GREAT FALLS — The date is Feb. 15, 2025. The Class AA girls team swimming title comes down to the 400 freestyle relay — the very last event.
"We got up and then they announced that we won, and I was like, there's no way, it was so exciting," Great Falls High senior swimmer Lucciana Baarson, who's won two different team state titles, said Wednesday prior to a Bison practice. "We were almost all crying, we were all excited and we're all hugging each other."
"It was my sister swimming in the last leg of that last relay," sophomore Ella Woldtvedt said. "It was really cool to be able to see like someone that I've like known for so long and that I trust so much be able to do something like really inspiring. I was so proud of her."
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Baarson and Woldtvedt were two of the state title-clinching legs for the Bison in that relay.
Those two, along with a handful of other key contributors, are leading the way for Great Falls to try and repeat as state champions for the second time in a five-year span.
"Excellence and winning is expected when they come in. That's how they carry themselves," Bison coach Ed McNamee said. "They still get to be the state champs for another couple weeks, but after that, then it's up for grabs again.
"So they have to know that, stay humble and work hard, be relentless. Everything we do, that's pretty much the same message we've had all year."
Baarson and Woldtvedt say this year's team is well connected as a whole.
"Family wise, we've improved a lot, and I think we've improved like competing too," Baarson said. "I definitely think like, just kind of finding confidence in ourselves we've improved a lot."
"We are always there to like lift each other up and that's something that I think is really special," Woldtvedt said.
Both said they have things to still have goals to accomplish prior to or at the state meet, individually.
"I want to get the 500 record at state," Baarson said.
"Last year I got the 200 (individual medley) record for our school," Woldtvedt said. "I'd like to just let go of the things I can't control a little bit and focus on just being there for my team."
If the Bison do in fact repeat, the two said it would be very exciting.
"That would be so awesome, I would be very happy about it," Baarson said.
"I would obviously just be so grateful, not even because we won, but just the people that I've gotten to experience it with," Woldtvedt said. "They all mean so much to me and it would be really special to be able to celebrate that with them again."
Prior to the upcoming state meet Feb. 12-14 in Great Falls, the Bison girls have three competitions to go.
