MINNEAPOLIS — Eight Northlanders claimed medals at the boys state swimming and diving meet Saturday, Feb. 28, at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Hibbing and Grand Rapids finished second and third, respectively, in the 200 Yard Medley Relay. Senior Bluejacket Wylie Stenson claimed bronze in the 100 Freestyle, and junior Thunderhawk Zak Vidmar finished fourth in the 100 Breaststroke; Stenson and Vidmar were also part of their school's relay teams.
Stenson also won two eighth place medals, one in the 100 Backstroke and the other with Hibbing’s 200 Free Relay team.
Brainerd freshman Bennett Day finished eighth in the 100 Free, and Mesabi East senior Aiden Johnson earned the eighth place diving medal.
Grand Rapids, Brainerd and Mesabi East also finished just off the podium in a few events. The top eight swimmers medal, and the next eight swim in the consolation finals.
Brainerd’s 200 Medley Relay and Grand Rapids’ 200 Free Relay won the consolation final, and Mesabi East senior Cole Layman won the 50 Free consolation final. Grand Rapids freshman Wyatt Hammerlund also placed ninth in diving.
Fourteen more Northern Minnesota entries competed in the consolation finals or diving semifinals, including more students from Grand Rapids, Brainerd, Hibbing and Mesabi East and athletes from Park Rapids, Detroit Lakes and Proctor.
Grand Rapids had the top team finish of a rural Northern Minnesota school, placing eighth. Hibbing was not far behind in 11th.
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The school district must now advertise the planned closure for two weeks before hosting a public hearing on the decision, which would go into effect this spring. -
Authorities reported alcohol is believed to have been a factor. The building was determined to be unstable and unsafe in the immediate area of the crash. -
The Staples Fire Department responded to a report of smoke coming out of the building on the 400 block of Second Avenue Northeast, just before 8 a.m. Feb. 28, 2026.
