Seven at sectionals

RICE LAKE — Some teams have a fast swimmer or two. The Rhinelander High School girls’ swim team has a whole collection of them, and that depth led the Hodags to a familiar result. 

The Hodags scored a meet-high four individual wins and cruised to victory in a WIAA Division 2 sectional meet Saturday, Nov. 8 in Rice Lake. In addition to their four sectional winners, Rhinelander earned 10 at-large berths to the WIAA state meet — giving the Hodags 14 entries in total for tonight’s D2 championship in Waukesha.

Rhinelander took over the lead in the meet with a sweep of the top three spots in the third event, the 200-yard freestyle, and cruised to their seventh consecutive sectional title by 88 points over runner-up Rice Lake.

“It’s really something, when you’re able to even repeat something twice, but then to be able to do the seven times, it’s been just amazing,” Hodag coach Jenny Heck said. “These girls have wanted to keep the tradition going and we’re going to go as long as they can and I really give them credit. They’re very proud of representing their school and the community and I was just really thrilled that we could continue it for the seventh time.”

“It feels awesome to win all four years of being here. It is an honor, and it doesn’t happen all the time, so it feels really good,” added senior captain Emma Houg.

Houg was one of six Hodags to qualify in at least one individual event — making it in the 200-yard individual medley and the 100 backstroke. Juniors Vivian Lamers, Ella Heck, Rylee Mickevicius and Kiley Pooch each qualified in two individual events. Millie Gruett made it individually in the 100 butterfly and junior June Chiamulera also qualified as a part of a pair of sectional-champion relay teams.

The Hodags were pushed in a number of events. Wittenberg-Birnamwood also won four races as it came home third on the day. Rice Lake won two events while Antigo and Black River Falls won one event each. 

Still Rhinelander by far had the most depth, recording six runner-up finishes and four third-place finishes. All 21 of Rhinelanders entries on the day placed inside the top nine. 

“That’s what, I think, really makes our program special is that we need everyone, we make sure they know they’re valued, and we put a lot of time into each and every swimmer to try to reach all their goals,” coach Heck said. “I think it shows. We have the depth. It’s not just about one swimmer, it’s about a whole team of girls who are working to do their best, give their best and continue continually improve.”

Rhinelander won all three relays — with times than ranked among to top three in the state in all three — but the closest of them all came in the 200 medley relay as the Hodags held off what appeared to be a well-rested Wittenberg squad. Fractions of a second ahead entering the final 50-yard freestyle leg of the race, Houg held off Wittenberg’s Eleanor Tassler to win the race by 0.07 seconds with a time of 1 minute, 50.10. 

“On the blocks, you’re nervous. You’re seeing how close a race can be. Going into that first flip turn, you’re just like, ‘All right, now I gotta go.’ Like, there’s no time to wait. So it’s just awesome,” Houg said, as she preserved a victory for a squad that included Pooch, Gruett and Ella Heck. 

“I’ve had a lot of really cool moments as a coach, but that was probably one of my favorite moments to see Emma in that 50 free (leg),” coach Heck said. “She doesn’t get a lot of opportunities to swim at championship (meets in) the relays because she’s usually swimming those longer events. For her to have this chance — and she’s really been working on her sprints for over a year — and to go in there, and that was a tight race from the start, and she was tough all the way. It was her finish and her work on that 50 — like days and days of practicing that 50 — that really just won that race for the team. I was just so proud and I’m really happy for Emma. To have that experience is very well deserved.”

    Rhinelander’s Vivian Lamers takes off from the starting block on an exchange in the 200-yard freestyle relay during a WIAA Division 2 girls’ swimming sectional meet in Rice Lake Saturday, Nov. 8. The Hodags, who won all three relay races at sectionals, are seeded in the top three in the state in all three events going into tonight’s state meet in Waukesha. (Jeremy Mayo/River News)
  

Rhinelander’s victories were a bit more comfortable in the two other relays. Chiamulera and Lamers inched away over the final 100 yards as the Hodags took the 200 freestyle relay (1:04.29) with a squad that included Ella Heck and Gruett. Rhinelander won that event by 0.58 seconds. The Hodags then waltzed to a seven-plus-second win in the 400 freestyle relay (3:42.66) with Pooch, Chiamulera, Mickevicius and Lamers. 

“I’m just super proud of the team and everything that we accomplished with all our hard work all season, and it’s finally paying off, so it’s really awesome to see,” Gruett said. 

The lone other win for Rhinelander came from Mickevicius in the 200 freestyle (2:01.22) as she won that race by 5.82 seconds over Chiamulera and 6.00 seconds over freshman teammate Lola Beach. Neither Chiamulera nor Beach were fast enough in that race to earn one of the at-large bids, which went to the 12 fastest swimmers who did not win a sectional title.

The Hodags did get several at-large qualifiers elsewhere. Lamers, despite finishing second in the 100 freestyle (54.00) and third in the 50 freestyle (24.45), posted times that were the third- and fourth-fastest in the state, respectively, in those events. Lamers lost a tight finish at the wall in the 50 by 0.05 seconds against Wittenberg-Birnamwood’s Reese Dickman and 0.02 against Antigo’s Holland Tainter. 

Ella Heck had the fourth-best time in the state (1:07.19) as she finished second to Dickman in the 100 breaststroke. Heck also made it in the 100 freestyle (55.52), taking third in the sectional with the 10th-best time in the state. 

Gruett was the runner-up in the 100 butterfly (1:00.65) behind Wittenberg’s Kelsie Davis, but had the eighth-best time in the state.

“I’m very proud of that time, and then I’m excited to see what happens at state,” Gruett said.

Mickevicius, who finished fifth in the butterfly at state last year, also advanced in that event, taking fourth in the sectional (1:01.67).

Houg added individual qualifying efforts in the 200 IM (third, 2:16.84) and the 100 backstroke (fourth, 1:02.52) — sneaking in by a tenth of a second in the latter event. Pooch entered the day right on the state cutline in the 50 freestyle and improved her time in that event. She finished fifth in the sectional (25.52) and made it in by 0.13 seconds. The junior also advanced with a runner-up finish in the backstroke (1:00.18).

“I think we’re in a good position, and that’s what we’re looking for,” coach Heck said. “This whole meet was to get ourselves in a good position, get as many who was through as we could possibly do, and then now attack. I think that, you, they’re ready and they’re looking forward to Friday, and they know they’ve got fast swims coming.”

A few entries fell on the wrong side of the cutline. Gruett finished eighth in the 50 free (25.78) and missed the cut by a mere 0.13 seconds. Chiamulera was the first swimmer out in the 100 freestyle (sixth, 57.09), missing the cut in that event by 0.26 seconds. Chiamulera and Beach missed by 1.81 seconds and 1.99 seconds in the 200 freestyle. 

Beach also had aspirations of advancing in the 500 freestyle, where she entered as the top qualifier in the sectional. She led the majority of the race, but was passed over the final 150 yards by Rice Lake’s Delania Bowen for the win. Beach’s time of 5:48.14 was not fast enough to earn an at-large bid. Bowen had to fall back on her sectional title to qualify — as her time was nearly 9 1/2 slower than the final at-large qualifier in the event.

Junior Kyree McMahon finished eighth in the IM and ninth in the 100 breaststroke for Rhinelander. 

“I’m really proud of these girls. It’s a lot that they have to prepare and focus (on) and be able to handle mentally,” coach Heck said. “I think it’s a preparation in life, you know, how you handle things moving forward — sometimes good, sometimes not as good as you want. But if you give it your all and you’ve done all you could do, then you can walk away and say I did my best. And I think that’s what we, as a team did.” 

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].