Oregon wins Badger Conference opener

Is Oregon the team to beat in the Badger South Conference? With Verona's departure to the Big Eight Conference, the race for the Badger South appears wide open. Oregon laid claim to the top spot with a strong performance at the Badger Conference South Relays Tuesday night at Stoughton. Oregon won five of the 11 events at the meet, and revealed some added depth that the Panthers -- which have always had a cadre of strong swimmers -- have lacked in the past. They scored 151 points to win the meet over second-place Milton.

Of course, it's early in the season, with two months to go before the conference swim meet. But the all-relay meet at Stoughton is often a good indicator of a team's depth, as it requires teams to put together 11 separate relays. Oregon qualified two relays for state last year (200/400 free) out of the very tough D1 Middleton sectional, and returns all of the swimmers who swam on these relays. State qualifiers Maddie Schwartz (back, 500 free) and sprinter Rachel Walsh also return for the Panthers, and the team has added some quality freshmen.

As for the rest of the Badger South teams, Milton won three relays led by state-meet veterans Hailey Foss and Jennah Haney, and finished second with 140 points. Monona Grove finished third (127 points), with Edgewood fourth (118 points). Edgewood's Beth Schramka, a three-time state qualifier who is recovering from a soccer injury from last spring, did not swim at the meet but is expected to begin swimming again for Crusaders this week.