Hodags Winnicki, Francis announce D-I plans

After capping off their decorated high school careers with a second state championship on Friday night, Rhinelander’s Abi Winnicki and Karis Francis are looking forward to the next chapter.

Both swimmers are moving on to swim collegiately at the NCAA Division-I level. Winnicki will be moving on to swim at UCLA while Francis will head to Liberty University in Virginia.

The two planned to formally announce their plans on Monday, after press time for today’s edition.  

“They’re quite a dynamic duo,” Hodag coach Jenny Heck said of two of the leaders that helped guide the Hodags this year. “To have them both be leaders on this year, it’s such an invaluable experience.

“I’m really happy for them. I’ve known them both since they’ve been little and to think that they’re seniors and they’re now going to go out and spread their wings, it’s time for them but, at the same time, I feel that they’re little girls looking up to their older sisters.” 

Winnicki and Francis spoke to the River News last week ahead of their formal announcement.  They both said it was apparent pretty early on in the recruiting process where they wanted to land.

“It was my first official (visit) and it was literally perfect,” Winnicki said. “I got on campus and everything was perfect. Hearing about everything they have for the athletes and the students was really nice.”

Francis was already quite familiar with the Lynchburg, Va. campus, given that her older sisters, Kiah and Malia, both went on to swim for the Flames after high school. Karis Francis said that familiarity helped in the process.

“That was definitely very helpful, knowing the ins and outs of the program and all the ups and downs, things like that,” she said. “Knowing they had such success going there and all the things they’ve been able to tell me about the school, it just has everything that I need there.”

Winnicki and Francis ended their high school careers as two of the most decorated swimmers in Hodag girls’ history. 

Francis won four events at the state meet on Friday, setting school records in all four events in the process. She was part of five state championship entries in her high school career. Winnicki holds the school record in the 100, 200 and 500 freestyle events, along with two relays. She closed her career with state titles in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays on Friday, along with top three finishes in the 100 and 200 freestyle. 

Even then, both said those lofty numbers didn’t exactly have Division I schools beating down their doors, both had to take a very proactive role in their recruiting.

“I’m above average when it comes to swimming, but that kind of puts you in a dead spot for recruiting,” Winnicki explained. “Nobody really reaches out to you, so you have to be the one to send out all the emails. I started pretty late. I sent out some emails before high school state last year, but that’s when more colleges started showing interest, since I had big drops. I sent out a bunch more emails in the winter months. That’s when I started talking to colleges.”

“It wasn’t easy,” Francis added. “You had to reach out to the schools yourself and you had to make sure you were keeping the conversation going, but the thing about Liberty that was different was they kept the conversation going. They wanted me there and I also had known the coaches there for a while, so I felt a little more connected to the school.”

Heck said both Winnicki and Francis always had plenty of natural talent which blossomed into success once they reached the high school level.

“Abi always had natural talent and was always tall, so she always looked older than she was, but just really talented and you never knew how far it was going to take her,” coach Heck said. “For a little while there in middle school I think she kind of backed off from swimming a little bit, but then she got into high school and she never turned back. She just became more dedicated and driven. 

“Karis, I’ll never forget freshman year, I know she has a family of swimming siblings but she had other interests at that time too. Swimming wasn’t everything and she just took off freshman year and continuing on after high school (that year). She made huge gains.”

While both Winnicki and Francis thanked their parents, siblings and coaches, both shared special gratitude for club coach Melissa Wolf, who they said helped rekindle their love for the sport. 

“She brought be back to where I needed to be for swimming and she’s so down to earth and real that she made me feel wanted for the sport. She’s really what started the next level for me,” Winnicki said.

“She was the one who really got me into loving swim,” Francis added. “Like Abi said, she’s very down to earth. She made you feel special. She made you feel like you could do anything. All you had to do was put in the work and she was going to provide it for you. She was so supportive.”

UCLA posted a 6-3 record in 2022-23 and finished fourth in the Pac-12 under the direction of Jordan Wolfrum, who is in her fifth season as head coach of the Bruins.

While it didn’t weigh heavily in her final decision, Winnicki said UCLA’s impending move to the Big Ten was an added perk, with a number of meets taking place closer to home.

“That was definitely something too. I’ll be far (away), but I’ll be able to come back closer and hopefully have people watch me swim,” she said. 

Liberty won its fifth straight Coastal Collegiate Sports Association women’s swim and dive title last winter before moving to the Atlantic Sun Conference for the 2023-24 season. The Flames are currently 1-1 in dual meets this season under the direction of coach Jake Shellenberger, who has led the program since its inception in 2009.

“I know the team has a very unique way of training,” Francis said. “They are very individualized with their swimmers. They make sure everyone gets the individual work that they need. They do check-ins on the swimmers, things like that. They’re almost like a family.” 

If anyone is familiar with what the two have in store, it’s Heck who swam collegiately at UW-Madison. She said time management will be key to managing a training-intensive sport while taking on a college course load. She added that both, coming from the smaller program, have the drive it takes to be successful at the next level. 

“We come from a small town where we don’t have all the other training and opportunities and the big pools and the multitude of coaches,” she said. “They’ve had to have that dedication and internal drive to become so successful. They didn’t always have someone hounding over them, as some programs do. 

“You have to have that internal drive. If you don’t have it in college, you’re not going to improve. You have to want it because it’s hard work to swim D-I. You’re spending hours and hours not only trying to figure out what you’re going to do with your life, but also training five hours a day. I think that drive and dedication will serve them well.”

As they get ready for their next adventure, both Winnicki and Francis imparted some words of advice for those coming up within the program.

“There’s a lot of hard work and community around swim,” Winnicki said. “Just stick with it. Even when there are hard times, things will always get better.”

Added Francis, “It takes a really strong person to stick with it and to continue doing and know they want to do that for college. It definitely helps knowing you have those goals in the future. That’s a good thing to look at, but just leaning on your swim team, leaning on your teammates, all that and trusting your coach. You have to put in more work than you would ever think that you need to. It’s hard and, to see results, you have to put in the extra work.”

Winnicki said she plans to major in pre-medicine at UCLA. Francis said she is undecided on her major at Liberty, but currently plans to pursue a degree in the business field.  

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].