December 2, 2021 at 7:38 a.m.
Malia Francis named girls' swim MVP
Malia Francis named girls' swim MVP
Malia Francis claimed her second straight most valuable player award Monday as the team held its second-ending banquet at the soon-to-be-reopened Brown Street 151 restaurant.
She was one of six swimmers honored with team awards at the banquet. Malia Francis' younger sister, Karis, shared the most improved award with freshman Ellyse Younker. Senior Noelle St. Pierre won the dedication award, sophomore Abi Winnicki won the team's "Coming in Clutch" award and senior captain Maria Heck was presented with the team's Hodag Award.
Malia Francis had a laundry list of accomplishments this season as she helped guide the Hodags to a runner-up finish at the WIAA Division 2 state meet. She set a new D2 state record as she won the 100-yard backstroke at state, she also won the state title in the 200 individual medley. This season, Francis had a hand in four varsity, six Heck Family community pool and four Great Northern Conference records.
The senior, who recently signed her National Letter of Intent to swim at NCAA Division I Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. next fall, leaves Rhinelander with eight individual WIAA state titles.
"Just a great girl who's brought so much to the team," coach Jenny Heck said during the banquet, summing up Malia Francis' legacy within the program. "She's amazingly fast, but it such a nice girl, too. She was one of our captains and a really good advocate for swimming. She helps push people. People look at her and say, 'I want to do what she's doing.' I think her presence has brought a lot to the team."
Malia Francis shared MVP honors with Winnicki a season ago. The team did not present an MVP award in 2019.
Winnicki was recognized for her performance at the WIAA state meet. She anchored the team's 200 medley relay squad that finished second to Madison Edgewood. That cost her a bit in the 200 freestyle as she finished ninth, but she rebounded later in the meet to place sixth in the 100 freestyle and help lead the team to a third-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay.
"Abi didn't do as well in the 200 free. She just didn't have the rest that was needed, but she sacrificed for that second place that she swam five minutes before in the 200 medley and had a great split," coach Heck said. "I knew she was very disappointed in that 200 free, but she pulled herself together. She knew she had two events left and she really needed to do it for the team. She had a great 100 freestyle and had a great split in the 400 freestyle relay as well."
St. Pierre earned the dedication award, not only for her entire swim career - which began at the age of 7 with the Rhinelander Swim Club - but for her determination to fight through a knee injury sustained in late September that, at one point, put the remainder of her season in question.
She returned and ended up swimming a four-event program at state, placing 11th in the 50 freestyle 10th in the 100 breaststroke and second in the 200 medley relay and fourth in the 200 freestyle relay.
"She really proved that she's very dedicated. She was very determined to come back from her knee injury," coach Heck said. "Right away she said, 'I'm going to do everything the doctors tell me. I'm going to do my rehab. I'm going to do my exercises. I'm going to be better.' She did. It was amazing."
Karis Francis and Ellyse Younker both made impacts of Rhinelander's state team. Karis Francis swam four events. She was part of the runner-up team in the 200 medley relay and a fourth-place finish in the 200 freestyle relay to go along with a ninth-place finish in the 100 breaststroke and an 11th-place finish in the 100 butterfly.
"She just kept getting faster and she got sick of me saying, 'Look at how much you've improved since Day 1 of freshman year,'" coach Heck said. "She didn't like hearing it. She has bigger goals and I know she'll get to her goals, but sometimes you just have to stop along the way and appreciate it."
Younker was part of the team's third-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay and fourth-place finish in the 200 freestyle relay. Younker posted her fastest 100-yard freestyle split of the season at state in the 400 freestyle relay.
"To drop under the minute mark is such a big deal, then to go four or five seconds faster than that in a 100 is a lot," Jenny Heck said. "It was really fun to watch her getting faster and faster."
Maria Heck, coach Heck's niece, was honored with the Hodag Award for the leadership she displayed as a team captain the past two seasons.
"She's been such an amazing captain," Jenny Heck said. "She has really great leadership skills and she's really great at encouraging everyone, inviting everyone, keeping everyone informed. She's really just an unbelievable leader and I know those qualities are going to carry her a long way in life."
Rhinelander's season culminated with the second-place finish at state. The Hodags also went undefeated in Great Northern Conference dual meet play, won the overall GNC title and captured the WIAA sectional title for a third straight season.
"In the beginning of the year I think our team goal was to be top three at state," coach Heck said. "We thought that would be awesome. To be second was just beyond what our goals were. We were happy with that.
"It wasn't a easy year by any means. We had lots of problems, lots of things that didn't go right, lots of sickness and lots of injuries. What I'm really proud of is the kids stuck together and kept with it. We had lots of problems where kids could have quit, given up and they didn't. I'm very happy about that."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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