Woodbury boys swimming & diving: Lugg, Norsten go out in style

Woodbury senior swimmers Greg Norsten and Victor Lugg went out in style.

Norsten won the state championship in the 200-yard individual medley, defending his title in the event, and Lugg finished in second place in the 50-yard freestyle at the 2011-12 Class AA Boys Swimming and Diving State Meet, held March 2 and 3, at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center in Minneapolis.

In the 200 IM, Norsten blew his competition out of the water, winning by roughly half a pool-length and more than five seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. Norsten had a time of 1:49.76, which broke his own school record, was an All-American time and was just over two seconds off the Minnesota all-time record of 1:47.71, set by Eden Prairie’s Mark Solfelt in 2006. Edina’s Jackson Lindell placed second in the event with a 1:54.99 time.

Lugg earned All-American consideration with his second-place finish in the 50-yard freestyle. Lugg’s 20.99 was just a hair behind Eden Prairie junior Aaron Greenberg’s winning 20.93 time.

Last year, Norsten won the state championship in the 200 IM with a time of 1:51.87, breaking the Woodbury High School record and becoming the Royals’ first state swim champion since 1999 — when Woodbury’s Aaron Wood won the 100-yard butterfly as a senior. Wood, who also won state titles in the 200IM in 1997 and 1998, was the previous Woodbury record holder in the event. A year ago, Lugg earned a bronze medal with a third-place finish in the 50 free and had a fourth-place finish in the 100 free. Lugg had a time of 21.35 in the 50 free and a 46.92 in the 100 a year ago.

This year, Lugg also finished in second place in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 46.71. Greenberg won the race with a time of 45.65. In addition, Norsten took the bronze medal, with a third place finish in a close three-way race in the 500-yard freestyle. His All-American consideration time of 4:34.10 was just back of winner Noah Lucas of Mounds View (4:33.14) and second-place Jonathan Lieberman of Eden Prairie (4:33.40).

Also, Norsten and Lugg teamed up, along with juniors David Khazanovich and Nate Henning, to take seventh place in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:28.56. Eden Prairie won the race with a Minnesota all-time record of 1:23.90.

As a team, Woodbury finished in sixth place with 110 points. Eden Prairie won the Class AA state title with 314.50 points.

See the full story and additional photos in the March 7 issue of the Bulletin

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