Still something to prove

The Rhinelander High School boys’ swim team does not have much to prove as it heads back to Waukesha tonight as the defending WIAA Division 2 state champions — at least not to itself or the rest of Hodag nation.  

Repeating as state champions will be a difficult feat. In addition to graduating five of the nine swimmers who competed at state last year, last year’s runner-up McFarland added a lot of talent from a season ago and is projected as the overwhelming favorite.

Still, much like how the Hodag girls followed their 2020 state championship with a runner-up finish in 2021, the Hodag boys have an excellent opportunity to walk out of Waukesha with the silver trophy this year. 

It will not be easy. The Hodags are projected only 2 1/2 points ahead of Whitefish Bay for second, based on the qualifying performances from last weekend’s sectionals. While a top-two finish isn’t necessary to validate a great year for the Hodags, they admitted there is some motivation to prove to the rest of the state that last year’s title was not a fluke.

“A trophy is a placeholder,” said captain Zacha King, the lone senior on this year’s squad. “What we need to do to ‘validate’ what we did last year is to just go out on Friday and show them that we can swim fast. That it wasn’t a one and done.”

That was a sentiment echoed this week by coach Jenny Heck.

“If we can show that we can swim fast with another group and we have new guys and freshmen coming in swimming fast, (it will show) that we’re just a strong team and a motivated team and we work hard. It wasn’t a fluke, we’re just fast.”

King will be joined by juniors Dolan O’Malley Mathias Fugle, Shawn Denis, Samson Shinners and Brock Arrowood, along with freshman Judson O’Malley. Freshman Charlie Antonuk will also be on hand as a relay alternate. The Hodags will have 16 entries this year, tied with Whitefish Bay for second-most in the meet, behind only McFarland (18).  

Much like last year, when the Hodags’ only event win came in the 200-yard freestyle relay, Rhinelander will look to rely on depth in multiple events, as well as its ability to rack up top-six finishes to keep pace. 

Helping Rhinelander in the fight for second may be the fact that McFarland appears to be so dominant this year. The Spartans come in as 107-point favorites over Rhinelander, and hold the top seed in six events — including all three relays.

“We don’t have that expectation of the win because they’re projected so far ahead and they’re such a fast team. But, at the same time, you always try to do the best your team can do. The best we could possibly do is second and that would be amazing if we could get that. It’s going to be a battle for second and, sometimes, the battle for second is just as strong as the battle for first,” Heck said. “Whitefish Bay has a fast team. They have a lot of guys who are really dedicated swimmers who swim year-round and are just very strong and are going to drop some time. They know how this works. They’re going to be out for second as well. It’s going to be a matter of who can place higher. Who can edge out the next person.”

Here are five storylines going into tonight’s meet at the Waukesha South High School Natatorium.

Zacha’s back

King was Rhinelander’s top finisher in an individual event last year, finishing runner-up in the 100 backstroke. He comes in as the No. 2 qualifier in that event this year (51.45 seconds), trailing only McFarland’s Blake TeBeest. That time is already 0.32 seconds faster than what King swam at state last year. 

“I’m not really worried about what other people are going to do as much as how I’m going to swim,” King said. “I’m seeded a little higher than I was last year, but that doesn’t mean anything at this point. We’ve just got to see what’s going to happen on Friday.”

King also comes in seeded high in the 200 individual medley, in fourth overall (1:59.61). He placed fifth in the event last year — holding the varsity record at 1:58.58 for all of about four minutes, until teammate Daniel Gillingham eclipsed him in a fourth-place finish. 

“Zacha loves competition. He loves the state meet,” Heck said. “He just thrives on all of it and thinks it’s so much fun. I’m excited to see what he can do. He had some good seeds coming into the meet and he swam really fast at sectionals. He hasn’t reached the ceiling yet and I just want him to achieve all of his goals.”

Relay important

The Hodags’ battle for the runner-up spot in the overall standings could come down to how it fares head-to-head against Whitefish Bay in the three relay races, which count for double points in the standings. 

Rhinelander’s projected to outpoint Whitefish Bay 96-94 in the relays. The Hodags hold the second seed in the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays, and check in fifth in the 400 freestyle relay. Whitefish Bay is seeded third in both the 200 medley and 200 freestyle and fourth in the 400 freestyle. 

“We’re seeded second, but that second could be anybody’s second. They’re all very close,” Heck said. “We can’t just assume that we’re going to keep that. The 200s could be anybody for that second place. In the 400 free, we’re not seeded as high but we have more ability to move up. There are so many points in the relays, being double points, we’ve got to be ultra-focused. Every day we’re going to be practicing those relays and make sure we’ve got it down and swim the best we can.” 

Moving on up

    Rhinelander’s Shawn Denis competes in the 100-yard breaststroke during a WIAA Division 2 boys’ swimming sectional meet in Ashwaubenon Saturday, Feb. 10. Denis, seeded seventh in the event, is one of several Hodags looking to improve position at tonight’s state meet and vie for a podium finish. (Jeremy Mayo/River News)
  

Aside from King, Fugle is the only Hodag who qualified in a podium position in an individual event. Fugle was the fifth-fastest qualifier in the 100 freestyle. 

Half of Rhinelander’s 16 entries will swim in the first of two heats in Friday’s finals. While that’s considered the “slow” heat, based on qualifying times, that may serve as an advantage for Hodag swimmers looking to move up the rankings. 

That’s especially true for someone like Shinners, who is the ninth seed in the 200 freestyle and the 100 freestyle. He should have the benefit of open water, being at or near the lead of the first heat, as opposed of trying to battle through the wakes from one of the outside lanes in the second heat if he had qualified seventh or eighth.

“I’m looking forward to dropping some time, not being in lane eight,” Shinners said. “I’m excited to get some open water and drop some time. After my performance at sectionals, I think I can drop a lot of time in my 200 and 100 and I can try to fight for a podium.”

“Some of those guys in the first heat are going to have to make big jumps to knock off some of those guys in the top eight,” Heck said.

Sibling rivalry

The Hodags will have most of the middle lanes in the first heat of the 100 backstroke to themselves, after putting four swimmers in the final 16. That includes brothers Dolan and Judson O’Malley who will start side-by-side in the lanes 4 and 5 as the ninth and 10th overall qualifiers in the event. 

While Dolan is two years Judson’s senior, he’ll come in with a bit of a handicap, having just completed a leg of the 200 freestyle relay a few minutes prior to the race. 

“In the 100 back, the goal is to not die and for sure try not to lose to my little brother on the big stage when he’ll probably be out in front,” Dolan O’Malley admitted.

“It will be fun. Hopefully I’ll be ahead of him the whole time and that will just make me go faster,” Judson O’Malley said.

Lone freshman

Judson O’Malley is the lone freshman competing at state for the Hodags this year, a feat that seemed hard to fathom in September when he was in the operating room, having surgery on a knee that was injured during the football season. 

“I’m thankful that it healed up as well as it has,” he said. “Surgery was five months ago, not that long. I’ve been working hard with all these guys to get me back into shape and get me back into be in that first heat. It’s really exciting.”

Judson O’Malley said he’s looked up to all of the upperclassmen — older brother included — to drive him during the season.

“Watching these guys for a while and finally coming and getting in, it’s a real honor,” he said. “These guys work really hard all season and now is the time where it pays off. For them to help me to get to that (point), it’s really cool.”

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].