Park High senior Caitlyn Greenwalt dove her way to a section championship to highlight the 2021 girls Section 3AA swim and dive championships Thursday and Friday at Apple Valley.

Greenwalt won the 1-meter diving competition with a score of 382.65 points, some 31 points better than her closest challenger.

“In the beginning I was nervous to say the least,” said Greenwalt. “I was doing a new dive that I had never competed before, which is my inward double by two somersaults.”

Greenwalt and Park sprinter Ellen Jensen both qualified for the 2021 MSHSL Girls AA swim and Dive Championships set for the University of Minnesota’s Aquatic Center Thursday through Saturday. The Class AA diving prelims will be Thursday, Class AA swimming prelims Friday and the finals held Saturday, all events starting at 6 p.m.

“We were watching and the first two dives she was kind of nervous,” said Park head coach Amanda Johnson. “Those first two dives we thought, gosh, that’s not like Caitlyn. Caitlyn is usually spot-on those dives. She said I let my nerves get the best of me. After that she got in her grove and did what she needed to do.”

Greenwalt will have one more chance to set the school record of 398.95 at the Minnesota state meet this week. Then competing for Woodbury, Greenwalt finished fifth as a sophomore in 2019 with a score of 357.10.

“The goal for next week is obviously to have a good time and the place in the top three, hopefully,” said Greenwalt.

Park senior Jensen was second in the 100-yard freestyle in 53.54 to make the state meet after placing third in the 50-yard freestyle in 24.90.

“Ellen did really well,” said Johnson. “She was kind of not very happy with her 50 but she knew what she did wrong Ellen is the type of girl, and Caitlyn is too, when they do something wrong, they turn around and fix it.”

Park’s 400-yard freestyle team of Amber Norgaard, Alayna Faletti, Arachi O’Brien and Jensen finished sixth in 3:50.13.

“I thought they did wonderful,” Johnson said of the team as a whole. “It was a great end to our season. We had some really fast times in the finals. Place-wise they did amazing. I don’t think we’ve ever gotten as high as we got. I believe we got sixth place so just getting that, beating two teams was really good for us. We’ve never had that happen before.”

The Wolfpack finished seventh in the 200-yard freestyle relay with the team of Jensen, Afton LeMay, Alayna Faletti and Amber Norgaard in a time of 1:44.46.

Norgaard also finished seventh in the 100-ard freestyle in 56.66.

Park was eighth in the 200yard medley relay with the foursome of Zoe Pfeiffer, Afton LeMay, Arachi O’Brien and Alayna Faletti who finishing in a time of 2:06.13.

Park was sixth in the team race with 144 points. Eagan won the meet with 434 points, followed by: 2, Hastings 357.5; 3, East Ridge 340.5; 4, Eastview 331; 5, Rosemount 251; 6, Park 144; 7, Apple Valley, 134; 8, Burnsville, 110.

Placing in the prelims but not advancing to the section finals from Park were:

• Lilianna Morris, 22nd (2:23.00) and Kaylynn Holmbo, 24th (2:29.18) in the 200-yard freestyle in 2:23.00.

• Afton LeMay, 20th (2:29.28), Ellie Imdieke, 24th (2:42.80), Eraya Nybakken, 25th (2:52.64) and Danika Rowan 26th (3:00.38) in the 200 yard IM.

• Norgaard, tied for 13th (26.31), Alayna Faletti (27.65) and Kylie Dahm, 29th (29.50) in the 50 freestyle.

• O’Brien was 24th (1:10.30), Pfeiffer, 27th 1:16.47() and Ella Madsen 28th (1:25.57) in the 100yard butterfly.

• Dahm was 27th (1:06.94) and Abby Gooch 30th (1:10.27) in the 100-yard freestyle.

• Imdieke was 22nd (6:08.58), Holmbo, 24th (6:42.96) and Nybakken, 27th (6:53.07) in the 500yard freestyle.

• O’Brien placed 17th (1:09.10, Pfeiffer, 24th (1:14.04), Morris 25th, (1:16.42) and Madsen 27th, (1:24.00) in the 100-yard backstroke.

• LeMay was 13th, (1:15.40) Angela Manguardia 25th, (1:31.05), Gooch 26th (1:35.26), and Rowan 27th (1:37.00) in the 100yard breaststroke.