D2 boys preview

The boys high school swim season is upon us, with a few teams already having swum a meet. The season begins in earnest this week, with a number of conference relays.

In Division 2, the big question entering the season is: Can anyone stop McFarland on its march to a third straight state title? The Spartans certainly are loaded; they return six of the seven swimmers who scored McFarland's 251 points at the state meet last year. The lone graduating senior -- Ian Bakk, who won both the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke at state, plus swam a key leg on the winning 200 medley relay -- is a big loss for the team. But the Spartans return: Brandon O'Donnell, runner-up in both the IM and 100 fly, and the anchor of the winning 400 free relay; distance swimmers Graham Thoresen and Brian Heiser, 3rd and 4th, respectively, in both the 200 and 500 frees; sprinter Peter Grenzow; plus state relay swimmers Ben Psyk and Andrew Hovel. In addition, the Spartans are expected to add a talented group of freshmen, led by Ryan O'Donnell (brother of Brandon and current UW swimmer Derek), who has already swum state-qualifying times in a number of events for his Spartan Sharks club team. McFarland is a team that combines swimmers capable of placing in the top five at state in several events, plus three strong relays. It's a tough combination to beat at the D2 level.

Who might make McFarland sweat a bit this season?

-- Whitefish Bay, fourth last year at state, returns five swimmers who qualified for the state meet last year, led by Jason Castillo (4th in both the IM and breastroke). Three-fourths of the medley and 400 free relays return (both with top-eight finishes last year at the state meet), and the team may have enough depth to qualify all three relays for state. Whitefish Bay has a very strong junior class; they may be a year away from knocking off McFarland from its perch. They also have one of the top returning divers in Ian Gee.

-- Last year's runner-up, Cedarburg, has two big holes to fill with the graduation of distance swimmer Tommy Radtke and sprinter Mike Schalla, who between them scored 73 points in individual events last year at state. But four state qualifiers return, led by sophomore Carl Newenhouse (11th IM, 9th back) and distance swimmer Jim Akkala (14th 200 free, 8th 500 free). Cedarburg also returns all three of its divers that placed at state last year, including defending champ Will Mathee.

-- Shorewood qualifed all three of its relays on its way to a 7th-place finish at state, and nearly all of its top swimmers return. Shorewood is particularly strong in the distance events, with R.J. Hayes (9th in the 200 free, 6th in the 500 free) and Karl Weisling (10th in the 200 free, 7th in the 500 free). Stephen Meyer is the team's top returning swimmer, with top-five finishes last year at state in both the fly and back.

-- Delavan-Darien finished 6th last year at state, led by its terrific tandem of Alex Riegert (3rd in the 50 free, 2nd in the breaststroke) and Nathaniel Johnson (3rd in both the IM and breastroke).

-- Similar to Cedarburg, Ashwaubenon will be looking to fill holes left by graduation. Senior Chris Vandervest (6th in the 100 free, 5th in the breastroke) leads a contingent of five state qualifiers returning. Ashwaubenon finished 3rd last year at state on the strength of its relays, including the winning 200 free relay. Filling out those relays may be a key to the team's success this year.

-- Looking for a darkhorse? Try Madison Edgewood. The Crusaders brought in a strong freshman class last year, led by Drew teDuits (2nd in back, 5th in fly at state). Distance swimmer Chase Stephens (8th 200 free, 5th 500 free) also swims quality legs on relays, and the team's young swimmers may be poised to better last year's 11th place finish at state; every swimmer who scored points at the state meet returns.

As for individual swimmers to look out for this year, watch for strong seasons from: Milton's Jeff Maxwell, the defending champ in the 500 free and 2nd-place finisher in the 200 free; Rhinelander's Ben Lonsdorf, runner-up last year in both the 50 and 100 free sprints; Brookfield Academy's dynamic sophomore duo of Jonathan Marks (5th IM, 11th breastroke) and Jack Donovan (6th fly, 11th 200 free); River Falls senior Eric Emerson (3rd 100 free, 7th back); and Sturgeon Bay/Southern Door's John Parent (5th 200 free, 7th 100 free). On a side note, if the WIAA is looking for reasons not to switch the boys swim season to the fall, they could do worse than consider the case of Parent, a second-team all-conference quarterback for his Sturgeon Bay football team.