Avalea Burns helps Decorah girls swim team qualify 200 Medley Relay for State Swim Meet this weekend

The Decorah girls swimming and diving team has qualified three events for the State Swimming and Diving Meet to be held this weekend, November 10-11, at the Marshalltown YMCA/YWCA, and Waukon High School sophomore Avalea Burns is a member of the lone Viking relay event to earn that advancement to the season grand finale. Burns and Waukon High School junior Reagan Lubahn have been competing for Decorah in the pool this fall season.

The State Meet qualifications came on the Lady Vikings’ efforts at their Regional Meet held in Dubuque Saturday, November 4, with Burns being the only Waukon competitor listed as competing for the Vikings in Saturday’s Regional Meet. Decorah tallied 119 points to finish eighth in the final eight-team standings at the event, with Iowa City West winning that team race with its championship total of 455 points.

The lone relay State qualification for the Vikings came in their young 200 Medley Relay, where Burns swam the second leg and teamed up with freshman Elizabeth Bucksa and fellow sophomores Sydney Thompson and Isabella Sailor to finish eight in a time of 1:58.08 that earned the 32nd and final State Meet qualifying spot in the event. Bucksa also swam to Decorah’s two individual State Meet qualifications in the 500 and 50 Freestyle events.

At the Regional Meet, Burns also swam to a 10th-place individual finish in the 100 Breaststroke in a time of 1:15.49. She also took care of the third leg of Decorah’s 200 Freestyle Relay that finished eighth in a clocking of 1:48.64.

Burns and her 200 Medley Relay teammates will now compete in the preliminary round of State Meet competition this Friday morning, November 10 in one of four eight-team heats, with the top eight times in that event then qualifying for Saturday’s finals.