November 24, 2017 at 12:25 p.m.
Team review: RHS girls' swimming
Hodags find a way to succeed amid tumultuous season
Team review: RHS girls' swimming
Despite the graduation of double state champion Kiah Francis, the Hodags came out of the gate strong and were enjoying their best season - from a team standpoint - in roughly a decade.
Then, all of a sudden, that season was turned upside down when coach Lindsay Byrka resigned after failing to come to terms on a contract with the School District of Rhinelander.
The Hodags were able to recover from that jolt to the system and ended up reaching their ultimate goal - a return trip to the WIAA state meet in a pair of events.
Here are five storylines from the recently completed season.
Coaching carousel
The Hodags were fresh off beating Great Northern Conference rival Ladysmith/Bruce/Flambeau for the first time and a championship at the Chippewa Falls Invite when the season changed in an instant.
Byrka abruptly resigned Sept. 20 after talks with the district reached an impasse.
Middle school coach Marna Winnicki was on deck for the team's meet the following day at Antigo and stayed on for the remained of the season. She was joined shortly thereafter by swim club coach Jenny Heck.
The team was still shell-shocked a day after the decision.
"Obviously, (Byrka's resignation) changes some things in our season, how practices run and things like that, but we know that we can put in the work and we know we have a talented team," team co-captain Grace Heck said. "So, we're going to take that momentum that we had earlier this season moving forward to accomplish our goals."
Successful season
Despite the setback, the Hodags did accomplish their goals, for the most part, during the season. The team finished 5-1 in conference duals, losing only to powerhouse Tomahawk. The Hodags then validated their dual meet record with a runner-up finish at the Great Northern Conference meet - their best conference placement since 2007.
A week later the Hodags took fifth at WIAA sectionals, two spots better than where they placed a season prior.
"It's been challenging, but I think we'd also say really fun," Jenny Heck said. "The girls have really done fantastic. They've really stepped up when we needed them to step up and they never skipped a beat through all the changes."
Fresh faces
One of the big stories for the Hodags this season was an emergence of a number of freshmen.
Makenna Winnicki burst onto the scene and placed second at the GNC meet in both the 200 and 500 freestyle. Lisa Kennedy was an all-conference backstroker and, following a few years away from the sport, Marissa Martin rejoined the team and provided an immediate lift in the breaststroke. She was the runner-up in that event at the GNC meet. All three freshmen were part of the 200 medley relay that qualified for the state meet.
Add in versatile swimmers Ella Schiek and Jaida Salaam, and the Hodags had a stellar freshman quintet.
"They've already shown our team that they mean business and that they're really fast and really good. I see our team keep getting better and better over the next few years," said Grace Heck, the fourth member of the 200 medley relay squad.
State return
The WIAA state meet was a mixed bag of results for the Hodags.
The 200 medley relay placed 14th with a time that was roughly six-tenths of a second slower than what it posted six days prior at sectionals.
Winnicki, who barely missed qualifying for state in the 200, followed with a lifetime-best performance in the 500. She posted a time of 5:21.00 as she finished tied for ninth in the event.
What's next
Though they were not among the state qualifiers, the Hodags bid farewell
to a deep and versatile senior class that includes sprinter Carly Seidl, breaststroker Jenna Hawley, butterflier Taylor Macak and others.
Heck will be back along with fellow sprinter Marisa McGuire and distance swimmer/backstroker Maddie Quinn, among others.
Numbers for next season should be roughly the same for the Hodags, who graduate six seniors but are projected to pick up five eighth graders from the James Williams Middle School program.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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