Hodag swimmers move to 7-0, focus on claiming 5th straight GNC title

The scoreboard said the Rhinelander High School girls’ swim team was perfect on Monday night. The stopwatch told a slightly different tale, however. 

The Hodags scored maximum points in every event for the second time this season and cruised to a 140-20 victory over Antigo in the Great Northern Conference dual meet finale at the Heck Family Community Pool.

The meet took place four days later than scheduled after a temporary emergency maintenance issue forced the Heck Pool to be closed last Wednesday afternoon and Thursday. Given last weekend’s homecoming festivities, Monday was the earliest the Hodags could make up the dual. While the Hodags rolled in every event over the last-place Red Robins, the majority of the team’s times were off the pace from their season bests. 

“It was not ideal to have a Monday meet by any means,” coach Jenny Heck said. “Thursday the girls were ready. It’s too bad that we didn’t have that opportunity but, that happens sometimes. If they didn’t hit it tonight, they’ll be hitting it on Friday. 

“We were a little bit sluggish all around. That’s OK. You’ve got to swim fast at the right times and I’m still hopeful these girls will swim fast when it counts.”

The Hodags had a lineup set to go after as many as five Heck Pool records on Monday. Only one of them fell. Senior Abi Winnicki, in her final home meet, bettered her own pool record in the 100-yard freestyle by 0.11 seconds, hitting the wall at 52.92.

“That was definitely a goal of hers,” coach Heck said. “It was close but to be a 52 right now, is really promising —especially in this situation of not an ideal Monday meet. I thought that was good for her.”

    Rhinelander’s Karis Francis competes in the 100-yard breaststroke during a GNC girls’ swim meet against Antigo at the Heck Family Community Pool Monday, Oct. 16. Francis came within a tenth of a second of her own pool record in the event. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

Fellow senior Karis Francis nearly joined Winnicki in resetting the record board. She went 1:06.34 in the 100 breaststroke, missing the pool record she set earlier this year by a tenth of a second. 

Rhinelander had Winnicki, Karis Francis and Celia Francis in all three relays in an effort to go after those pool records, but missed the mark in all three. The three and Ellyse Younker came up about 1.4 seconds short in the 200 medley relay (1:49.56). The trio swam with freshman Vivian Lamers in both the 200 and 400 freestyle relay, missing the mark by 1.7 seconds in the 200 (1:40.11) and 2.2 seconds in the 400 (3:40.31).

There were eight different winners in the eight individual events, and Rhinelander had nine swimmers play a role in at least one victory overall. 

The closest races of the night came in the 100 backstroke, the 100 butterfly and the 50 freestyle. Freshman Rylee Mickevicius won the 100 backstroke (1:08.11) by 0.11 seconds over senior teammate Margaret Lambert. Freshman June Chiamulera finished third, 0.45 seconds back. Lily Thorsen claimed a tight victory in a three-way battle among teammates in the 100 butterfly (1:03.24). Millie Gruett was second and Lamers finished third as the top three were separated by 0.97 seconds. Lamers took the 50 freestyle (25.44) ahead of Younker (25.77) and Celia Francis (26.05).

Chiamulera won the 200 freestyle (2:08.55), Emma Houg took the 200 individual medley (2:24.38) and Younker claimed the 500 freestyle (5:40.29).

The Hodags celebrated their six seniors — Winnicki, Karis Francis, Lambert, Sam Sundby, Abbie Ames and Claire Caselton — during intermission of the meet. The group is already one of the most decorated in program history. They’ve won three straight GNC titles, three straight sectional titles, have a state title in 2020, a state runner-up finish in 2021 and are poised to add to those accomplishments before this season is done. 

“I’m so proud of these girls. Six (seniors), that’s quite a group to lose,” coach Heck said. “Whether they’ve been great leaders in the pool or out of the water, they’ve all added a lot to this team and have been really important to the team. I think all the underclassmen have learned something from all of them. I guess that’s what you look at in life.”

GNC meet ahead

The Hodags will look to cross off the first of their goals tonight when they compete at the GNC meet in Antigo. Rhinelander is the overwhelming favorite to win its fifth straight conference title overall, entering the meet with at least the top two times in the conference in every event this season.

Heck said it will be an opportunity to celebrate all 16 members of the team. Due to having limited entries at sectionals, it will be the final meet of the season for a handful of the swimmers. 

“Friday our goal is for this to be our final team meet. Everyone will have an individual event and we’ll be strong on our relays, have three relays, hopefully, for each of the three (races),” she said. “These girls have been really a team this whole season. I think they all deserve that shot to go fast both in relays and individual events. They’ve earned that opportunity. It’s a little different approach than we’ve taken other years, but we’re able to do that given how strong we are. I think it’s the right thing to do.”

The Hodags will also have to contend with the oddity of swimming in a meter pool. Antigo’s McKenna Aquatic Center is the only short-course meter pool in the conference, while the rest of the pools are short-course yards. That will mean a little extra distance in each event, with the exception of the 500-yard freestyle, which will be contested as the 400-meter freestyle tonight. 

“It’s not always a perfect scenario, and the meter pool’s not a perfect scenario, but it’s also a good training tool,” coach Heck said. “You swim a little bit longer, all of a sudden that 100 yards seems a little bit better. It’s not always a bad thing.”

Regardless of what happens tonight, Rhinelander is guaranteed to hold the conference record in every event. That’s because, should any of tonight’s times convert to a mark faster than the current conference record, both the meter conversion and the yard record will be retained. The only record still standing from the last time the GNC meet was held in Antigo back in 2015 is Kiah Francis’ mark in the 100 butterfly (1:04.30/57.88 converted).  

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].