A new era has begun for the Prior Lake synchronized swimming team.
Keri Kuboushek has taken over the Lakers’ program from longtime coach Katy Bohnsack, who retired after last spring. Kuboushek takes over a team that has 11 returning swimmers from last year’s squad that finished tied for eighth at the state meet with Maple Grove-Osseo.
“Katy put in many years in Prior Lake building the program,” Kuboushek said. “My hope is to take what she developed and continue to develop and grow the program.”
Prior Lake opened the season March 21 in a triangular competition at Richfield. The Lakers lost 25-4 to the host Spartans, while earning a 22-7 win over Bloomington Jefferson.
The Lakers will begin their routines season April 14 at home against Richfield. Kuboushek coached the Richfield team for 20 seasons, before stepping down in 2014. She then worked as an official in the sport, before taking over the Lakers’ job.
“My hope is the girls to continue to improve their skills and to have a good showing at sections and state,” Kuboushek said.
Stillwater has won the last two state titles. Before that, Wayzata was the dominant program winning 13 straight championships from 2007 to 2019.
The Trojans were runner-up to Stillwater the last springs. There was no season in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Lakers had five routines competing at state last year and they were all at the shorts level. State and sections competitions include three different levels for the four events: solos, duets, trios and teams. The top level is called extended, followed by longs and shorts.
Junior Alesi Evavold and Addison Leveille are the Lakers’ captains this spring. Both competed at state last year, along with sophomores Emily Forster, Claire Hizeneger, Jasmine Duhadway and Sadie Stimmler.
Sophomore Maddison McCarthy, ninth-graders Hanna Evavold and Elisabeth McNair and eighth-grader Lilly Cordova are also back for Prior Lake, while junior Fabi Holm, sophomore Jenna Pettes and eighth-grader Klarissa Harris are expected to contribute.
Prior Lake also has two foreign exchange students from Spain on the roster in seniors Nuria Vilacoba Hermida and Ari Villar.
In the figures meet to open the season, Alesi Evavold had the team’s best score with a mark of 58.917, which was the fifth best among the three teams competing. Leveille was seventh overall (56.570), while Forester was eighth (55.547).
Prior Lake’s annual Dolphin Show is set for May 11 at Hidden Oaks Middle School. The West Section meet starts May 13 with the figures portion, while the routines part will be May 20.
The top-four finishers in the four events from each different level make the state field.
This year’s state competition is set for May 25-26 at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center in Minneapolis.
