Hodags swimmers come home state runners-up for second straight year

WAUKESHA — The book closed Friday night for one of the most decorated classes in Rhinelander High School swimming history, and what a story the seniors wrote. 

Rhinelander reached the podium with eight of its 15 entries and brought home the silver trophy as state runners-up in the WIAA Division 2 state meet in Waukesha.

It was Rhinelander’s second straight second place finish at state, following the Hodags’ lone state title in 2023. For the four Hodag seniors who swam Friday night — Shawn Denis, Mathias Fugle, Dolan O’Malley and Samson Shinners — it closed out a career in which the team won four Great Northern Conference titles, four WIAA sectional titles and never finished lower than third at the state meet. 

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2025 WIAA Division 2 boys' swim state championship

Photos from the 2025 WIAA Division 2 boys' state swim meet held in Waukesha Friday, Feb. 21. (Photos by Jeremy Mayo/River News)

“This is our third trophy we get to bring home,” Dolan O’Malley said. “We brought home third place, my freshman year. So this senior group has just been really strong and we needed those underclassmen too, to come through for this win because it was close. So it’s just an amazing feeling getting another trophy.”

“They are a group that brought home the first ever state championship two years ago, and that’s something that we weren’t expected to do, didn’t think we could do, didn’t know if we could do,” coach Jenny Heck said. “And then to continue to do that each year after, to bring home a trophy is just really amazing.”

Rhinelander entered the night with an outside chance of tracking down defending D2 state champion McFarland, projected 25 points behind the Spartans based on sectional performances. McFarland found another gear on Friday night, however, winning eight events — including two in state-record fashion — as they rolled to a 48-point win. 

The race ended up being for second and, just like last year, it was a battle between the Hodags and Whitefish Bay. The Blue Dukes inched ahead with two races left, but Rhinelander moved back in front after the 100-yard breaststroke and beat Whitefish Bay in the 400 freestyle relay to take the runner-up spot by 12 points. 

“I had a feeling that was going to happen,” Heck said of McFarland’s dominant performance. “It’s a strong family of swimmers they have there and, you know, they had some amazing relays. We knew that was going to be tough, and a long shot. 

“It was ups and downs and, the other teams, you know, Whitefish Bay had that as well. McFarland was strong, but, you know, to fight for that second place, I’m really happy that we could bring it home for Rhinelander.”

    Rhinelander’s Mathias Fugle hits the wall at the end of the 200-yard freestyle relay during the WIAA boys’ D2 state swim meet in Waukesha Friday, Feb. 21. The Hodags placed second in the event. (Jeremy Mayo/River News)
  

The closest Rhinelander came to McFarland was in the 200 freestyle relay as the quartet of Denis, freshman Dean Gillingham, Shinners and Fugle brought home the team’s only runner-up finish. Shinner and Fugle, swimming the final two legs of that relay, made up nearly 2 1/2 seconds on the Spartans, but settled for second (1:27.28), 0.72 seconds behind.

All three Rhinelander relays finished on the podium. The Hodags opened the meet with a fourth-place finish in the 200 medley relay with Dolan O’Malley, Denis, sophomore Charlie Antonuk and sophomore Judson O’Malley (1:39.10). Shinners, the O’Malley brothers and Fugle came home fourth in the 400 freestyle relay (3:15.55).

“Those relays were fantastic, especially the freestyle,” Heck said. “We have amazing sprinters this year. That’s going to be hard to replace, and it might be some time of rebuilding, but that’s part of it too. It’s all stepping stones.”

The Hodags had plenty of success in the individual races as well. Dolan O’Malley, swimming out of the opening heat, put down a blistering time of 53.52 seconds in the 100 backstroke, which stood up for fourth overall after the faster heat finished. He also made it onto the podium in the 200 individual medley, coming home sixth (2:00.90).

“Podiuming in both of my events was really special, but what was more special was the points I got to score for the team, and being able to help this team get another trophy was huge,” he said. “I’ve never podiumed individually before, so it was a really neat experience.”

Mathias Fugle placed in the top four in both sprint freestyle events. He opened his night with a fourth-place swim in the 50 (21.60) and was third in the 100 (47.43).

“It was pretty great. I came into the 50 and I really just needed to get off the blocks because my swimming is always fast enough,” he said. “I got fourth place, dropped a lot of time. Then for the 100, just went out there, tried my best to keep up with the people in front of me. Just kept swimming hard.”

Shinners rallied over the final 100 yards in the 200 freestyle to make the last step of the podium in sixth place. He covered the back half of the race in 53.27 seconds, picking up four spots overall down the stretch.

“I knew on this one, I really, really had to go fast,” Shinners said. “I was seeded a lot better before sectionals, so I knew I had to bring it back. I was happy with my time.”

A timing malfunction potentially cost Shinners another podium finish, as the touch pad on the finishing wall did not record his final time in the 100 freestyle. He ended up sixth in the final heat, but the manual stopwatch used as a backup recorded his time at 49.02 seconds, 0.07 behind the winner of the first heat, Tommy McNicoll of Ashwaubenon.

“I don’t know. The coaches got me at a 48 and I ended up at a 49, so it kind of sucks, but it’s all right. Getting seventh is still good because we ended up second all the same,” he said.

Denis also narrowly missed the podium in both of his individual events. He was seventh in the 50 freestyle (21.70), missing a spot on the podium by 0.01 seconds. Denis then posted only the second sub-minute time in school history in the 100 breaststroke (59.97), but that was only good enough for seventh. Denis holds the only other sub-minute time (58.98), which he achieved at last year’s state meet.

“Seeded third in the 50, just couldn’t hold on. It was just put everything in, wasn’t enough,” Denis said. “Everybody else swam faster. Same thing goes for the breaststroke. I put everything I had into it and it just wasn’t enough.”

Gillingham added a pair of top-eight finishes in his state debut, he took seventh in the 200 IM (2:02.08) and eighth in the breaststroke (1:01.65). 

“Dean to go as fast as he’s going right now is absolutely amazing,” Heck said. “He’s swimming times that the seniors are swimming and he’s doing great. He’s got so much potential to just get faster and faster and just a lot of detail work that he can do to improve. But he just loves the sport and the sport loves Dean. I think it’s been great. He’s just ball of energy and a ton of fun.” 

Judson O’Malley finished 11th in the 100 backstroke (55.95) and Charlie Antonuk was 13th in the 100 butterfly (55.20).

“Charlie, Judson, you know, those younger guys, they’re the ones that are going to be looking to fill these big roles, and, you know, they’re ready to make a jump,” Heck said.

But Friday night was for the seniors, and their final swim in a Rhinelander cap. Both Denis and Dolan O’Malley said they couldn’t help but get sentimental as they made their final lap in the water. 

“It took a bit of effort to not cry after that 400 free relay, so it’s kind of crazy,” O’Malley said. “Like, you think it’s never going to end and now you’re a senior. I’ll never competitively swim again. It’s kind of crazy.

“I realized it about halfway through my breaststroke this is my last high school race,” added Denis. “I’m going on to swim in college, but that’s all I have for high school. I don’t have another meet ... that’s it.”

Heck said though their high school careers may be over, the seniors’ impact on the Hodag swim program is only beginning.

“I hope it really inspires the younger people and club swimmers and younger kids to keep swimming hard and shooting high because, you know, people didn’t know about Rhinelander a few years ago in the swimming world. Now we’re kind of expected to be here,” she said. 

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].