November 11, 2021 at 7:52 a.m.
Go out with a bang
Hodag swimmers seek more hardware at WIAA state meet
Go out with a bang
With 12 entries overall, including six projected to finish on the podium, the Hodags have their sights set high again entering tonight's WIAA Division 2 state meet in Waukesha.
Repeating as state champions will be difficult, especially with Madison Edgewood back in the fold this year after opting out of the 2020 traditional fall season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Edgewood won five straight D2 state titles before skipping last fall, but won the alternate fall state title earlier this past spring. The Crusaders qualified the maximum 21 entries possible for the state meet and are the overwhelming favorites to win the title, projected to score 339 points tonight. That leaves Rhinelander, and everyone else, battling for second place and the silver trophy.
"At the beginning of the season, our goal was top three at state," Rhinelander coach Jenny Heck said. "If we can could get second, that would be awesome, but everyone has to swim fast and has to do their part to make that happen. Edgewood is fast. It's going to be hard to compete with them overall, but I think we can compete here and there with them and give them a run for their money - at least push them a little bit. That's the goal, that we can do the best we can in our relays, place the highest we can on all three and, individually, everyone either maintain or move up a spot or two."
Rhinelander's 12 entries are the third most in Division 2, behind Edgewood and Sauk Prairie (13). Based on last weekend's sectional performances, the Hodags are projected to finish second overall, 21 points ahead of Baraboo. DeForest, last year's D2 state runner-up Shorewood, Sauk Prairie and Ashwaubenon are all within shouting distance as well.
Senior Malia Francis, who has an opportunity tonight to cement her legacy as the most decorated swimmer in RHS history, said there may be more pressure on the team this year than a season ago.
"I almost feel like we've got like six other targets on our back," she said. "For some reason, at least personally, it feels like the stress is a little higher because we're not only chasing somebody, but we're also being chased by quite a few people, quite a few fast teams that could very easily take our spot. It's a little stressful."
Francis already has six individual state titles to her credit, tied with John Theurer for the most in school history. She enters tonight as the No. 1 seed in the 100-yard backstroke, where she's looking for a state three-peat, and she's also the top seed in the 200 individual medley.
Francis holds a nearly two-second edge on second-seeded Sam Vega of Edgewood in the IM and is favored by 0.89 seconds over McFarland's Mara Freeman in the backstroke, but Francis is more focused on two other times. The goal is simple, go faster than 2:03.00 in the IM and 54.65 in the backstroke. If she can do that, she will become the new holder of two Division 2 state records.
"My goal's to get the state records and this is my last chance. I've tried it every year so, hopefully, this is the one that I'll be able to take those down," she said. "I'm kind of viewing it as I have one more chance to go after it one more time and to experience all of this. It throws a little bit more pressure, but it's also, just like that get out there and go have fun for the last one."
At least the Hodags have some familiarity with the event and the venue. Five of Rhinelander's six state qualifiers - Malia Francis, Karis Francis, Genna Fugle, Noelle St. Pierre and Abi Winnicki -were on last year's state championship squad. Plus the team already competed at the Waukesha South Natatorium this season, taking part in an invite there in mid-September.
"Getting that meet in Waukesha earlier this season definitely helped us get used to the pool more, remember it, so we can visualize better what's really going to be going on," Winnicki said.
Here are a few other storylines going into tonight's meet.
Fast relays
The Hodags have some options as to how to set up their relays, which were all seeded in the top three in the state entering last weekend's sectionals and are still in the top four heading into tonight's meet.
Rhinelander is seeded fourth in the 200 medley relay (1:48.56), third in the 200 freestyle relay (1:39.51) and second in the 400 freestyle relay (3:37.32). The Hodags won the 200 and 400 freestyle relay at state last year.
"We're looking for top places in all relays," Winnicki said. "We're highly capable of doing that, since we're seeded up there right now. With all the hard work, we're definitely going to cut time and give all the southern teams a run for their money."
Rhinelander is chasing Edgewood in both the 200 and 400 freestyle relays while Baraboo has the top time in the medley relay. Because both Francises, Winnicki and St. Pierre each qualified in two individual events, they will be eligible to swim in only two of the three relays tonight. There is more flexibility with Fugle and Ellyse Younker, who have only one individual event combined.
While Heck didn't let slip exactly what her relay lineups will be for tonight, she said she's confident in each relay's chance to place high on the podium.
"We're going to put together our best options and I'm confident that these girls will do whatever they can to get the best placement in all three relays," she said.
Pressing for the podium
Winnicki is seeking return trips to the podium in both the 100 and 200 freestyle events after strong swims at state as a freshman. She was the runner-up in the 200 last year and placed third in the 100, setting school records in both events in the process.
This time around, Winnicki is seeded seventh in the 200 free (1:56.27) and sixth in the 100 free (53.66). Winnicki went 1:54.99 in the 200 and 53.28 in the 100 at state a season ago.
"I just plan on placing higher than I'm seeded," Winnicki said. "That's definitely my goal and to just (swim) best times. I just want to go faster than what I did last year, have fun and just be confident with my hard work that I've put in this season."
A second chance
St. Pierre's hopes of finishing her high school career at state nearly came to an end during homecoming week in late September when an injury sustained in the annual school powderpuff football game left her season in doubt.
Luckily, St. Pierre avoided a significant knee injury, was back in the lineup a couple of weeks later and has had a new lease on her swimming life since.
"I told myself after the injury that there wasn't really any pressure on myself. It's better than being at home, on a couch, in a knee brace," she said. "In the ER, they told me they didn't know if I'd be able to swim the rest of the season, but obviously I was able to and I'm really happy about that."
St. Pierre is back at state in both the 50 freestyle and the 100 breaststroke after qualifying for state in both events last year. Her times in both events at sectionals were faster than what she swam last year at state but, overall, both events are significantly faster than a year ago. St. Pierre comes in seeded 13th in the 50 (24.99) and 15th in the breaststroke (1:09.61).
"I got my goal in the 50 free (at sectionals), to go under 25 (seconds) and my goal is to go under a 1:09 in the 100 breaststroke, and I have a 1:09.6. That's my goal," she said.
Karis coming on
Karis Francis, Malia's younger sister, goes off eighth in the 100 butterly after a 59.05 at sectionals, but is only 0.83 seconds off of fourth place. The sophomore will look to move up in that event, as well as in the 100 breaststroke, where she's seeded 10th (1:08.19) - but again is less than a second outside the top five.
"I'm honestly just hoping to drop a little bit of time," she said. "I'm going to approach my events in just kind of a relaxed, having fun kind of way and see what I can do. I just want to see how much I can push myself and how perfect I can make my events."
Francis finished 14th in the butterfly last year, with a time that was more than three seconds slower than her sectional time from Saturday.
New kids on the block
Fugle, a junior, got a taste of state last year, swimming the leadoff leg of the Hodags' championship-winning 400 freestyle relay. She was part of two-state qualifying relays on Saturday and will get to compete in her first individual event at state tonight, after making it was the 16th and final qualifier in the 100 freestyle (55.51).
"I didn't think I was going to get there and it amazing, all the hard work finally paid off. Everything's just worked out how it should," she said.
Younker, a freshman, is the final of the six qualifiers. Though she missed out on making it in her individual events by only a handful of spots, she was on the team's 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays last weekend and is ready to lean on her older teammates as she makes her state meet debut.
"It's nice to have the older people to support you. We've been to the pool once already, so I'm feeling good," she said.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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