November 16, 2018 at 1:24 p.m.
Winnicki, Hecks among award winners at RHS girls' swim banquet
Winnicki, Hecks among award winners at RHS girls' swim banquet
Fresh off a seventh-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle and a 16th-place showing in the 100 butterfly at the WIAA Division 2 state meet in Madison, Makenna Winnicki was presented with the team's coaches' award during a banquet at Holiday Acres Resort.
Winnicki was one of four swimmers specifically recognized by the team. Senior Grace Heck received the dedication award, junior Ella Mullikin was named the team's most improved swimmer and freshman Maria Heck won the Hodag award.
Unlike in years past, the team did not present a most valuable or high-point award. If it had, Winnicki would have certainly been in the running following an impressive season that included at Great Northern Conference championship in the 100 butterfly, two other all-conference swims and three top-four performances at sectionals.
But Winnicki was far from a two-trick pony. She was among the conference's eight fastest swimmers in six of the eight individual events this season. Coach Jenny Heck said that versatility made Winnicki a valuable member of the team.
"Not only did Makenna make it to state in the distance event and the 100 fly, she was much more than that," she said. "She could do any event. If we needed a win, or needed to score points, we could put Makenna wherever we needed her. That is really important. That was a big asset to our team."
Mullikin, a first-year swimmer, not only dropped significant time over the course of the season, she became proficient in a number of strokes.
"Ella's really deserving of this," coach Heck said as she presented Mullikin with the most improved award. "Of course we have so much improvement, I could list everyone here and ways they improved, but it was such a standout (performance). To do a sport you've never done before and to just go after it the way she did was really impressive."
Grace Heck, a senior, narrowly missed out on a bid to become a four-time state qualifier when the Hodags 200-yard medley relay missed the state cutline by less than four-tenths of a second. Regardless, Jenny Heck, Grace's mother, said she witnessed firsthand how much the senior captain sacrificed for the sport.
"She did swim camps, did a lot of training offseason and took a lot of time for swimming that a lot of us wouldn't want to do," Jenny Heck said. "She has a lot of other interests, but swimming was important to her and she wanted to continue to do well."
Maria Heck won the Hodag award, presented to a swimmer who demonstrates a great attitude and work effort in the pool and on the deck. The freshman finished fourth in the 500 freestyle at the GNC meet.
The Hodags finished second behind Tomahawk in the Great Northern Conference for the second consecutive year. Though the team had a leg up on the teams chasing them for the runner-up spot entering the conference meet, based on head-to-head dual meet results, coach Heck said she was proud of the way her team performed at conference and validated its standing in the GNC.
"Our kids, for the first time at conference, I said our team was ready mentally and physically," she said. "They were ready, in their minds, to swim fast and they showed it. It was an exciting meet. It was a lot of fun. The time drops were exciting. Hopefully that second place can turn into a first place in upcoming years."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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