Lindsey Bennett
Contributing Writer
Sophomore swimmer Parker Hagemann has set the bar high for what she wants to achieve this current season.
“I didn’t do well. I wanted to do much better,” Hagemann said about how the State meet went last season. Hagemann swam the 200-yard freestyle, 100-yard backstroke, 200-yard freestyle relay and the 400-yard freestyle relay in the State meet as a freshman. She did not place higher than 20 in her individual events.
“This year I want to get top eight,” Hagemann said about her goals for the State meet. So far she has qualified for 10 out of 11 events, adding one more from last year. She is ranked top eight in every single one, according to Direct Athletics.
Hagemann’s teammates note she is always pushing herself to achieve the best she can.
“Parker is always trying to best herself,” sophomore swimmer Grace Lock said. “She is the most positive person on the team, always very encouraging and is always cheering people on. She is the best teammate you could ask for.”
Hagemann said, “Everybody seems to get along and like each other and just bond well” about the team culture. She is confident that a number of her teammates will also qualify for State. She included freshman Madeline Collier, senior Katherine Kempf and junior Kendra Howard as potential swimmers in the State meet. Kempf and Howard both competed in the State meet last year.
After five years of swimming, Hagemann allowed the sport could be repetitive. About what keeps her in the pool every single day, Hagemann said, “I keep telling myself that it’ll be worth it and that the lessons it teaches me are valued high enough.”
The MSHSAA State meet takes place on Feb. 16 and 17, at the St. Peters Rec Plex.
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