Anna Larson crowned MVP of Wauwatosa West girls swimming

Sophomore Anna Larson, just returning from the WIAA Division 1 State Girls Swimming & Diving Championships, was named Wauwatosa West's Most Valuable Swimmer for the season.

On Saturday Larson finished 22nd in both the 50-yard freestyle in 25.02 seconds and the 100 freestyle (54.84).

She also teamed up with the 200 freestyle relay to finish 24th in 1 minute, 43.32 seconds along with junior Rachel Stuberg and sophomores Kristi Klammer and Alli Welsh.

Larson's 50 free time was a lifetime best.

"In the 200, each swimmer was a half-second to a second off their best time," coach Dale Schrank said.

Schrank felt that being moved from Division 2 to Division 1 changed his team's routine.

"In order to make state, we had to taper for the sectional because of the rise in competition," Schrank pointed out. "Shorewood (first) and New Berlin Eisenhower (fifth) did a great job at the D2 level. That bodes well for the Woodland Conference."

Schrank then looked back at the season.

"Basically from a seasonal standpoint, we had a good conference season and an incredible sectional," Schrank said. "We have some really good swimmers, so that kind of a signaled if we would do some serious off-season work we can reach an even higher level."

Besides Larson earning the MVP Award, the Trojans Most Improved Swimmer was McKinzie Halkola.

The Trojans own Conference Swimmer of the Year was Welsh and the Sectional Swimmer of the Year Ellie Krummel.

"If we want to get to the next level," Schrank said, "We need to do some serious work in the off-season."