February 19, 2018 at 12:37 p.m.
Hodags just miss podium in free relay, finish 15th at state
Hodags just miss podium in free relay, finish 15th at state
The Hodags finished seventh in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1 minute, 31.50 seconds with the team of Joseph Heck, Martin Hoger, Devon Gaber and Russell Benoy, which ended up being 0.34 seconds outside the top six and a spot on the state medal stand.
That was the best finish of the night out of seven entries for the Hodags at state as all of Rhinelander's performances were roughly equal to, or slightly slower than, their qualifying times from a week earlier at sectionals.
"All the kids swam about as fast as they did at sectionals," Rhinelander co-coach Jenny Heck said. "It was an exciting and very loud meet. Our young team had a great experience and now know what they need to do to podium at state."
Added fellow co-coach Marna Winnicki, "They were just a little bit off of their time from sectionals. You look at this meet and I'm pretty certain all these big teams from down south probably don't taper for their sectionals, or taper much. They save all that for state."
The Hodags' 200 free relay actually finished fifth in its heat, which had the eight fastest qualifiers, but two entries from the previous heat - Brown Deer/University School of Milwaukee and Ashwaubenon - eclipsed the Hodags' time. Brown Deer finished fifth and Ashwaubenon was sixth. Rhinelander's time in the event was 0.12 seconds faster than its qualifying time at the Hudson sectional.
"I think a few of the guys were right about the times they went last week but, like we said before, it's just a whole team effort. Everybody had to be on and swimming their best," Winnicki said.
The Hodags finished where they qualified, taking 12th in the 200 medley relay with the team of Hoger, Thaddeus Heck, David King and Benoy. Their time of 1:45.06 was 0.44 seconds slower than their sectional championship time from the previous week.
Benoy was slightly faster than his seed time in the 50 freestyle (22.38 compared to 22.41) but dropped two spots from where he qualified to finish 10th in the event. Benoy was 0.41 seconds off his qualifying mark in the 100 freestyle as he finished 14th (50.24).
Thaddeus Heck edged his cousin, Joseph, in the 100 breaststroke, but both were slower than their seed times. Thaddeus Heck was 13th at 1:04.81 and Joseph Heck took 15th at 1:04.90.
King added a 14th-place finish in the 100 butterfly. (56.15).
Rhinelander finished 15th overall out of 35 teams in attendance. Monona Grove won its fourth straight D2 title with GNC champion Lakeland placing fourth in the final standings.
The night featured a national high school record-shattering performance by Sturgeon Bay's Max McHugh in the 100 breaststroke, which he won with a time of 51.62 seconds. McHugh also set a D2 state record in the 50 freestyle (20.34).
For a Hodag contingent comprised of two juniors, three sophomores, a freshman and a senior alternate, Winnicki said Friday's meet could be chalked up as a learning experience.
"Anytime you can get there, whether it's just one event or as an alternate, it's a great experience. They learned from last year and they learned again this year," she said. "For most of them, this is a pretty big meet. It's hard to stay focused when there's that much noise and that many kids and not a lot of space on the pool deck. Everything they've done is just a learning experience for next year, because they'll be back."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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