December 12, 2022 at 8:06 a.m.
Hodag swimmers take down a number of records
RHS downs Shawano, 2nd in Hodag Relays
Hodag swimmers take down a number of records
The Hodags claimed the Heck Family Community Pool record in the 200-yard medley relay Thursday night in a 110-22 victory over Shawano in Great Northern Conference action. Rhinelander then came back on Saturday to win four events, all in meet-record fashion, but was edged out by Bay Port for the title in the annual Hodag Relays.
"It's always fun to do, to get on the (record board) for the next year, at least when someone tries to get it again. It gives everyone something to shoot for," coach Jenny Heck said.
Hodags 110, Shawano 22
With only a handful of home meets this season, Rhinelander decided to go for some pool records right out of the gate on Thursday, and were successful in the medley relay.
Seniors Carter Gaber, Jack Antonuk, Daniel Gillingham and Charlie Heck went 1 minute, 38.88 seconds in the event, beating their own pool record from last season by just more than two seconds.
"We wanted to set some personal goals for all the guys and decided to go after our fastest four for the three relays and try to go for the pool records," coach Heck said. "We were successful for the medley relay. We smashed that record, actually, and were not to far from the varsity (record, 1:37.61). That was really exciting.
"I think the guys were just really excited to see how fast they could combine their times and put it all together at the start of the season like this."
The Hodags nearly took down the 200 freestyle relay pool record as well. Gillingham, sophomore Mathias Fugle, Gaber and Charlie Heck came within three-tenths of the mark, winning the event in a time of 1:29.55. The same four won the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 3:22.62.
"We were really close in the 200 freestyle relay and then the 400 freestyle relay was good, strong efforts, but still shy of the time," coach Heck said. "We knew everyone had to be 50s or 49s to get that record and we were all 50s or 51-flat. Those are really fast times to have this time of year, but they know they can go faster and we'll just keep working hard."
Rhinelander won all 11 events Thursday against a Shawano squad that had only five swimmers.
Gillingham (22.67), Gaber and Heck went 1-2-3 in the 50 freestyle, all going sub-23 seconds in the event. Antonuk took the 100 butterfly (56.55) and the 100 backstroke (1:01.08). Sophomore Shawn Denis won the 500 freestyle (5:39.03) and the 100 breaststroke (1:09.94). Zacha King won, unopposed, in the 200 individual medley (2:12.57) and senior Eli Lundt won the 200 freestyle (2:14.05) in a 1-2-3 finish with teammates Dolan and Marcus O'Malley. With no opposition from Shawano in the event, both of the O'Malley brothers opted to use the butterfly stroke in the 200 freestyle for training purposes.
"That was a lot of fun and they both felt really accomplished," coach Heck said. "I think Marcus, especially, it going to thank me at the end of season. Swimming those longer distances really make appreciate the shorter distance."
Hodag Relays
Finishing top two in every event would be more than enough to win the Hodag Relays almost every year. Rhinelander did that on Saturday, but fell just short.
The Hodags' four wins and six runner-up finishes were trumped by Bay Port's six victories as Rhinelander fell to the Pirates by eight points in the six-team meet.
The meet turned into a dual between Rhinelander and Bay Port as the two schools swept the top two spots in all 10 events.
"We knew it was going to be a close meet. The way it all lined up, it worked out the way it worked out," coach Heck said. "Our guys swam great. They swam fast, too. It was just a fun meet, and that's why you're here, to get that competition, get those races. I wasn't worrying about the times at all. I just wanted to enjoy the whole meet and enjoy the racing. That's what they did."
Mathematically, it came down the final race, with Rhinelander needing to win the 400 medley relay to guarantee at least a tie with the Pirates. But Bay Port led the event wire-to-wire and swam away to a more than 11-second victory.
Ultimately, the fate of the meet came down to a close finish in the sixth event, the 500-yard decrescendo freestyle relay. Bay Port opened up a nearly five-second lead in the opening 200-yard leg of the race. The Hodags nearly made up the entire gap, with Charlie Heck out-swimming Bay Port's Toby Beatty by 1.74 seconds in the final 50-yard leg, but Beatty got to the wall first by 0.18 seconds as Bay Port beat the squad of Antonuk, Fugle, Gillingham and Heck.
"It takes every tenth and every leg of that relay. They swam great. Sometimes you don't get to the wall first and that's what happened there," coach Heck said. "Nonetheless, they had really good, season best times and some overall best times. That's what you get when you race and get that adrenaline flowing."
The Hodags set meet records in all four relays that they won. Lundt, King, Denis and Dolan O'Malley took the 200-yard reverse medley relay (1:47.64); King, Antonuk and Gillingham won the 300 butterfly relay (2:49.37); King, Dolan O'Malley and Gaber won the 300 backstroke relay (2:49.85) and Gillingham, Fugle, Gaber and Charlie Heck won the 200 freestyle relay (1:30.13).
Gaber, Charlie Heck, Fugle and Gillingham took second in the 600 freestyle relay; Antonuk, Lundt and the O'Malley brothers were second in the 400 individual medley relay; Denis, Fugle and Heck were runners-up in the 300 breaststroke relay; Antonuk, Lundt and Marcus O'Malley were second in the 150 mixer medley relay and Denis, King and the O'Malley brothers took second in the 400 medley relay.
"Ten guys, we were able to get them all in some great relays," coach Heck said. "It was kind of a fun, competitive meet. We've got some really good, nice times on guys now. Now it's just kind of grinding it out time. We just have to work hard. We'll have fun, but we've got to get down to business."
The Hodags are back to GNC action Tuesday at Antigo. Rhinelander is scheduled to host Medford on Thursday at the Heck Family Community Pool.
There has been discussion of moving the Medford meet to Lakeland to help make up a Nov. 29 dual between the Hodags and T-Birds that was canceled when Lakeland pulled the plug due to inclement weather but, as of press time for today's edition, Rhinelander was still listed as hosting Medford at home Thursday.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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