RHS swimmers down Lakeland, finish second at Hodag Relays

The Rhinelander High School boys’ swim team continued the busy first half of its season with two meets over the course of four days. After taking second at its home relay meet on Saturday, Dec. 13, Rhinelander returned to GNC play on Tuesday where it took care of a short-handed Lakeland squad 136-16 in Minocqua. 

Hodag Relays

It was a record setting day for the Hodag trio of Judson O’Malley, Charlie Antonuk and Dean Gillingham as Rhinelander hosted the Hodag Relays at the Heck Family Community Pool.

They were entered together in three events, and set three meet records in the process. Those were Rhinelander’s only three wins on the day as the Hodags came home second behind Bay Port in the six-team meet. 

Rhinelander’s three returning state qualifiers started by breaking the record in the 300-yard butterfly relay. They hit the wall in 2 minutes, 47.24 seconds, beating the previous record by 0.76 seconds. After intermission, they set records in back-to-back events, taking the 300 backstroke relay (2:49.71) and the 150 mixer medley relay (1:14.64). They smashed the backstroke record by more than three seconds and got the record in the mixer medley by a scant 0.07 seconds.

“We didn’t have any idea or plan of breaking any records going in,” coach Jenny Heck said. “We were just trying to put some fast relays together with those guys. I think they were all surprised, and we are too, (about) breaking three records when we thought it might be year where we don’t get any records or wins. That was a lot of fun, and their splits were amazing. Yeah, it was definitely a breakthrough. Saw a lot of really great things, technically, that are gonna give us some hope for end of season.”

Bay Port claimed the other seven events as they won the meet by 26 points over the Hodags. 

    Rhinelander’s Matthew Wood swims the butterfly leg of the 400-yard medley relay during the Hodag Relays boys’ swim meet at the Heck Family Community Pool Saturday, Dec. 13. (Jeremy Mayo/River News)
  

Rhinelander added a runner-up finish in the 300 breaststroke relay With the team of Kaleb Lehmann, Paul Denis and Broden Wagner. The Hodags finished third in every other event. 

“Other guys really shined. I don’t know how many third and fourths we had, but we were right there, and that’s a young group to have third and fourth places there, and great times as well,” Heck said. “They were really racing. We were right there in the mix of things with a lot of freshmen and sophomores, and juniors. That’s what we’re looking for. We’re looking for promise, and what we can do, and what we have hope for moving on to end of season.”

Rhinelander 136, Lakeland 16

For the second straight conference dual the Hodags finished 1-2 in every event as they cruised to victory Tuesday over a Lakeland squad that has only four swimmers.

Because of that, there were some events where Rhinelander swam all by itself and Heck said it was a good opportunity for the team to race against itself and the clock.

“It was primarily an intra-squad meet. Most of our races were between ourselves but, you know what, that’s what’s great about the sport is that you get a chance to race,” she said. “You have a chance to beat your time and that’s what they’re racing against. They’re trying to get close to their all-time best or even their season best, and I was pleasantly surprised how well they did tonight.”

The closest races of the night were all intra-squad battles, starting in the first event where Kellen O’Malley made up a nearly second-and-a-half deficit over teammate Finn Thorsen in the anchor leg of the 200 medley relay to give the Hodags’ A relay the win by 0.07 seconds (2:03.64). Elias Simonson, Wagner and Chris Larson made up the rest of the winning quartet. 

Judson O’Malley then held off Antonuk by 0.41 seconds to win the 200 freestyle (2:03.06). Matthew Wood held off a hard-charging Antonuk by 1.40 seconds in the 400 freestyle relay to make winners out of a squad that also included Judson O’Malley, Espen McMahon and Daniel Meier. 

In all, 11 different Hodags played a role in at least one win on Tuesday, led by Judson O’Malley, Kellen O’Malley and Dean Gillingham, who had three wins each. Judson O’Malley took the 200 and 100 freestyle (53.79), Kellen O’Malley won the 200 individual medley (2:20.93) and 100 backstroke (1:03.93), Gillingham claimed the 50 freestyle (23.61) and 100 butterfly (57.91).

Meier added a win for Rhinelander in the 500 freestyle (5:48.24) and Antonuk claimed the 100 breaststroke (1:10.43).

Antonuk, Thorsen, Gillingham and McMahon made up the winning squad for the Hodags in the 200 freestyle relay (1:42.39).

“Kellen O’Malley had good meet with some wins and strong showing and his sprints and his relays. Daniel Meier, I know he had a fantastic 500. That was his all-time best. I know he was proud of himself for that as we were,” coach Heck said. “The relays were racing and that made it fun. We had some kids in some of the events they haven’t swam for a year. We saw a lot of best times in those events. It’s good to see and try to see areas where they’ve improved and where we can place them for the future.”

Up next

The Hodags concluded the first half of their season Thursday with a home meet against Tomahawk that concluded after press time for today’s edition. Visit RiverNewsOnline.com for a recap of that contest and read a full report in the Tuesday, Dec. 23 edition of the River News.

Rhinelander will begin the second half of the season at Lakeland Thursday, Jan. 8. Meanwhile the Hodags’ scheduled triangular against Wausau East and Stevens Point in Stevens Point that was postponed Dec. 9 due to inclement weather has been rescheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 27.

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].