December 6, 2021 at 9:18 a.m.
RHS swimmers win home dual, Rapids Invite
RHS swimmers win home dual, Rapids Invite
The Hodags followed up a 137-23 victory in Great Northern Conference play Thursday at home against Tomahawk with their first invite with of the season, taking first place seven events en route to the title at Saturday's Wisconsin Rapids Invite.
Saturday was an especially strong day for the Hodags, who managed four 1-2 finishes in the five-team meet. Overall, the Hodags added seven runner-up finishes and five third-place finishes to their total as they beat Madison East by 179 points for the team title.
"This was a really fun meet," coach Jenny Heck said. "This was the first time we've went to this invite and I'm really glad that we went. There were a lot of great opportunities for all 14 guys. I was quite pleased with their times and the way they went after it. I thought we fared really well. Overall, their splits were good, their times were good."
Rhinelander flexed its muscle on Saturday, particularly in the sprint freestyle races. Charlie Heck led a 1-2-3 finish for the Hodags in the 100-yard freestyle. Heck went 51.98 seconds in the event to narrowly edge out freshman teammate Samson Shinners for the win. Another freshman, Mathias Fugle took third in the event.
Rhinelander also had six of the top eight finishers in the 50 freestyle, with Charlie Heck second (23.03), Carter Gaber third, Brock Arrowood fourth, Fugle fifth, Shawn Denis seventh and Marcus O'Malley eighth.
The Hodags added a 1-2 finish in the 400 freestyle relay with the team of Daniel Gillingham, Shinners, Arrowood and Charlie Heck (3:33.40) finishing ahead of Dolan O'Malley, Zacha King, Marcus O'Malley and Gaber. Rhinelander's third entry in the event placed fourth.
"Our depth is just really great," coach Heck said. "You're eighth in the 50, but five of the guys ahead of you are from your own team. That was fast and good and gives us lots of option for relays."
Gillingham, a junior, played a role in four victories for the Hodags on Saturday. He led a 1-2 finish in the 100 butterfly (56.73) with senior Jacob Schoppe second. Gillingham also won the 200 freestyle (1:59.72) and was on the Hodags' winning 200 medley and 400 freestyle relay teams.
"Daniel had a really good, solid meet. His times were fast for this time of year," coach Heck said. "I was really pleased with the times in the 100 fly. The guys all had definitely season-bests and some personal-bests. That gives us options moving forward."
King (5:39.69) and Dolan O'Malley went 1-2 for Rhinelander in the 500 freestyle while Jack Antonuk captured the win in the 100 breaststroke (1:04.93). Gaber, Antonuk, Gillingham and Charlie Heck made up the winning quartet for the Hodags in the 200 medley relay (1:42.88).
Antonuk added two runner-up finishes for Rhinelander, in the 200 individual medley and as part of the team's 200 freestyle relay with Arrowood, Fugle and Shinners.
King tacked on a third-place finish in the 200 freestyle, Denis was third in the 100 breaststroke and Rhinelander's second entry in the 200 medley relay placed third with King, Dennis, Schoppe and Fugle.
Rhinelander placed at least one swimmer in the top three in every event except the 100 backstroke, where Gaber and Arrowood finished fourth and fifth in a fast event. Shinners added a fourth-place swim in the 200 IM, Eli Lundt was fourth in the 100 butterfly and Rhinelander also took fourth with its second entry in the 200 freestyle relay.
Rhinelander finished with 583 points, ahead of Madison East (404), Baraboo (337), Wisconsin Rapids (273) and Tomahawk (167).
Rhinelander 137, Tomahawk 23
The Hodags dominated their home opener Thursday night, winning all 11 events in a 137-23 victory over the Hatchets at the Heck Family Community Pool.
Rhinelander went 1-2 in every event except the 100 breaststroke and swept the top three spots in six events.
Antonuk and Shinners were both four-event winners on the night. Antonuk outdueled Tomahawk's top swimmer, Zach Hanse, in both the 200 individual medley (2:08.70) and the 100 breaststroke (1:04.60) and was part of wins in the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays.
"Jack I thought really did a great job," coach Heck noted. He likes to swim against Zach, and I think Zach feels the same way. It was good to race. You've got to provide those opportunities when we can. I'm glad that worked out."
Shinners took the distance events for Rhinelander on Thursday winning both the 200 (1:54.43) and 500 (5:23.51) freestyle races to go along with wins in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays.
Individually, Charlie Heck took the 50 freestyle (23.35) and the 100 butterfly (1:05.09), Mathias Fugle won the 100 freestyle (54.18) and Carter Gaber took the 100 backstroke (59.67).
In the relays, the team of Gaber, Antonuk, Gillingham and Charlie Heck led a 1-2 finish in the medley relay with Dolan
O'Malley, Denis, Schoppe and Fugle in second. The group of Ashton Cole, Denis, Antonuk and Shinners edged Lundt, Schoppe, Marcus O'Malley and Charlie Heck by 0.84 seconds for the win in the 200 freestyle relay. Cole, Gillingham, King and Shinners swam to a 1.11-second win over Fugle, Dolan O'Malley, Gaber and Arrowood in the 400 freestyle relay.
Gillingham scored runner-up finishes for Rhinelander in the 200 IM and the backstroke. Schoppe (200 freestyle), Dolan
O'Malley (50 freestyle), Marcus O'Malley (100 freestyle) and Arrowood (500 freestyle) also recorded individual runner-up finishes.
Rhinelander (2-0 Great Northern) has another busy week ahead, traveling to Shawano on Thursday for a conference dual meet before returning home Saturday to host the annual Hodag Relays.
"It's a lot of meets in a short amount of time," coach Heck said. "They're fun. We put a lot of thought into them and try to get the most out of each one. We use it not only as (a way to get) times and everything, but we use it as a training opportunity too."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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