Hodag swimmers beat Merrill, cap off perfect dual season

The Rhinelander High School girls’ swim team finds itself in a familiar position heading into this coming Friday’s Great Northern Conference championship meet.

Rhinelander will be vying for its seventh straight conference title and will enter the meet a top the GNC standings after defeating Merrill 126-41 Thursday at the Heck Family Community Pool. The win capped off a perfect 8-0 record for the Hodags in conference duals.

Rhinelander won 10 of the 11 events on the evening as it rolls into this Friday’s conference meet in Rice Lake with confidence.

“It was great to get that win and know that we’re doing awesome within the conference,” Hodag coach Jenny Heck said. “Just to have the conference meet left, it was just great to have that under our belt.”

Nine different Hodags found the winner’s circle on Thursday, led by Vivian Lamers and Ella Heck, who had four wins each. Lamers led a 1-2-3 finish for Rhinelander in the 200-yard individual medley (2 minutes, 22.15 seconds), claimed the 100 breaststroke (1:10.49) and was on the team’s winning 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays. Ella Heck swept the sprint freestyle races, taking the 50 (25.88) and the 100 (55.66) and was part of the winning 200 medley and 400 freestyle relay squads.

“The sprints, we’re seeing a little bit of progress in those events. I thought Ella had a solid meet swimming some sprints today,” coach Heck said. “Vivian’s split in her 50 free of a 24(.47) was an all-time best split, as far as during season without taper. So that was really good. She looked really, very strong in her freestyle races, and that’s really important. We have some big shoes to fill that we lost from last year. So we need those girls to step up, looking for some of those splits for conference, sectionals and state.”

Ella Heck rallied the Hodags’ B entry in the 400 freestyle relay to a win as she went 54.90 over the final 100 yards to pass teammate June Chiamulera, who anchored the A relay. Heck’s rally made winners of teammates Kyree McMahon, Kiley Pooch and Rylee Mickevicius in the event (3:53.97), though coach Heck said Chiamulera’s split of 56.62 was also strong.

“The 400 free really was a lot of fun. (Assistant coach) Brent (Olson) had them racing again, and it was a battle at the end between the juniors — Ella and June — fighting that one out,” she said. “It ended up exactly how we wanted them with both season-best splits.”

    The Rhinelander High School girls’ swim team celebrates its two seniors, and team captains, Millie Gruett (left) and Emma Houg (right) during intermission a GNC girls’ swimming dual meet against Merrill at the Heck Family Community Pool Thursday, Oct. 16. It was the final home meet for the two Hodag seniors. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

Senior Emma Houg claimed individual wins for Rhinelander in the 200 freestyle (2:08.83) and the 100 backstroke (1:03.17) while freshman Lola Beach led a 1-2-3 sweep for the Hodags in the 500 freestyle (5:54.77).

“Emma Houg had a really great, season-best in the backstroke. She looked fantastic,” coach Heck noted. “Those 200s and the 500s were kind of where I expected to see the kids today. We’re still training pretty hard.”

The one race Rhinelander did not win was a preview of a battle that will likely be repeated at conference, sectionals and, possibly, state. Merrill junior Marissa Miles scored the win in the 100 butterfly (1:00.43), edging Rhinelander senior Millie Gruett (1:01.32) and Mickevicius (1:01.94). 

“It was really awesome to see both Millie and Rylee get the 1:01 mark. And that was our goal of tonight,” coach Heck said. “We knew they were going to have some tough competition against Miles. She had already gone a 1:01. So I said, ‘Let’s race her, see if you can get your time down faster.’ And they both did. It was a great swim by all those girls. And that’s what the competition does. It gives you that extra oomph to get those times that we’re looking for end of season.”

Lamers, Ella Heck, Mickevicius and Chiamulera made up the winning quartet in the 200 medley relay (1:53.75); Houg, Pooch, Lamers and Gruett took the 200 freestyle (1:44.38).

The Hodags had three top-three sweeps on the night —Lamers, Pooch and Chiamulera in the IM; Beach, McMahon and Kyleigh Kennedy in the 500 and Houg, Mickevicius and Chiamulera in the backstroke. 

Gruett added a runner-up swim in the 50 freestyle while Pooch was second in the 100 freestyle. Freshman Aubree Edwardson was second in the 200 freestyle, smashing her previous best by 4.75 seconds, as she clocked in at 2:11.71 and rallied past Merrill’s Claire Jirovec over the final 50 yards to secure the runner-up spot.

“Aubrey was, I think 0.02 seconds away from the automatic lettering time. So that was her goal, and she smashed her time and had a great race,” coach Heck noted. “She came from behind for that second-place finish. She was really proud of herself (winning as) freshman against the senior.  She was really proud. We were proud. She accomplished her goal. So that was really fun to see.”

Hailey Novak, Edwardson, Maria Craig and McMahon were the runners-up in the 200 freestyle relay while Beach, Gruett, Houg and Chiamulera were second in the 400 freestyle relay. 

After an undefeated season, the Hodags have the luxury of being to finish either first or second this coming Friday to secure at least a share of their seventh straight conference title. Rhinelander will enter as the prohibitive favorite after defeating every conference school by 64 points or greater during dual meet play.

“We’re looking forward to Friday and seeing what we can do,” coach Heck said. “We have some of the girls resting fully there and some of them won’t be quite rested, but we’re looking forward to awesome swims by everybody.”

Though the Ladysmith co-op will host the conference meet, it has elected to move that meet further to the west and stage it at Rice Lake High School’s new natatorium. Despite the extra travel, coach Heck said she sees the move as a benefit, given that Rice Lake will also host the WIAA Division 2 sectional that all nine GNC programs will attend Nov. 8.

“That’s really important for us. I feel very fortunate that we’re able to swim there for both conference and sectionals,” she said. “We get a flavor of what the pool is like next week. That really helps for sectionals. None of us have seen the pool, so I heard it’s really nice, great pool, cool down pool, wedges, the whole thing. So, yeah, we’re looking forward to it, and I think it will help us prepare for sectionals.”

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].