RHS Sports recap: Saturday, Nov. 8

Girls’ swimming: Rhinelander 1st/14, WIAA Sectionals

The Rhinelander High School girls’ swim team secured its seventh consecutive sectional championship and qualified 14 entries for the WIAA Division 2 state meet Saturday in Rice Lake.

The Hodags won four events and earned 10 other at-large bids as they beat the hosting Warriors by 88 points for the sectional title. 

Rhinelander swept all three relays on the day. The squad of Kiley Pooch, Ella Heck, Millie Gruett and Emma Houg held on by 0.07 seconds to win the 200-yard medley relay (1:50.10) over Wittenberg-Birnamwood. Heck, Gruett, June Chiamulera and Vivian Lamers won the 200 freestyle relay (1:40.29) while Pooch, Chiamulera, Rylee Mickevicius and Lamers claimed the 400 freestyle relay (3:42.66).

Mickevicius claimed the Hodags’ other victory on the day, leading a 1-2-3 sweep of the 200 freestyle (2:01.22) with Chiamulera and freshman Lola Beach. Unfortunately for Rhinelander in that event, only Mickevicius’s time was fast enough to make the state field. At-large entries went to the 12 fastest times in the state among those who did win at sectionals.

Houg, Lamers, Heck and Pooch each earned a pair of at-large entries to state. Houg finished third in the 200 individual medley (2:16.84) and fourth in the 100 backstroke (1:02.52). Lamers made it with a runner-up showing in the 100 freestyle (54.00) and a third-place finish in the 50 freestyle (24.45). Heck advanced by finishing second in the 100 breaststroke (1:07.19) and third in the 100 freestyle (55.52). Pooch was the runner-up in the 100 backstroke (1:00.18) and was fifth in the 50 freestyle (25.52).

Gruett (1:00.65) and Mickevicius (1:01.67) both claimed at-large bids in the 100 butterfly, finishing second and fourth in that event. 

Chiamulera ended up on the wrong side of the cutline in the 100 freestyle. She took sixth there (57.09) and missed the cut by 0.26 seconds. Beach was the runner-up in the 500 freestyle and did not advance. Gruett took eighth in the 50 freestyle while Kyree McMahon was eighth in the 200 IM and ninth in the 100 breaststroke. 

Rhinelander’s state qualifiers will compete at the WIAA Division 2 state meet Friday, Nov. 14 at the Waukesha South High School natatorium.

Due to an early Veterans Day deadline, a full report will be published in Friday’s River News.