January 3, 2020 at 1:09 p.m.
RHS swimmers beat Tomahawk 109-60, move to 5-0 in GNC
RHS swimmers beat Tomahawk 109-60, move to 5-0 in GNC
The Hodags won eight races, including three 1-2-3 sweeps, as they beat Tomahawk 109-60 at the Heck Family Community Pool.
The result was similar to Rhinelander's 105-65 season-opening win Dec. 3 at Tomahawk, but how the Hodags got there was completely different. In Tomahawk, the Hatchets won four of the first five races and trailed by only four points before the Hodags pulled away. On Thursday, the Hodags won four of the first five races, including sweeps in the 50-yard freestyle and the 100 butterfly, to take a commanding 53-24 lead.
"I think we came a little more prepared and ready," Rhinelander coach Jenny Heck said of the rematch against the Hatchets. "I was pleased with the guys, with their performance. We had a tough week of training and followed up with a great night of swimming. Some of the guys were a little more ready than others, but that's OK. I think we're all at different points right now. As long as they're training hard, that's the most important part."
The 1-2-3 sweeps, and the 13 points each provided, proved key for Rhinelander. Senior Devon Gaber led the sweep in the 50 freestyle (22.73 seconds) followed by teammates Daniel Gillingham and Gavin Ostermann. David King (59.09) led the sweep in the 100 butterfly with teammates Jacob Schoppe and Ostermann.
Rhinelander added one more sweep for good measure, going 1-2-3 in the 100 backstroke to mathematically clinch the dual with two events remaining. David King (1:03.24) again led the charge for the Hodags in that race, followed by Gillingham and Carter Gaber.
"Those 1-2-3s are awesome," coach Heck said. "The guys really pushed through, had great times. We had some great time drops. I was pleased to see that. We needed those. It gives us more options for later on in the season and the sprinting was pretty good, I would say, considering how hard we've been training. Fly was good. Breaststroke was pretty good. Overall, I think we're in good position."
King and Devon Gaber each recorded three wins on the night for Rhinelander. Gaber swam the anchor leg go the 200 freestyle relay (1:34.26) that swam to nearly a 3.4-second win over Tomahawk. Both King and Gaber were on the winning 200 medley relay team with cousins Joseph and Thaddeus Heck.
"Devon Gaber had a great meet," coach Heck noted. "His times came down and that's what we needed. He kind of had a rough meet at Lakeland (Dec. 19). He wasn't totally pleased with that and I think he kind of proved to himself that he's a person to contend with this season."
Freshman Jack Antonuk added a pair of individual wins for Rhinelander, taking the 200 individual medley (2:11.11) and the 500 freestyle (5:25.38).
"I was pleased with that. I was happy with Jack Antonuk," Jenny Heck said. "He had a great meet, a hard meet with a lot of yards and swam well all the way to a great split in the 400 free relay. I was really pleased with Jack's performance tonight."
Coming off an illness over the holiday break, Thaddeus Heck won the 100 breaststroke (1:05.68) while Tomahawk's Zach Hanse edged Joseph Heck for second in the event by 0.07 seconds. Joseph Heck, Daniel Gillingham and Charlie Heck joined Devon Gaber to make up the winning quartet in the 200 freestyle relay.
Tomahawk's only wins came thanks to their top swimmer, Travis Phillips, who took the 200 (1:49.81) and 100 freestyle (49.44). Phillips also swam a 48.51-second split as the anchor leg of the 400 freestyle relay as he erased a more than five-second deficit to lead Tomahawk to the win over a squad that included Antonuk, Gillingham, Charlie Heck and David King.
Devon Gaber added a runner-up finish for Rhinelander in the 100 freestyle.
The meet, immediately following the holiday break, comes right in the midst of the most intense training of the season for the Hodags. Coach Heck said she was pleased with the teams as the team prepares to make it push toward the end of the season.
"We told the guys, 'We know you're tired. We know you're sore, but the point is you need to be racing as hard as you can, go for those fast times even when you're tired.' When we taper, that's when we'll see the times come down," she said.
The win gave Rhinelander (5-0) a game and a half lead over Tomahawk and Lakeland (4-2) in the GNC dual meet standings. However, those standings have no bearing on the conference championship, which will be decided at the GNC meet Feb. 7 in Rhinelander.
Rhinelander will be back in the pool Tuesday at home against Antigo to make up a dual meet that was postponed due to snow Dec. 12. It will be the first of three meets next week for the Hodags.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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