November 28, 2022 at 8:20 a.m.
Team Review: RHS girls' swimming
Hodags maintained high standard in 2022
Team Review: RHS girls' swimming
The Hodags had another state team of six qualifiers, won a fourth straight Great Northern Conference title, and a fourth straight sectional title to boot.
What's more, the Hodags came surprisingly close to walking out of Waukesha with a team trophy for a third straight year. Though Rhinelander finished fifth in the final D2 standings, they were a mere 15 points out of second.
"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 they 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."
Here are five storylines from the recently completed season.
Conference domination
Rhinelander celebrated its fourth straight undefeated season in Great Northern Conference competition. The team went a perfect 7-0 in duals and then won seven events at the GNC championships in Tomahawk to win that meet by a whopping 147 points over runner-up Medford.
This year's senior class, which included five swimmers, went out as conference champions in every year of their high school career. The last time Rhinelander pulled off that feat was from 1992-95 when the Hodags were still part of the Wisconsin Valley Conference.
"It's really special. That doesn't happen a lot. The last time that happened was early '90s," said senior Genna Fugle. "They were the last going this long. I know, next year, the team's going to be even stronger, even better. Everyone's gone so much faster."
Rhinelander had 17 entries finish in the top three. Thirteen different swimmers were among those entries and finished the year with all-conference honors.
Postseason
The Hodags parlayed their regular season domination into postseason success as well. Rhinelander won five more events at sectionals - including titles in all three relay races - as they cruised to a 96-point victory over Wausau East.
Rhinelander scored points with all 21 of its entries at sectionals, with nine entries advancing to the WIAA state meet.
"That's really something to be proud of," Heck said. "They all had a hand in that championship win. To do this four years in a row, just like the conference win, is really sweet. These girls, they all contributed. That made it even more special."
The old
Rhinelander's three returning state qualifiers helped pave the way this year, led by junior Abi Winnicki. Winnicki had another record-breaking year for the Hodags. She broke her own varsity records in the 100- and 200-yard freestyle races on three separate occasions. She also set records in the 500 freestyle, taking down Karen Burton Reeder's long-standing Heck Family Community Pool record before re-writing her own GNC record in high school swimming's longest race.
It all culminated in a state program that saw Winnicki swim to four fourth-place finishes - individually in the 100 and 200, and as part of the team's 200 and 400 freestyle relays. Though she narrowly missed the top three in both the 100 and 200, she shaved nearly two seconds off her school record in the 200, and six-tenths of a second in the 100.
"When you get best times and you're that fast, you can't complain," Heck said. "I think she knows now what she needs to work on. That's all part of this. You learn. You grow. You improve and you can set new goals for the next year."
Fugle joined Winnicki in the 100 freestyle at state, taking 10th in the event. She was also on all three relay entries for the Hodags. Fugle went from a freshman who struggled to break a minute in the 100 freestyle to sophomore who swam in one relay in Rhinelander's state championship performance to a senior that was arguably the team's second-best freestyler.
"She has continued to become more confident, trained harder and she came out at the sectional meet confident, and ready, and powerful and strong. She was able to put all those things together," Heck said.
The third member of the returning state-qualifying triumvirate was sophomore Ellyse Younker, who punched her ticket in an individual event for the first time this fall. She made it to state in the 100 butterfly. She just missed out on qualifying in an unusually fast 200 freestyle field, but that gave the team the flexibility to use her in all three relay races. That move paid dividends as Younker helped the 200 medley relay to a seventh-place finish at state after the team came in with the 12th-fastest qualifying time.
Younker added a seventh-place finish in the 100 butterfly as well.
"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," Heck said. "She's got a lot more in her. She's getting faster and improving and going in the right direction."
The new
Though not new to the team, sophomore Lily Thorsen had a breakout campaign in 2022.
Thorsen went from getting two events at sectionals last year - placing ninth in the 500 and 12th in the 100 breaststroke - to qualifying for state in four events this year. She wound up ninth at state in the breaststroke, 11th in the butterfly and was on the team's 200 medley and 200 freestyle relay squads.
"Lily has improved. I just can't believe how much she has improved all along," Heck said. "She's really worked hard since last year and her times have all just really come down. She just had a dynamite year. To qualify in four events - two individual and two relays - is just beautiful. She has a lot to be proud of. Her hard work has paid off."
Additionally, the Hodags had a pair of freshman who were able to contribute on relays. Camilla Gruett was on the 400 freestyle relay at state and helped the team qualify in the 200 medley relay at sectionals. Emma Houg was also the 200 medley relay.
Heck said both freshmen acquitted themselves well at state, which will bode well for them moving forward.
"For those girls to come in a high pressure situation, sometimes you don't realize what it's like until your here and you're behind the blocks, and I think they handled it extremely well," she said.
What's next
The expectations will remain high for the Hodags in 2023 as the team will return everyone except Fugle and alternate Gussie Gruett from this year's state team.
What's more, the team will gain a number of freshmen off a middle school team that won the Wisconsin Valley/Great Northern Conference middle school championship this fall - adding even more depth to an already deep squad.
"I think this sets us up well for next year," Winnicki said after the state meet. "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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