Hodags swimmers take 2nd in Ashwaubenon

Five weeks before the start of the WIAA postseason, the Rhinelander High School boys’ swim team had a good sectional primer on Saturday. 

The Hodags won six events and took second place overall in the 12-team Jaguar Invite at Ashwaubenon High School. The performance came on the heels of Rhinelander sweeping a double dual from Medford and Shawano/Seymour at home on Thursday.

Bay Port’s superior depth proved to be the difference Saturday, as the Division-1 Pirates beat the Hodags by roughly 160 points for the overall title. Still, the Hodags garnered 12 top-five finishes overall as they prepare to return to Ashwaubenon in early February for Division 2 sectionals.

“We always love swimming against Bay Port. They’re a good team with guys who are close to us in time. Ashwaubenon, of course, being in our sectional, it’s always good to see what they’re doing and what they’re swimming,” coach Jenny Heck said. “This meet kind of gets us prepared for starting to think about the end of season, what we want to be swimming and starting to make some of those decisions. We have to start narrowing down our training and what we have to focus on. Not only were we really happy about times, but I felt like we came out with a lot of direction with where we’re going.”

The Hodags won all three relay races, capping off the day with a come-from-behind win in the 400-yard freestyle relay. Junior Samson Shinners swam a 48.78-second split over the final 100 yards to move the Hodags from third to first (3:26.06) and make a winner out of a team that included Dolan O’Malley, Judson O’Malley and Zacha King. 

King, Shawn Denis, Brock Arrowood and Mathias Fugle started out the day with a win in the 200 medley relay (1:39.98) and the Hodags also took the 200 freestyle relay with the team of Arrowood, Shinners, Denis and Fugle (1:30.53). 

“We were hoping, being seeded first in those relays, you never know how those are going to come out,” Heck said. “They were all really exciting, and the B relays did well too and moved up in points. The 400 free relay was especially exciting, coming from behind for the win. That was really fun.”

In general, freestyle was fast for the Hodags on Saturday. Denis and Fugle both cracked the 23-second mark as they finished 1-2 in the 50. Denis got to the wall first at 22.73. Fugle took the 100 freestyle (49.64) and had a sub 22-second split in the anchor leg of the 200 freestyle relay. Shinners took the win in the 200 freestyle (1:48.71). 

“Freestyle was just fast in general,” Heck said. “Shawn and Bubba (Fugle) in that 50 free were fun to watch and had really fast times.”

King added a runner-up swim for the Hodags in the 100 backstroke (54.41) and tied for third in the 100 butterfly (55.00). Denis was third for Rhinelander in the 100 breaststroke (1:02.73), Dolan O’Malley was fourth in the 200 individual medley (2:08.00) and Arrowood was fifth in the 100 butterfly.

“Zacha’s backstroke was really fast and his fly was really good too, and Brock’s fly was really good,” Heck noted. “Shawn swam a season-best in the breaststroke. We’re excited about those as well. All those guys just had good drops that were season-bests. That’s what we were kind of hoping for at this point. If they weren’t their best, they were right there.”

Home double dual

    Rhinelander’s Mathias Fugle competes in the 200-yard freestyle during a GNC boys’ swimming double dual against Medford and Shawano/Seymour at the Heck Family Community Pool Thursday, Jan. 4. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

The Hodags went into Saturday’s meet by taking all 11 events in a home double dual meet and earning victories over Shawano/Seymour (106-42) and Medford (105-41). Though the meet was scheduled by the Great Northern Conference, the double duals that comprise the second-half of the conference schedule do not factor into the overall conference standings.

“Each and every one of these guys had something positive happen and it was a fun meet. Having three teams here was a lot more exciting,” Heck said. “We had a good crowd here with some of the college kids still around on break.”

Rhinelander went after Heck Pool records in both the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays, coming up just short in both bids. 

The team of King, Denis, Arrowood and Fugle came with in 0.12 seconds of the pool record in the medley relay, winning that event with a time of 1:41.17. Shinners, Arrowood, King and Fugle took the 400 freestyle relay (3:22.93), finishing roughly a second and a half off the pool record. 

“Our medley relay and our 400 free relay just missed the pool records, but I just know they all went after it and gave it their all,” Heck said. “To me, that’s what I’m proud of. They were so close and all of them gave full effort.”

Rhinelander swept the top three spots in the 100 freestyle, with Shinners (50.78), edging out Arrowood and Judson O’Malley. The Hodags secured five other 1-2 finishes in the meet. Arrowood (23.28) beat Judson O’Malley for the win in the 50 freestyle, King (55.59) bested Dolan O’Malley in the 100 butterfly and Dolan O’Malley (58.90) beat Denis to win the 100 backstroke.

Additionally, the Hodags went 1-2 in the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays. In the 200 freestyle relay, Antonuk caught and passed teammate Chris Larson over the final 50 yards to give the B entry (1:36.02) the win over the A.

“Really pleased with the times we are seeing,” Heck said. “They are showing times we didn’t see until end of season last year. They are all looking strong and technically solid.”

Antonuk won both the 500 freestyle (5:41.72) and the 100 breaststroke (1:13.47). Denis added a win in the 200 individual medley (2:05.55).

The Hodags are back in action this coming Thursday in a conference dual meet at Antigo and then head to Appleton for another invite this coming Friday. With a number of invites on the schedule for January, Heck said the Hodags have to push through as they get ready for the postseason run.

“You’ve got to keep the training up and just swim through these meets as fast as you can, even though you’re tired,” she said. “That’s part of the training too, swimming fast when you’re tired and getting used to that so when you get to end of season and you’re not so tired and feel a little more rested with the taper, it’s much easier and more effective.”

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].