September 27, 2019 at 3:40 p.m.
Hodag swimmers top Ladysmith, improve to 4-0 in GNC
Hodag swimmers top Ladysmith, improve to 4-0 in GNC
The Hodags made another impressive statement at home Thursday night, winning nine of 11 events in a 105-65 win over Ladysmith/Bruce/Flambeau at the Heck Family Community Pool.
Ladysmith entered the night as one of four teams in second place, one game behind the conference-leading Hodags. Like Medford the previous week, the Hodags quickly laid to rest any doubt who was going to win the dual.
"This is a great meet for us," coach Jenny Heck said. "We're pleased where we're at in the standings. The girls are excited. They know their hard work is playing off and showing. You just never know what the lineups are going to be, so we go after every meet with the best we can do and it's working for us. We're really proud of the girls. They had a great meet."
It was a far cry from last year when Ladysmith declared itself the winner of the dual against the Hodags, 89-87, after incorrectly adding an exhibition diving event to the dual meet score. The Hodags were awarded an 87-83 win after the dual was reviewed but the conference statistician.
The was no such drama on Thursday as Rhinelander won each of the first six events, including a 1-2-3 sweep of the 200-yard freestyle, to build a commanding 63-31 lead. Rhinelander clinched the meet with two events remaining when Malia Francis won the 100-yard backstroke in a school and Heck Pool record time of 57.00 seconds.
Francis demolished the old pool record set by her older sister, Kiah, in 2016 (59.46). The time was also 0.84 seconds faster than when Francis set the RHS varsity record this past Saturday in Chippewa Falls.
"It was a beautiful event. She just swam it so perfectly," Heck said. "Her turns were just right and her splits where just where they need to be. It was a great swim by Malia."
Rhinelander never trailed in the dual, and firmly asserted control of the competition with a top three sweep in the 200 freestyle, the second event of the night. Noelle St. Pierre won the event with a time of 2:09.45, roughly four seconds ahead of teammate Maria Heck. Sierra Woodford, swimming in the first heat of the event, finished third.
"That was really a fun way to start," coach Heck said. "Sierra doesn't usually swim that and for her to get third place from the first heat It was one we didn't know would happen and she really did a nice job."
Makenna Winnicki (2:18.65) and Lisa Kennedy followed with a 1-2 finish in the 200 individual medley to give Rhinelander a 31-15 lead through three events.
Both Francis and Winnicki were four-event winners for Rhinelander. Francis added a win in the 50 freestyle (25.18) while Winnicki took the 100 butterfly (1:02.84). Both were on the team's winning 200 medley and 200 freestyle relay teams. Marisa McGuire and Maria Heck swam with the two in the 200 medley (1:58.55). Kennedy and St. Pierre joined Winnicki and Francis in the 200 freestyle (1:44.89).
"Our sprinters are starting to come around," Jenny Heck said. "I was really pleased with Noelle's times today. Lisa's splits are coming down. Marisa McGuire had a great meet. It was great to see her - she was injured for a while - finally getting back on track. That's going to give us a lot of ability to move around our lineup."
St. Pierre added another win for Rhinelander in the 100 freestyle (57.21) while McGuire claimed the 100 breaststroke (1:16.66).
Rhinelander swept the top two spots in the 200 freestyle relay with the B squad of McGuire, Woodford, Augusta Gruett and Genna Fugle placing second. Maria Heck added a runner-up finish in the 500 freestyle and the Hodags barely finished second in the final race of the night as the team of Kennedy, Heck, St. Pierre and Woodford lost a race to the wall by 0.14 seconds.
Fugle added a third-place finish for Rhinelander in the 50 freestyle, Kennedy was third in the 100 butterfly, McGuire was third in the 100 freestyle and Woodford took third in the 100 backstroke.
"I was pleased with where we put everybody. We put some kids in different events and I think that worked for us," coach Heck said. "Some of our newer swimmers, their times are coming down. In the sprints, it's nice to see how Genna Fugle's time are coming down, which enables us to move her around a little more. The newer swimmers are getting in the grove, which will be good for us when we make our lineup for conference."
Freshman Madeline Bunton won the 500 freestyle for Ladysmith and was on the winning 400-freestyle relay squad with Brooke Lechleitner, Olivia Bunton and Lacey Fuse.
The win moved Rhinelander to 4-0 in the GNC, one game ahead of Lakeland and Medford for the top spot. Ladysmith and Tomahawk fell two games behind the Hodags on Thursday. Tomahawk, the five-time defending conference champion, suffered its second straight dual meet defeat as it lost to Medford 92-78 Thursday. Of the teams in the top half of the conference standings, Tomahawk is the only team remaining on the Hodags' schedule as it comes to Rhinelander Oct. 17.
Rhinelander has not won a conference title in girls' swimming since 2002.
The Hodags have only three dual meets remaining on their schedule, beginning with a trip to Antigo next Thursday.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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