February 8, 2021 at 8:47 a.m.
RHS swimmers finish 9th at state
Hodags reach podium in two events
RHS swimmers finish 9th at state
It was a bit of a bounce back for the Hodags, who placed 14th at state a year ago. RHS was projected to finish fifth on Friday night, based on sectional qualifying times. Though the Hodags didn't match the projection, coach Jenny Heck said she was encouraged by the fact that her team dropped time in eight of their 11 entries, and that the other three were only within tenths or hundredths of a second of their seed times.
"They swam really great. I think we were just really pleased with it. On paper it might not have looked as successful as I think it was," she said. "The guys are really happy. They are proud of themselves. We were ninth overall. I know we had that fifth-place seed, but last year we were 14th and we were kind of the underdogs this year losing three great seniors. But we stepped in way that I think were unexpected. These guys really pushed themselves to have a better year than I think was anticipated."
Senior Joseph Heck capped off his career with a couple of podium finishes for the Hodags. He took sixth place in the 50-yard freestyle (22.10 seconds) and was part of a 200 freestyle relay that finished third overall. Heck had a 21.30-second split in the anchor leg of that relay - a time identical to what his uncle Dave Heck posted when he won the state championship in the 50 freestyle for the Hodags back in 1988.
"I'm just super happy that I was able to do it individually and especially with the team, got another podium finish in the relay," Joseph Heck said. "We all dropped time to get there too, I'm really happy."
Joseph Heck was joined on the podium in the 200 free relay by a trio of sophomores - Daniel Gillingham, Jack Antonuk and Charlie Heck. All three had sub-23 seconds splits in the event and Charlie Heck went a 21.60 in the third leg of the race. Rhinelander dropped 0.91 seconds from their seed time in the event and finished exactly one second behind state champion Whitefish Bay.
"That's nothing to be ashamed of, third place at the state meet," Jenny Heck said. "They should be really excited for that. Their splits were all faster than they went (at sectionals). Just all around, a good race."
Antonuk barely missed the podium in both of his individual races, taking seventh in both the 200 individual medley and the 100 breaststroke. Antonuk was within 0.04 seconds of his seed time in the IM as he finished at 2:03.81, 0.75 seconds behind Whitefish Bay's Nick Enea for the sixth and final spot on the podium. Antonuk dropped 0.44 seconds in the breaststroke and finished sixth in the faster of the two heats, but Heat 1 winner Silas Leuthner of Madison Edgewood beat Antonuk by 0.90 seconds for the sixth spot overall.
Gillingham finished ninth for the Hodags in both of his individual events - the 200 freestyle (1:50.16) and the 100 butterfly (55.47). He dropped fractions of a second from his qualifying time in both events.
Charlie Heck finished 10th in the 50 freestyle (22.39), Joseph Heck was 12th in the 100 freestyle (49.20) and Carter Gaber finished 16th in the 100 backstroke (57.60).
The Hodags finished ninth in the 400 freestyle relay with the team of Gillingham, sophomore Marcus O'Malley and the Heck brothers. Rhinelander opened the night placing 10th in the 200 medley relay with the quartet of Gaber, Antonuk, Gavin Ostermann and Charlie Heck.
Joseph Heck was the lone senior on the state team and finishes his career with four podium finished for Rhinelander at state, including a state championship in the 200 freestyle relay back in 2019.
"It still doesn't seem real that it's over," he said. "I'm sure it will hit me later. I'm just having fun with the guys on the bus ride back right now. I'm sure it will hit soon, but it doesn't seem real. It went by so fast."
As for the rest of the squad, Rhinelander was represented by a junior and five sophomores. That should bode well for the Hodags next season as the look to win both the Great Northern Conference and WIAA sectional championships for a fourth consecutive year.
"When you look at the big picture, you look at how successful this year has been, we couldn't be happier or more proud of the way the season ended," coach Heck said. "This experience alone just puts them in a great spot for next year and the year after. To think that they're only sophomores and that they're doing what they're doing now, it's really promising."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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