Edina High School has enjoyed competitive success in the 2023–24 season so far, winning a total of five Class AA State Championships with the end of the winter sports season. One of the major contributing factors to the school’s continued athletic success has been the camaraderie and resilience behind the scenes.
The Edina Boys Hockey team competed in the Boys Class AA State Hockey Tournament from March 7 to March 9, securing the 2024 State Championship against Chanhassen after falling short to Minnetonka in the finals last year.
“It couldn’t have ended in a better way. Every single one of us worked to win a state championship our entire Edina careers and to finally get one was unlike anything else,” senior Joey Bertram said. For Bertram, the team’s journey to the championship was characterized by the team’s unity and resilience. A particularly memorable moment for Bertram was the team’s resounding 9-3 win against Holy Family, which bonded the team closer with one another. “The game got chippy at the end, but we all held it together. That moment really pulled us very close as a group. I couldn’t have asked for a better team to have won it all with, as we were having fun every single day of the process,” he said.
The Edina Girls Hockey team also capped their season off well, securing a 2024 Class AA Girls Hockey Tournament victory over Hill-Murray School.
“We had a team motto, ‘want it more,’ that stuck with us and pushed us to win the state title,” junior Reese McConnell said. Even through difficult parts of the season, the team’s unwavering belief in themselves and collective determination drove them forward. “No one expected us to win or even be in the championship game besides our team and hockey community. We believed in ourselves and each other and we wanted it way more than any other team. That is something I will never forget and will carry this feeling into next year,” McConnell said.
The Edina Boys Swim and Dive team continued their history of success, coming victorious at the 2024 Boys Class AA State Swimming and Diving Meet, securing the team’s fifth state championship in six years.
“We went into the season having lost to Eden Prairie for the championship last year, and we [faced] heavy criticism flying our way early into the season,” senior Mark Jacobi-Krohn said. Despite these obstacles, Jacobi-Krohn noted how the team stayed determined to cap their season off with success. “Even with all these hardships, the team held firm to our coaches’ plans, leaving us with a hard-earned championship in the end,” Jacobi-Krohn said. For sophomore Willy Thurk, the state championship victory was the perfect ending to a season of resilience. “The day of the meet, we inspired ourselves with some memorable quotes from ‘Miracle’. All season long we were ranked behind Minnetonka and it was really cool to be the underdog and pull off the upset at state,” Thurk said.
The Girls Swim and Dive Team won the Girls 2024 Class AA State Tournament, the team’s second state championship in a row. Like many other sports teams at EHS, the Girls Swim Team’s journey to the state championship was propelled by the camaraderie that fueled their success.
“This season was definitely special to me because of how close our team was,” senior captain Sarah Reichert said. However, the pinnacle of the team’s unity came after their state championship win. “The most important moment is probably the bus ride after state. The team knew that all the work we put in paid off, and now we could celebrate together one last time,” Reichert said.
This piece was originally published in Zephyrus’ print edition on April 18, 2024
