RHS swim teams honored by WISCA

The Rhinelander High School boys’ and girls’ swim teams were honored for their successful 2023-24 seasons Sunday during the annual Wisconsin Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association banquet held in Hartford.

The Hodag girls won their second WIAA Division 2 state championship in four years, and headlined the list of honorees. Senior Karis Francis was named WISCA D2 girls’ swimmer of the year while Jenny Heck took home D2 girls’ coach of the year honors. 

In total 13 members of the Hodag swim teams — seven girls and six boys — earned WISCA all-state honors based on their performances at the WIAA D2 state meet. Additionally, five members of the girls’ swim team received academic all-state recognition. 

Karis Francis was the only four-event winner at last November’s WIAA D2 girls’ state swim meet. She won a pair of tight individual races at state, claiming the 100-yard breaststroke by 0.01 seconds over Stoughton’s Cheyenne Borroughs, and beating Sauk Prairie’s Savannah Acker by 0.40 seconds for the title in the 100 butterfly. Francis was also part of wins for the Hodags in the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays. 

For Heck, it marked her third WISCA coach of the year award. The first two came after the Hodag girls’ state title in 2020 and the Hodag boys’ state championship in 2023.

The Hodag girls won six events last November as they took the D2 state title while the Hodag boys nabbed a number of podium finishes as they backed up their 2023 state title with a runner-up finish behind McFarland this past February.

Swimmers earned all-state recognition by either placing inside the top six in an event at the WIAA state meet, or posting a time at state that surpassed a pre-determined qualifying standard. 

Karis Francis (200 medley relay, 100 butterfly, 100 breaststroke, 400 freestyle relay), Abi Winnicki (200 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle relay, 400 freestyle relay ), Ellyse Younker (200 medley relay, 200 freestyle relay), Lily Thorsen (200 medley relay) , Millie Gruett (200 freestyle relay), Celia Francis (200 medley really, 200 IM, 100 backstroke, 400 freestyle relay) and Vivian Lamers (50 freestyle, 200 freestyle relay, 400 freestyle relay) received all-state honors for top-three finishes at state. Lamers also received honorable mention for a sixth-place swim in the 100 freestyle.

On the boys’ side Zacha King (200 medley relay, 100 backstroke, 400 freestyle relay), Shawn Denis (200 medley relay, 200 freestyle relay), Brock Arrowood (200 medley relay, 400 freestyle relay), Dolan O’Malley (200 medley relay, 200 freestyle relay), Matthias Fugle (200 freestyle relay, 400 freestyle relay) and Samson Shinners (200 freestyle relay, 400 freestyle relay) all earned all-state honors. King (200 IM), Fugle (100 freestyle), Shinners (100 freestyle) and Denis (100 breaststroke) received honorable mention.

Additionally members of the RHS girls’ swim team took home academic all-state honors — Winnicki, Karis Francis, Claire Caselton, Margaret Lambert and Sam Sundby. To be eligible for academic all-state, swimmers must be seniors who have a 3.5 GPA or higher, have been part of the a high school swim team for at least two years and have earned at least one varsity letter.