November 14, 2022 at 8:01 a.m.
Four of a kind
Hodags ride four fourth-place performances to finish fifth overall at D2 state meet
Four of a kind
The Hodags still managed to exceed them.
Rhinelander had four fourth-place finishes, and placed in the top 10 with eight of their nine entries, to finish fifth overall out of 37 teams Friday night in Waukesha.
The Hodags were projected to finish sixth based on their qualifying performances from sectionals the weekend prior. Rhinelander beat those projections by 20 points, finished only two points behind Baraboo for fourth place and 15 points behind runner-up Whitefish Bay.
"Every year's different and you take what you've got and you work with it and try to make the most out of everyone and that's exactly what we did this year," Hodag coach Jenny Heck said. "We didn't know how we'd end up. We didn't know if we'd advance three relays. We didn't know any of that and, every step of the way, it's been a lot of success and better than what we anticipated. I think that's just a win in my eyes and for Rhinelander swimming."
Junior Abi Winnicki played a role in all four fourth-place finishes - breaking her own school records in both the 200- and 100-yard freestyle once again. She was on the team's fourth-place 200 freestyle relay team and rallied the team to a fourth-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay to end the evening.
"I was like, 'Hmm, we're going out with a fourth. I want all four fourth places. There's no way we're not getting anything but fourth,'" Winnicki said of her closing swim of the night. "When I dove in, I saw the other team and I knew it was within reach. We brought it home strong."
Winnicki started her evening by taking nearly two seconds off the school record in the 200 freestyle she had set six days earlier in the Merrill sectional. She went 1 minute, 51.14 seconds in the event. She followed that up by going 51.20 in the 100, dropping her time in that event by nearly six tenths of a second.
"Abi held her composure and that's a lot of pressure," Heck said. "She had a lot of really fast girls she was swimming with. Her times were amazing. Fourth place, it doesn't really, I don't think, show how fast those times are."
Yet Winnicki had a chance to finish better in both events. Ashwaubenon's Sienna Nitke rallied over the final 50 yards to beat her in both events - by 0.20 seconds in the 200 and by 0.63 seconds in the 100. Winnicki was second after the opening half of the 100, but was also passed down the stretch by Ashwaubenon's Bry Bellile to settle for fourth.
"My 200, that was my goal time but I didn't know if that was logically in reach," Winnicki said. "I swam and it's like, 'Oh, this is kind of going well.' Then I finish and it was just crazy (fast). My 100, I definitely think I could have made improvements in how I swam it. I definitely don't think I breathed enough so my last 25 I was cramping up a lot, but it was still a best time, so you can't really be mad about that at all.
"I was just excited and, no matter what, if I went a best time, I couldn't be mad with my place. Especially coming off last year, how I performed, I really had no expectations, so I got to have fun with it and just swim fast."
Winnicki, senior Genna Fugle and sophomore Ellyse Younker made up three legs in both of the Hodags' fourth-place freestyle relays. They were joined by sophomore Lily Thorsen in the 200 freestyle relay (1:38.82) and by freshman Camilla Gruett in the 400 (3:36.78).
Fugle, the lone senior to swim for Rhinelander at this year's state meet, said it was a surreal experience to be in the water for the final time as a Hodag.
"After I finished the 400 free, I was thinking this is the last time I'm ever going to swim with them," she said, pausing to compose herself. "So, definitely emotional, but, they're all just amazing experiences and just great memories."
Fugle and Younker were a part of all three relays for Rhinelander on the evening. Younker, who only qualified for one individual event, filled in for Gruett in butterfly portion of the medley relay. The move paid off. Rhinelander was seeded 12th in the event, but won the opening heat and finished seventh overall, roughly a second off the podium with a squad that also included Thorsen and freshman Emma Houg.
"To be on three relays, that's a lot of swimming to do and a lot of pressure for a sophomore. She handled that really well and she was critical," Heck said. "Her times were really good. I think she might have wanted to go a little bit faster, but it's right at what she did at sectionals. She's got a lot more in her. She's getting faster and improving and going in the right direction."
Younker also narrowly missed another podium finish, taking seventh in the 100 butterfly.
In addition to swimming in all three relays, Fugle added a ninth-place finish for Rhinelander in the 100 freestyle. She dropped more than a second from her sectional time in the event, clocking in at 54.47.
"Genna had an amazing meet. She was really solid and fast," Heck said. "She looked tough and strong in every event. That's the way you want to go. She put a lot of work in to become stronger and faster. I couldn't be more happy for her. She was a critical part of our team tonight, not just our relays, but just being an overall presence and leader."
Thorsen, making her state debut, won the opening heat of the 100 breaststroke and finished eighth the event overall (1:09.52). She added an 11th-place showing in the 100 butterfly (1:00.51).
"Lily, last year she sat and watched this meet," Heck said. "I think she was a 1:17 in the breaststroke last year and went a 1:09 tonight. It's been fun to watch her grow and challenge herself."
Though the Hodags didn't match their state championship from the COVID-affected 2020 season, or their runner-up finish from last year, fifth was yet another strong performance for a team that, prior to 2019, had not finished top-five at state since 1995.
"It was a great year. It was out of nowhere," Winnicki said. "We were just expecting to have a good time and swim as fast as we could and I think this sets us up well for next year. We have freshmen that have experience. We've got high standards for next year."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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