Hodag swimmers open GNC with double dual win

The Rhinelander High School girls’ swim team has picked up right where it left off in its quest for a seventh-straight Great Northern Conference championship.

The Hodags won both legs of their season-opening conference double dual on Thursday, winning eight of 11 events overall as they beat Antigo 122-35 and knocked off last year’s conference runner-up, Medford, 117-53.

In addition to the eight wins, the Hodags picked up eight runner-up finishes and looked strong in the first meet they have competed in this season that used the standard WIAA 11-event swimming format.

“It was really fun to have the tri meet. Medford had a really big team. They must have about 20 girls. Then Antigo was a small team, but they have some fast swimmers too. It was great competition for all of them,” coach Jenny Heck said. “We loved being in our home pool. It was fun coming out and having a great cheering section for us on our walkout. That was super fun. The kids swam really well.”

Ella Heck was Rhinelander’s only four-event winner on the night. She took the 100-yard butterfly (1 minute, 3.61 seconds) and the 100 breaststroke (1:09.51) while swimming as part of the Hodags’ winning 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays. 

She kept teammate Vivian Lamers from a four-event night as the two went head-to-head in the butterfly. Ella Heck rallied over the final 50 yards to edge Lamers to the wall by 0.06 seconds. Lamers claimed the win the 50 freestyle (25.84) and was on the winning 200 and 400 freestyle relay teams.

“I would say the 100 fly was a really good race with Vivian and Ella,” coach Heck said. “Those girls push each other in all the right ways and help each other. Vivian really was fast on the first 50 and Ella had a great finish. It was good for those girls. We try to always encourage the girls to help each other, make each other better, and I think that’s kind of what we saw tonight. At the end of season, we want everyone swimming fast. We need everyone swimming fast. How are we going to make that happen? That’s by working together.”

    Rhinelander’s June Chiamulera swims a leg of the 400-yard freestyle relay during a GNC girls’ swimming double dual against Antigo and Medford at the Heck Family Community Pool Thursday, Sept. 4. Chiamulera was part of three wins for the Hodags on the evening. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

June Chiamulera also came home with three wins on the night. She led a 1-2-3 finish for the Hodags in the 100 freestyle (58.05) with teammates Kiley Pooch (59.10) and Millie Gruett (59.74) and was also part of the team’s winning 200 medley and 400 freestyle relay squads.

Rylee Mickevicius scored the Hodags’ other win in an individual event, claiming the 200 freestyle (2:06.86).

In addition to the butterfly and the 100 freestyle, the Hodags had three other events where they claimed at least the top two spots. Gruett finished second to Lamers in the 50 freestyle, and Pooch was second to Ella Heck in the breaststroke. Rhinelander also went 1-2 in the 200 medley relay with the squad of Pooch, Ella Heck, Gruett and Chiamulera (1:53.94) beating the squad of Mickevicius, Emma Houg, Kyree McMahon and Lola Beach.

Ella Heck, Gruett, Pooch and Lamers were the winning quartet for the Hodags in the 200 freestyle relay (1:44.40). Lamers, Chiamulera, Mickevicius and Houg swam to the win in the 400 freestyle really (3:55.61).

“I think the kids all kind of did what we anticipated or a little bit better considering the training we did this week,” coach Heck noted. “I kind of felt like we had to hit hard being a short week and having four meets within the next week here, that we had to train what we could. So I know they were sore and tired, but I was pleased with how they did. They push each other and make each other faster.”

Antigo sophomore Holland Tainter won two events, taking the 200 individual medley (2:19.45) and the 100 backstroke (59.61). Houg was the runner up in both of those events. Medford’s Mylah Hamland won the 500 freestyle (6:06.03) by roughly 5 1/2 seconds over Beach. 

Thursday’s meet kicked off a busy stretch for the Hodags in which they will have four meets in 10 days. That continues today as the team welcomes Stevens Point to the Heck Family Community Pool for a non-conference meet. Mosinee is also listed as a participant, though coach Heck noted Mosinee’s participation in the meet was uncertain as of press time.

Rhinelander travels to Tomahawk Thursday for another conference double dual that also includes Colby/Abbotsford and will then travel to Brookfield East for an invite this Saturday.

“(Stevens Point) has one of the fastest in the state swimming on their team. So that’ll be some great competition. We look forward to that,” coach Heck said referencing SPASH’s Kate Pilger. “And then a Thursday meet and then a Saturday Brookfield invite. So a lot of swimming in the next two weeks.”

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].