatics Center. Diving preliminaries begin Thursday at 6 p.m., and swimming preliminaries begin Friday at 11 a.m. The finals are set for Saturday at 6 p.m.