Hodag swim team hands out awards

Given all the honors and accolades bestowed on the WIAA Division 2 state runner-up Rhinelander High School boys’ swim team during the season, coach Jenny Heck decided to keep the awards low-key Monday with the team convened one final time for the 2024-25 season.

Four underclassmen received awards during the team’s banquet at the Cedric A. Vig Outdoor Classroom. 

No most valuable award was presented. Sophomore Charlie Antonuk won the team’s most improved award for returning swimmers, while freshmen Dean Gillingham and Paul Denis split the most improved award for rookies. Another freshman, Matthew Wood, received the team’s Hodag Award. 

“The guys who make it to state get a lot of success, a lot of awards and accolades. So I don’t do a ton of awards, but there are a few things I’d like to point out, special things,” Heck stated in her remarks during the banquet. 

Antonuk took a step forward this year as a sophomore. He was a relay alternate for the state meet last year, but made it this season as the sectional champion in the 100-yard butterfly. He also swam the butterfly leg of the 200 medley relay that won sectionals and finished fourth at the state meet. 

“I would say Charlie had a breakthrough year. He did really amazing this year. He did really well last year, but he really came on this year and realized he’s a fast swimmer and meant to be at state this year,” Heck said. “He swam so amazing, so strong and we were just so happy he had so much improvement in all of his events, not just the fly. His back was fantastic too. He was a really big part of that medley relay. We needed a flier and he just filled that role and did amazing.”

If rookie of the year was an award, Gillingham would have likely been the most qualified recipient for the Hodags. He won three of his four events at conference, made it to state in all four of his events and placed in the top eight in both the 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke in Waukesha. From an improvement standpoint, assistant coach Brent Olson noted during the banquet that Gillingham dropped eight seconds over the course of the season in the 200 IM, nearly six seconds in the 100 breaststroke and 15.6 seconds in the 500 freestyle — an event he won at conference. 

“That’s really great for a freshman, really amazing. He really was valuable and had some big time drops as well,” Heck said.

Denis also dropped a significant amount of time during the season and narrowly missed earning a spot on the Hodags’ sectional lineup. He earned honorable mention as part of a third-place finish for the Hodags’ B entry in the 200 freestyle relay at conference and placed fifth individually in the 100 breaststroke. He improved 13 1/2 seconds in that event over the course of the season.

“He was one guy who really made immense gains,” Heck noted. 

Wood also posted some significant time drops over the course of the year. He shaved off 21.7 seconds in the 200 freestyle, an event in which he placed third at the GNC meet to make the all-conference team. That performance earned him a spot on the sectional lineup, where he placed 11th in the 200 freestyle. Additionally Wood received all-conference honors as part of third-place finishes for the Hodags’ B entries in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays. 

But Heck noted Wood’s Hodag Award was more for the energy he brought to the team in and out of the pool.

“The Hodag Award we like to give to someone who has a lot of motivation, desire, some excitement is really positive for the team and has done some great things for the team,” she said. “This year I’d like to give it to Matthew. Nobody can break it down quite like Matthew. He doesn’t look very loud, but he is.”

    GNC HONORS — Members of the Rhinelander High School boys’ swim team who were honored by the Great Northern Conference posed for a photograph with their plaques following the team’s banquet at the Cedric A. Vig Outdoor Classroom Monday, March 3. Pictured from left to right are Shawn Denis, coach Jenny Heck and Mathias Fugle. Denis and Fugle shared GNC swimmer of the year honors, as voted on by the conference coaches following last month’s conference meet in Rhinelander. Heck was voted GNC coach of the year. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

The 2024-25 season was another banner year for the Hodags, who won their seventh straight GNC title — winning all 11 events and breaking seven conference records in the process. Rhinelander also won its seventh straight sectional title and brought home a trophy from the WIAA state meet for the third straight year. 

“From the beginning, the expectations of the team and each of us individually were very high. Coming off being the previous state runners-up meant that we had something to work toward to defend,” senior co-captain Samson Shinners said during the banquet. “I couldn’t have asked for a better team. Everyone was motivated to work hard, in and out of the water. We all worked hard together to improve and helped each other out whenever we could. Even with the seniors leaving, I’m confident next year Rhinelander will have a strong swim team, with the incoming swimmers and the work ethic I observed this year.”

Heck thanked the team’s five seniors for their contributions to the program over their high school careers, and everyone on the team for the effort they put forth during another strong campaign.

“They worked really, really hard and I know we ask so much out of them but we know that they have so much talent that we wanted to see how these guys could reach their full potential,” she said. “It makes me feel proud for them when they’re able to accomplish great things for our community and each other. They worked really, really hard and did everything we asked of them, which is a ton.”

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].