RHS Sports recap: Saturday, Feb. 14

Boys’ swimming: Rhinelander 1st/10, WIAA Sectionals

The Rhinelander High School boys’ swim won its eighth straight WIAA Division 2 sectional championship Saturday, holding off Ashwaubenon for the title by 15 points in Rice Lake.

The Hodags won two events and had seven other at-large qualifiers for the state meet. The Hodags took the 200 medley relay with Charlie Antonuk, Dean Gillingham, Kellen O’Malley and Elias Simonsen. Gillingham also won the 200 individual medley. 

Gillingham earned an at-large berth with a runner-up finish in the 100 breaststroke. Judson O’Malley was second in the 100 backstroke and third in the 200 IM. Antonuk took second in the 100 butterfly and third in the backstroke as all four of those entries advanced.

The Hodags also earned at-large berths thanks to runner-up finishes in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays. It was Antonuk, Simonsen, Kellen O’Malley and Judson O’Malley for the Hodags in the 200 freestyle relay, and Judson O’Malley, Daniel Meier, Chris Larson and Gillingham in the 400 freestyle relay. 

The WIAA Division 2 state meet will take place Friday, Feb. 20 in Waukesha.

Boys’ wrestling: Rhinelander 14th/16, WIAA Sectionals

The season came to an end for the RHS boys’ wrestling team with a 14th-place finish in a WIAA Division 2 sectional in Antigo on Saturday. 

Only three of the Hodags’ 10 entries won their first match and advanced to the placement rounds. Anthony Boldt came home fifth at 150 pounds, Brock Sternitzky was seven at 285 and Ivan Loka finished eighth at 132.

Gymnastics: Rhinelander 5th/9, Ashland Invite

The RHS gymnastics team broke back into the 120s and finished fifth in the nine-team Valentines Invite in Ashland on Saturday.

The Hodags were the top-scoring GNC Small team in the field with a score of 120.95.

Emeline Hintz led the Hodags in the all-around, taking 14th with a score of 31.025. She was seventh for the Hodags on both vault and floor exercise. Marsadies Williams was 14th in the all-around and Addison Fish was 15th. 

Alexis Smith tied for seven with Hintz on vault. Hintz was the team’s top finisher on uneven bars (17th), and Williams led the team on balance beam (15th).

The Hodags will compete at the Great Northern Conference meet in Minocqua Saturday, Feb. 21.

Full reports will follow in the print edition of the River News.