Hodag swimmers take third in state meet primer

The Rhinelander High School girls’ swim team raced Saturday at the same venue where it will look to vie for a state title in November. 

Results were strong as the Hodags came home as the top-finishing Division 2 school in the field and took third overall in the Blackshirt Invite at the Waukesha South Natatorium. 

The Hodags finished ahead of both last year’s WIAA Division 1 (Arrowhead, fourth) and Division 2 (Madison Edgewood, 10th) state champions. Rhinelander won three events, added three more top-three finishes and had 12 top-eight finishes overall.

“We go into this meet not sure what to expect because we don’t see a lot of these teams that are D1, D2 for that matter either,” coach Jenny Heck said. “We have a few ideas of who we’re up against, but I thought we were really after it each event, just not only making personal gains with times and technique. I think all the girls had something positive to take out of this meet.”

Senior Abi Winnicki had a strong meet for the Hodags, sweeping both the 100- and 200-yard freestyle races. She beat Middleton’s Tait Haag by more than a second to win the 200 (1 minute, 53.60 seconds) and swam to a 0.70-second win over Verona’s Kyrah Kittleson in the 100 (52.81).

“She was pleased with her times. She had very specific goals and it’s good for her to be on top. It’s the first time that she’s won her events there. That was really fun and optimistic,” coach Heck said.

Fellow senior Karis Francis joined Winnicki on the top step of the podium by winning the 100 breaststroke (1:06.53) by 0.31 seconds over Verona’s Annika Curran. Francis added a runner-up finish in the 100 butterfly (57.99), edged by Verona’s Isabelle Gnewuch.

“Same with Karis, it was great to have her. Those were some close races, too. To show those kinds of times at this time of year just shows how fast these girls are,” coach Heck said.

Freshman Celia Francis scored a third-place finish in the 100 backstroke (58.76) and the Hodags added a third-place showing in the 400 freestyle relay with Ellyse Younker, the Francis sisters and Winnicki (3:37.48).

Younker added a fourth-place showing in the 100 butterfly, which proved to be Rhinelander’s strongest event. Lily Thorsen took eighth in that event to give Rhinelander three swimmers on the podium.

“When you can get multiple people top eight it’s really telling of your depth,” coach Heck noted.

Rhinelander added fifth-place finishes in both the 200 medley relay and the 200 freestyle relay. Celia Francis, Thorsen, Millie Gruett and Ava Lamers made up the quartet in the medley while Younker, Karis Francis, Lamers and Winnicki swam the 200 freestyle relay.

Thorsen added an eighth-place showing in the 100 breaststroke and Celia Francis was eighth in the 100 freestyle.

Saturday’s meet marked the first time this year that the Hodags did not come out victorious in a meet. But coach Heck said invites like Saturday’s — and the ones coming up the next two weekends in Jefferson and Fond du Lac — are geared to get the Hodags swimming against elite competition ahead of sectionals and the WIAA D2 state meet in November.

“When they’re swimming against some of the fastest people in the state, it’s just exciting for everyone, whether they’re in that event or not,” she said. “I was really pleased with how we went after it. We weren’t timid. We were confident and I think that maybe surprised a few, too.”

Rhinelander 136, Lakeland 29

    Rhinelander’s Ellyse Younker swims the butterfly leg of the 200-yard medley relay during a GNC dual meet against Lakeland at the Heck Family Community Pool Thursday, Sept. 14. The Hodags set a pool record in the event with a time of 1 minute, 48.14 seconds. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

It was another record-breaking night for the Hodags Thursday at the Heck Family Community Pool. Two pool records fell as the Hodags won all 11 events and knocked off the T-Birds 136-29 in GNC action.

Winnicki got her name on the record board twice more. She narrowly eclipsed the pool record in the 100 freestyle and was part of the squad that set the mark in the 200 medley relay.

“These kids had to fight for these records,” coach Heck said. “We have three home meets left and they’ll have some chances to do that. We always love swimming in our pool because everyone’s cheering, it’s loud, the music’s great and it’s a lot of fun.”

Celia Francis, Karis Francis, Younker and Winnicki started the night with record in the 200 medley relay, hitting the wall in 1:48.14, more than two seconds ahead of the previous mark.

“The girls really smoked that record in the 200 medley relay, just four great splits. That was a lot of fun,” coach Heck said.

Winnicki then barely got the pool record in the 100 freestyle, getting to the wall in 53.03, just 0.01 seconds ahead of the mark set by Tomahawk’s Kylee Theiler in 2017.

“Abi just got it,” coach Heck said. “She’s definitely stronger than that. I think she’s got more in her for that record, but records are records.”

Karis Francis narrowly missed her older sister Kiah’s pool record in the 100 breaststroke (1:06.54) coming within a couple of tenths of the mark.

The Hodags outdueled reigning GNC swimmer of the year Olivia Mickle in both of her individual events. Karis Francis beat her by 5.38 seconds to take the 200 freestyle (1:57.75) and Celia Francis (58.75) swam to a 3.91-second victory over Mickle in the 100 backstroke. 

Celia Francis added a win in the 200 individual medley (2:16.83), Winnicki won the 50 freestyle (24.43), Younker took the 100 butterfly (1:00.03) and Emma Houg claimed the 500 freestyle (5:49.27).

Karis Francis, Lamers, Younker and Winnicki made up the winning quartet for the Hodags in the 200 freestyle relay (1:40.10). June Chiamulera, Thorsen, Lamers and Celia Francis took the 400 freestyle relay (3:50.23).

The Hodags finished 1-2 in all three relays and swept the top three in six of the eight individual events. 

“I would say every single one of the girls got their goal or was very close, or really was aggressive on their goal. That’s what I’m most proud of at this meet,” coach Heck said, noting in particular that senior Claire Caselton posted an automatic lettering time in the 200 freestyle. “I was so pleased, that 200 free was an automatic lettering time and you would have thought she got the pool record, the way everyone was cheering for her.”

Rhinelander (3-0 Great Northern) will host Tomahawk on Thursday in GNC dual meet play.

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].