Sports Digest

Francis takes 38th at Olympic Trials

Rhinelander native Malia Francis placed 38th out of 59 swimmers Thursday in the 200-meter backstroke at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Indianapolis. 

    Francis
  

Francis, swimming in the third of eight preliminary heats, posted a time of 2 minutes, 14.07 seconds. Only the top 16 swimmers from Thursday morning’s preliminaries advanced to the semifinals. That field was narrowed to eight finalists Thursday night and two Olympic qualifiers on Friday.

Francis’s time was roughly nine tenths of a second slower than the 2:13.19 she posted June 2 at the Virginia Commonwealth Games, which allowed her to qualify for the trials as she beat the qualifying time standard in the event of 2:13.59. 

It was Francis’s second time qualifying for the Olympic Trials. She competed in the 100-meter backstroke in 2021, and finished 16th in Wave I of the event, which was ineligible to qualify for the Olympics. The field was separated into two waves that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Francis, who was an eight-time WIAA state champion in girls’ swimming at Rhinelander High School, is entering her redshirt sophomore season at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. 

Snellenberger grabs IMCA win at Eagle River Speedway

Two-time track champion “Hot Rod” Snellenberger passed Jason Zdroik for the lead with five laps remaining and went on to collect the IMCA stock car feature at Eagle River Speedway last Tuesday night.

Snellenberger, who is Wisconsin’s winningest IMCA stock car driver of all time, trailed another former track champion who was substitute driving for his brother. Jason Zdroik jumped into the early lead and appeared headed for a victory. However Snellenberger remained within striking distance of Zdroik and with seven laps remaining began to close the gap.

On lap 15 Snellenberger ducked underneath the Eagle River veteran and cruised to victory. On the final circuit coming out of turn four Zdroik clobbered the frontstretch wall, relegating him to a fourth-place finish. 

Defending track champion David Blackberg finished second with Patrick Farley Jr. coming home in third. Hometown driver Jonathan Miller rounded out the top five.

For Snellenberger, the win was his 223rd career IMCA stock car feature flag.

Pittsville’s Hoyt Cournoyer swept action in the 600 micro sprint class by winning both his heat and the feature race. In the pro 300 micro sprint action Cooper Aho beat his brother Carter Aho to the line to win his feature race. Addison Dishaw of Ontonagon, Mich. won the semi-pro 300 feature.

The rest of the feature races were canceled due to rain showers that moved over the track.

Weekly racing will resume on Tuesday, June 25. The first green flag flies at 7:15 p.m.