Baraboo makes a statement

Heading into the Badger Conference North relays Tuesday night, Baraboo might have been excused for thinking it had a steep hill to climb. After all, the relay meet featured two-time defending state champs DeForest, a strong McFarland team newly moved to the Badger North, and a Sauk Prairie team poised to move into the state's elite D2 teams.

But the Thunderbirds, swimming in their home pool, showed they will certainly be a team to contend with this year, as they won the all-relay meet with 102 points, ahead of DeForest and McFarland, which tied for second with 88 points. Sauk Prairie finished fourth with 66 points. The win comes a week after Baraboo won the season-opening Janesville Parker Relays, beating out Badger South Conference's Milton by 15 points.

Baraboo got off to a hot start at the Badger North relays, winning three of the first four events behind state-meet veterans Emily O'Rourke, Blair Murphy, Shannon Keeling, Emily Thompson, Ellie Reufer, and Raegen Trimmer. They followed that up with a series of top-three finishes, including a meet-clinching second-place finish in the final 400-free relay.

"DeForest and McFarland are great teams, and Sauk's top girls are incredible," Baraboo head coach Lynn Keeling told the Baraboo News Republic after the meet. "It's going to be a really exciting conference, and we're going to have a lot of good dual meets."

Baraboo last year was a team with solid depth; they were one of only five D2 teams (DeForest, McFarland, Monona Grove, and Whitnall were the others) to qualify all three relays for the state meet. They also qualified five swimmers in seven events for the state meet. The challenge for Baraboo has been placing in the top tier of swimmers; the highest finish for a relay last year at state was 9th, and their highest individual placer was O'Rourke (6th) in the back. The T-Birds appear ready to take that next step.

(Information and quotes courtesy of Baraboo News Republic.)