Hodag swimmers keep rolling, sink Colby/Abby

The hardest week of training of the entire season did little to slow down the Rhinelander High School girls’ swim team on Thursday. 

The Hodags remained perfect in the Great Northern Conference — both in the dual meet standings and in individual races — winning all 11 events again in a 131-37 victory at Colby/Abbotsford.

Rhinelander improved to 6-0 in the GNC as it appears well on its way to claiming a fifth straight conference title. The Hodags were strong again on Thursday, despite coming to the end of what coach Jenny Heck called “peak week.” The Hodags had their most yardage of the year this past week — including its annual 10,000-yard practice — before slowly backing down on the training leading into the end of the season.

“Overall, I thought it was a good meet considering the hard training we’ve had,” Heck said. “It’s been kind of a killer in the weight room this week too. Putting that all together, I was happy with the girls had to fight through and show a little grit tonight.”

Rhinelander is one meet away from winning every event during the conference regular season for the first time since 2020, in which is also when the team won the WIAA Division 2 state title. The Hodags were pushed in a couple of events on Thursday, but rallied to score wins. 

Freshman Vivian Lamers rallied from behind in the breaststroke leg of the 200-yard individual medley to pass Colby/Abbotsford’s Madisyn Schraufnagel. Her time of 2 minutes, 20.28 seconds was enough to win by 2.27 seconds. Similarly, in the 500 freestyle, freshman Rylee Mickevicius took the lead from Colby/Abbotsford’s Chloe Cihlar with roughly 150 yards to go and claimed the win (5:50.50). Freshman teammate June Chiamulera rallied for second while Cihlar faded over the final 100 yards to finish third. 

“She pulled off a best time. That was a good challenge for her. The Colby girl’s pretty fast. That was a good race,” Heck said of Lamers’s performance in the 200 IM. “Rylee had best time in the 500 free and also came from behind at the 150 mark to pull ahead and get the win. All of the 500 girls, that training just warmed them up. Margaret Lambert dropped over 40 seconds from her last year’s best time in the 500 free (fourth, 6:06.95). That was really just amazing.” 

Lamers was one of three four-event winners on the night for the Hodags, joining seniors Abi Winnicki and Karis Francis. Lamers was part of a top three sweep in the 100 freestyle (56.01), Winnicki was tops in the 100 butterfly (59.57) and the 100 breaststroke (1:07.99) while Francis took the 200 freestyle (2:00.84) and the 100 backstroke (59.43). The three swam with junior Ellyse Younker to claim bot the 200 medley relay (1:54.21) and the 400 freestyle relay (3:41.52).

Rhinelander got an individual win from Celia Francis in the 50 freestyle (26.04). She teamed with Millie Gruett, Lily Thorsen and Ella Heck to win the 200 freestyle relay (1:45.28).

Rhinelander claimed at least the top two spots in nine of the 11 events on Thursday. Karis Francis led a top three sweep in the 200 freestyle with Younker and Gruett. Thorsen and Gruett tied for second behind Lamers in the 100 freestyle. Celia Francis and Sam Sundby completed a top three sweep behind Winnicki in the breaststroke. 

Celia Francis and Thorsen went 1-2 in the 50, Winnicki and Houg took first and second in the 100 butterfly and Mickevicius and Chiamulera went 1-2 in the 500. 

Houg, Ella Heck, Thorsen and Celia Francis made up the runner-up quartet in the medley relay. Kiley Pooch, Claire Caselton, Mickevicius and Chiamulera were second in the 200 freestyle relay. Gruett, Chiamulera, Mickevicius and Houg were second in the 400 freestyle relay.

“They always seem to swim best when they’re having fun and this team sure likes to have fun,” coach Heck said. “We said, ‘You’re going to be tired. You’re going to be sore. You’re going to be uncomfortable, but you’ve still got to do it.’ That’s what they did and that’s part of it. Sometimes that increases your mental strength and mental power. You don’t always feel the best but you’ve still got to swim fast.”

Rhinelander will close out the conference dual meet season at home against Antigo on Thursday. It will be the final home meet for this year’s senior class.

“The seniors get to go after what they want to go after,” coach Heck said. “Once we get that meet, that’s it, and conference is the following week. Things are winding down. We’re getting there and we just keep plugging away at some of those times.”

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].