Hodag swimmers united heading to state

For all the success that the Rhinelander High School swim program has had over the past several years, every team and every season takes on its own identity and own persona.

Asked about the identity of the 2025 Hodag girls’ swim team, coach Jenny Heck most closely compared it to her 2023 boys’ team. 

That’s not to say the Hodags are looking to win the WIAA Division 2 state championship tonight in Waukesha — like that Hodag boys’ squad did two and a half years ago. A powerhouse Whitefish Bay team enters the meet with one hand already virtually on the trophy. However, in terms of cohesiveness and how each group competes for one another, coach Heck said the squads are very similar.

“This is a very united group,” she said. “There was never a time that we needed to stop and get ourselves together as far as what we want as our team goals. We’re all for each other, for helping each other, to trying to get the most out of each other. They know that they need each other. So they’re 100% behind one another.”

That’s something the team echoes as it attempts to capture its sixth straight top-four finish in Waukesha. While the Hodags aren’t favored to win any events tonight, each one of their 14 entries expects no less than to do as well as it can for the good of the whole. 

“We all know what each other are capable of. We’re all great friends and also a family, so we can be there for each other at the end of the day,” senior captain Emma Houg said.

Added junior Vivian Lamers, “I’d say that this team, we all have grown up, just kind of as a family together. Like, this is our group since we were five and six years old in club. We have just grown up with each other, and we just have that bond that’s just kind of unmatchable.”

Here are five storylines going into tonight’s meet. 

Overall projections

The Hodags finished third in the state meet last year and, based on the numbers going into tonight, will be hard-pressed to finish much higher than that and contend for either a gold or silver trophy.

The two favorites going into tonight are the teams that finished 1-2 last year — Whitefish Bay and Madison Edgewood. Both squads advanced all 21 of their entries from sectionals through to state, giving them far more opportunities to score points than anybody else. 

The Blue Dukes, the defending state champs, enter the night as the top seed in eight events and are projected as whopping 132-point favorites over Edgewood, even though the Crusaders have the same number of entries. 

Rhinelander has the third-most entries of any team in the meet, but is projected 59 points behind Edgewood for the runner-up spot. It will likely be a battle between the Hodags and Shorewood for third spot. The Greyhounds advanced 11 entries are projected 11 points behind the Hodags. 

In years past, coach Heck has said the key has been trying to get the most out of each individual entry at state while letting the points take care of themselves. That maybe more true than ever tonight.

“You can only control what you can do and, I guess, at some point you just let everything else go. You don’t look at the statistics, and you don’t look at the standings because we will know we will give it our all,” she said. “Things just usually play out the way that they’re meant to be. We’ve been fortunate that we’ve had just swimmers who’ve really put in a lot of work. So we know that we do the best that we absolutely can do on Friday night.” 

Relay hopes

Rhinelander’s strongest hopes for individual state titles will likely come in the relay races. The Hodags are seeded in the top three in all three of those events heading into tonight. Ironically, the relay they’re seeded the worst in might be the one they have the best shot of winning. 

Rhinelander is tied for third in the 200 freestyle relay after posting a time of 1 minute, 40.29 seconds at sectionals — the identical time Edgewood swam in its sectional win. Shorewood is a mere 0.21 seconds ahead as the No. 2 seed and Whitefish Bay is the top seed at 1:37.90. 

Not surprisingly, the Blue Dukes are favored in all three relays. Though Rhinelander is seeded second in the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays, Whitefish Bay’s seed time was nearly five second faster in the medley and more than 11 seconds quicker in the 400 free relay. 

The battle will likely be for second in all three relays. Wittenberg-Birnamwood and Edgewood are within 0.30 seconds of the Hodags in the medley while Edgewood is just 0.11 seconds behind Rhinelander in the 400 freestyle. 

“There’s going to be some really close races, especially those relays are going to be really close,” coach Heck said. “So they have to be on and ready to go, and we’ll prepare for all those small details this week.”

The Hodags will have a bit of a wild card in the relays with junior June Chiamulera, who did not advance in any individual events, but was part of the 200 and 400 freestyle relays at sectionals. 

“For my relays, I’m really excited because I love to be like, a part of a team, and I feel like on a relay, you really are,” Chiamulera said. “Even as an individual sport being on a relay, then you get to swim with everyone, and it’s not just your time up on the clock, it’s everyone’s. And I’m just really excited to see how I can contribute to all of my relays and how fast they can go.” 

