Hodag swimmers dominate Jefferson Invite

The Rhinelander High School girls’ swim team continues to serve notice to teams in the southern half of the state that it will be a squad to reckon with when the WIAA state meet rolls around.

The Hodags won nine events, including a pair of 1-2 sweeps, as they won the nine-team Jefferson/Cambridge Eagle Jay Invite going away on Saturday. 

Rhinelander bested a field that included three of the top eight teams from last year’s WIAA D2 state meet. The Hodags beat Baraboo by 176 points for the top spot on Saturday. The Thunderbirds edged Rhinelander by two points for fourth at state last November. Jefferson/Cambridge, which took eighth at state last year, finished third. 

“We didn’t know what to expect. We’ve never been to this pool or this invite before. We obviously did really well. It was fun to swim against some of these teams like Baraboo, Jefferson, who we’re going to see at state,” Hodag coach Jenny Heck said. “It was a nice time to spend as a team and have no pressure. We came into this meet thinking let’s just go after whatever events we’re in and not worry about what we do for a final team score. When we saw the final team score we were really thrilled because that wasn’t really our goal. Our goal was just to swim technically really good and have some new competition.”

Seniors Abi Winnicki and Karis Francis were both four-event winners for the Hodags. Winnicki narrowly missed Karen Burton-Reeder’s school record in the 500-yard freestyle as she won the event in 5 minutes, 10.29 seconds. The oldest girls’ school record, standing since 1979, survived by 0.02 seconds. 

Heck noted that the lights briefly went out during the 500 freestyle, but that Winnicki seemed unfazed. 

“She didn’t really skip a beat, maybe two-hundredths (of a second) though,” Heck quipped.

Winnicki also won the 50 freestyle (24.95). Karis Francis beat 2022 state champion Jordyn Davis of Jefferson/Cambridge to win the 100 butterfly (58.93) and also claimed the 100 breaststroke (1:06.78).

The Hodags scored a pair of 1-2 finishes. Freshman Vivian Lamers took the 100 freestyle (55.94) by 1.10 seconds over teammate Ellyse Younker. Rhinelander ended the meet with a 1-2 sweep in the 400 freestyle relay. Celia Francis, Lamers, Younker and Winnicki made up the winning quartet (3:41.00), roughly 15.5 seconds ahead of June Chiamulera, Kiley Pooch, Rylee Mickevicius and Millie Gruett. 

“There have been years where we’ve really struggled with that event,” Heck said of the 400 freestyle relay. “To go 1-2 with fast times with all of those girls, what at way to end.”

Celia Francis added a win in the 100 backstroke (58.95). Rhinelander took the 200 medley relay with the Francis sisters, Younker and Winnicki (1:49.83) as well as the 200 freestyle relay with Karis Francis, Gruett, Ella Heck and Thorsen (1:43.77). The Hodags placed fourth in both of those events with their B entry.

Celia Francis added a third-place swim in the 200 freestyle, Thorsen was third in the 200 individual medley and senior Margaret Lambert was third in the 100 backstroke.

“Third place for Margaret and a good time for her too,” coach Heck said. “I was happy to see her (do well). Margaret’s really been working hard on her backstroke returns and she keeps making steady improvements. It’s great to see her come on strong this year.”

Emma Houg added a fourth-place swim in the 200 freestyle, Lamers took fourth in the 200 individual medley and Thorsen took fourth in the 100 breaststroke. Younker added a fifth-place swim in the 200 IM.

Hodags 138, Tomahawk 21

    Rhinelander’s Karis Francis competes in the 100-yard breaststroke during a GNC girls’ swimming dual meet against Tomahawk at the Heck Family Community Pool Thursday, Sept. 21. Francis set a pool record in the event with a time of 1 minute, 6.24 seconds. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

Karis Francis took down the pool record in the 100 breaststroke and the Hodags dominated Tomahawk 138-21 in a GNC dual meet Thursday at the Heck Family Community Pool.

Francis took down the mark set in 2016 by her older sister, Kiah. She hit the wall in 1:06.24 to eclipse the mark by 0.27 seconds.

“Karis’s 100 breast, that was her goal to get that pool record,” coach Heck noted. “She’s been close and she wanted another shot at it. She just came out strong and ready. I was really happy for her. That was her goal and she kept her strokes long and looked really good.”

Karis Francis was one of three four-event winners on the night for Rhinelander, joining Winnicki and Younker. 

Karis Francis added a win in the 200 IM (2:10.47). Winnicki took the 200 freestyle (1:55.62) and the 100 backstroke (59.09). Younker was the winner in the 50 freestyle (25.35) and the 100 butterfly (1:00.21).

Celia Francis and Lamers were three-event winners on the night. The younger Francis took the 500 freestyle (5:46.62) while Lamers was tops in the 100 freestyle (55.85). 

Both Francis sisters, Younker and Lamers made up the winning 200 medley relay team (1:50.59); Winnicki, Younker, Lamers and Karis Francis claimed the 200 freestyle relay (1:40.80); Celia Francis, Pooch, Gruett and Winnicki won the 400 freestyle relay (3:50.27).

The Hodags finished two points away from a perfect score on the night, only a runner-up finish by Tomahawk’s Paige Dekiep in the 50 freestyle kept Rhinelander from perfection. 

Dekiep, the D2 state runner-up in the butterfly last year, was mainly relegated to relay duty on Thursday. The Hodags flexed their superior depth in the relays, finishing 1-2 ahead of Tomahawk in all three events. Even the Hodags’ non-scoring C relay posted a faster time than Tomahawk’s A relay in the 200 medley and 400 freestyle.

“When you can have those A, B and C relays as strong as they are, and those B and C relays are fighting it out too (between each other),” coach Heck said. “It’s fun but it’s exhausting putting these relays together because there are so many options.”

Rhinelander got individual runner-up finishes from Thorsen (200 freestyle, 100 breaststroke), Houg (200 IM, 100 backstroke), Mickevicius (100 butterfly), Gruett (100 freestyle) and Chiamulera (500 freestyle). Coach Heck noted that senior Sam Sundby, a breaststroke specialist, posted an automatic lettering time in a third-place finish in the 200 freestyle.

Rhinelander (4-0) took over sole possession of first in the GNC after Colby/Abbotsford fell to Medford on Thursday. The Hodags are back in the pool Thursday as they host Mosinee. 

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].