D2 sectionals -- what to look for

Over in Division 2, two of the four sectionals stand out -- those at Baraboo and Plymouth.

Start with Baraboo. This should be an old-fashioned barn-burner. It features the defending state champs and top-ranked (latest coaches poll) DeForest, 2nd and 3rd-ranked Sauk Prairie and Milton, three other teams in the top 10 (Baraboo, 6th; Monona Grove, 9th; McFarland, 10th), plus an Edgewood squad (13th in the latest poll) that's been swimming very well of late. That's seven of the top 13 D2 teams in the state -- whew! DeForest, based on its win last week in the Badger Conference North swim meet (over Sauk, Baraboo and McFarland), appears on paper to be the favorite. But sectional meets -- unlike conference meets, where teams with lots of quality depth do well -- have much smaller numbers of entries, and thus teams with one or two dominant swimmers, combined with three high-placing relays, can do well. That might bode well for the likes of Sauk (freestyler Abby Diehl and butterfly/backstroker Alison Meng), Milton (breaststroke state champ Jennah Haney), and Monona Grove (freestyle sprinter Hayley Martin). It wouldn't be a shock if DeForest comes out on top, but look for a logjam of teams competing for the other top spots, as well.

In Plymouth, the top two teams from the Small State Invitational -- often a harbinger of the state D2 meet -- will square off again: champs Sturgeon Bay/Sevastopol and Grafton. Shorewood (with its terrific duo of Elli Sellinger and Clare Chamberlain), Whitefish Bay (with sprinter Maggie Smith) and Plymouth (with D2 freshman of the year Kate Criter) will also compete for the sectional title. Add in Berlin/Green Lake (Siri Smits) and Brookfield Academy (Kelsey Hojan-Clark), and the Plymouth meet probably features the best raw individual talent of any of the D2 sectionals. Who will emerge as sectional title winner is anyone's guess, but Sturgeon Bay has looked very good all season long.

The Cudahay sectional features some strong talent as well; look for Waukesha Catholic Memorial, Whitnall and Elkhorn to be among the top teams coming out of here. Up in Stevens Point, Colby Abbotsford recently entered the state coaches poll as the 18th ranked team in the state; they will likely battle New London and Shawano for top honors.