Podium hopefuls

    Rhinelander’s Ella Heck competes in the 100-yard breaststroke during a WIAA Division 2 girls’ swimming sectional meet in Rice Lake Saturday, Nov. 8. Heck is seeded fourth in the event heading into tonight’s WIAA D2 state meet in Waukesha. (Jeremy Mayo/River News)
  

Rhinelander has several other entries vying for the top six and a spot on the podium, starting with Lamers in both sprint freestyle events. She comes in seeded third in the 100 freestyle and fourth in the 50 freestyle. 

Lamers will have a good rabbit in the 100, swimming next to Hannah Tubbs of Black River Falls. Lamers finished second to Tubbs at sectionals. Tubbs is both the top qualifier and defending state champion in the event. 

In the 50, it’s possible a repeat of last weekend’s photo finish at sectionals may determine who gets the runner-up spot. Whitefish Bay’s Maggie Dickinson is the heavy favorite in the event, but the top three from the Rice Lake sectional — Wittenberg’s Reese Dickman, Antigo’s Holland Tainter and Lamers — are seeded second through fourth and separated by only 0.05 seconds.

“It’s always a very close race. You want to do everything perfect, but I just need to trust myself, know that I’ve done everything to prepare. Just go out, give it my all, and just see what you can finish when everyone else is coming in, hundredths of a second later,” Lamers said. “And then in the 100, just swim my own race. I’d like to take it out fast, hold on strong, hold on to that second 50, and just see what I can go after.”

Ella Heck is looking for a return trip to the podium, after placing fifth in the 100 breaststroke last season. She comes in seeded fourth in the event (1:07.19), but is less than a second behind second-seeded Dickman. Stoughton’s Cheyenne Burroughs, the defending state champ, is the top seed and favorite in that event. 

“For both my 100 free and my 100 breast, I’m looking I’m really excited for them and looking for some time drops and just applying what we’ve been working for all season into these races,” Ella Heck said.

While outside shots, the Hodags are hoping for a couple of podium contenders in the 100 butterfly with senior Millie Gruett and junior Rylee Mickevicius. Gruett (1:00.65) comes in as the eighth seed in that event while Mickevicius comes in seeded 14th (1:01.67) and is looking for a repeat of last year, when she won the opening heat and held on to take fifth overall. 

“For the 100 fly, I’m gonna really try and work on bringing out faster than I have in the past and just keep my strokes nice and clean and long,” Mickevicius said.

Junior Kiley Pooch could also have a shot to make the podium in the 100 backstroke, where she’s currently seeded seventh (1:00.18). To do it, she will likely need to become the seventh swimmer in program history to break the minute barrier in the event. She’s chasing sixth-seeded Addison Quandt of Shorewood (59.54) for the final podium spot.

“I’m just really excited to swim that and have some tough competition,” said Pooch, who was 14th in the event last year.

Veteran squad

Regardless of where they are seeded, there’s one thing that all of Rhinelander qualifiers bring to the table — experience. All seven competed at state last year — many of them in the same or similar events. 

That, plus yearly September trips to Waukesha for the Blackshirt Invite, have the Hodags well-acquainted with tonight’s venue.

“They’re very seasoned. They’ve all swam in that pool there lots of times, not just for the state meet,” coach Heck said. “They’re also just very confident in their abilities, and I think that’s a huge a huge benefit. Not one of them is new to the state meet this year, so I think they’re excited and they’re ready and they know what to expect.” 

“I think being there multiple times really helps to take the initial nerves off, because you’ve been there before,” Gruett added. “We’ve done other meets besides state there, so you know what the pool is like. That helps the visualize your race before, and it helps you mentally prepare instead of being like, ‘Oh, this is it? I don’t know what I’m going into.’” 

Senior finale

While most of this year’s squad will have one more crack at the state meet, tonight will mark the final swim for the Hodags two seniors — Gruett and Houg. Houg will compete in the 200 individual medley and the 100 backstroke while Gruett will swim in the 100 butterfly and both will likely factor into the Hodags’ relay lineup. 

Both said they’ve tried not to think what it will be like to touch the wall one final time as Hodags.

“I definitely have a lot of mixed emotions,” Gruett said. “I’m sad that it’s going to be over, but I’m also excited for a new chapter to start. I’m happy I get to do it with this team and I’m just a little nervous because I don’t wanna I don’t want to let any expectations I have for myself or other people have down. So I’ve really just been emotional about it as my team would know.”

“It’s not quite real to think about,” added Houg. “We’ve grown up together, so now seeing it come to an end is hard that we’re all going to go our separate ways at some point. It’s definitely hard to see.”

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].