Sunday, August 31, 2008

D2 preview

Can DeForest three-peat in D2? Hardly, you might think, with 7-time state champion Kelly Winckler graduated, along with veteran state meet contributers Lauren Caruso, Haley Oosterhoff, and Jennifer Karpinsky.

But don't count out the Norskies too soon. The two-time defending state champs return a solid nucleus of swimmers, including seniors Molly Anderson and Karmyn Vandewettering, juniors Lindsay Verhulst and Ruby Engen, and sophomores Casey Wolter and Lark Engen, all of whom swam at the state meet last year. Incoming freshmen Leah Winckler and Megan Engelhardt also will play key roles on the team this year. DeForest features a versatile group of swimmers, and with their depth, the team has the ability to send all three relay teams to state.

DeForest won two state titles in a row in part because Kelly Winckler was a lock to win both the 200 and 500 frees; with those 40 points, the team counted on its depth and relays to garner enough points for the team title. The key question for the Norskies this year -- can anyone step into her role?

Other strong teams and contenders:

-- For the past two years, Whitefish Bay has finished as state runner-up. Can WB climb atop the winner's podium this year? Their chances rest in part on the shoulders of junior sprinter Maggie Smith. She had top-three finishes in both the 50 and 100 frees last year at state, and with top D2 sprinter Beckie Thompson now swimming for UW, Smith will certainly contend for state titles in both events. The team from Milwaukee's North Shore will look for state meet performers Lauren Van Loon and Annie Maercklein to step into the shoes left by departed state veterans Danielle Levings and Sarah Harper.

-- For years, the Sturgeon Bay/Sevastopol girls team has operated in the shadows of the SB boys powerhouse. But watch out this year; the Clippers are serious candidates for a run at a state title. The SB/S co-op finished sixth last year at state, but returns every single swimmer who scored points at the state meet. They also add McKenzie Trelka, expected to be one of the top freshmen in the state this year. Leading the way for Clippers are seniors Cassidy Smith and Taylor Trelka, junior Alexa Statz, and sophomores Michaela Rabas and Sierra Townsend. Statz has finished runner-up the past two years in the 100 breastroke, and contributes solid legs on relays. A key question for SB/S -- can it put together three relays to qualify for state? Last year, the team's medley and 200 free relays each finished with strong 3rd-place finishes at state, but the team did not qualify a 400 free relay.

-- Monona Grove finished 3rd last year at state, the program's highest finish ever and just eight points out of second place. MG should be strong again this year, with senior Hayley Martin vying with Whitefish Bay's Maggie Smith for top sprint honors in the state. Martin finished 5th in both the 50 and 100 frees last year, and is coming off a strong summer campaign. The Silver Eagles also return sophomore state qualifiers Elizabeth Emmerich (breaststroke) and Kelsey Millin (who finished 2nd in the fly last year coming out of the first heat). The key to MG's success is its strength in relays; the team finished 9th (medley), 2nd (200 free) and 1st (400 free relay) last year at state.

-- Madison Edgewood -- 5th at state last year -- returns a solid group of swimmers, led by senior Beth Schramka (4th in both the 200/500 frees at state). The Crusaders always seem to save their best swims of the year for the state meet, but will be looking to replace the 20 points they earned at the state meet last year from first-place diver Morgan Hearn, who graduated.

-- Grafton, McFarland, Whitnall, New London, Milton, Sauk Prairie, and Shorewood finished 7th-through-13th last year at state, separated by a mere 13.5 points. All return strong performers from last year's state meet. Among them: Grafton's Sadie Nenning (state champ, backstroke) and distance swimmer Brianna Dietz are back, and the team also returns three divers who placed at state; McFarland features a strong junior class led by state qualifiers Chloe Bartuska (100/200 free), Stirling Smith (breast, IM), Ally Schmaling (breast) and Hannah Bristol (back), and welcomes new head coach Bill Martin; Whitnall is led by senior Liz Bishop (4th in the breaststroke at state) and returns a good share of all three relays that qualified for state; New London graduated half of their state-winning medley relay, but returns sophomores Taylor Crain and Taylor Kindschy; Milton returns two-time state champ (breaststroke) Jennah Haney and state qualifier Hailey Foss; Sauk Prairie -- similar to Sturgeon Bay/Sevastopol -- returns all of its swimmers who scored points at the state meet last year, led by senior sprinter Abby Diehl; Shorewood features perhaps the best one-two punch in the state in junior Elli Sellinger and sophomore Claire Chamberlain, who between them had a 1st (Chamberlin, IM), a 2nd, and two 3rd-place finishes at state.

Other individuals to watch this year: Brookfield Academy sophomore Kelsey Hojan-Clark, who had two runner-up finishes (IM, 500 free) at state last year; Berlin/Green Lake sophomore Siri Smits, 3rd in the back at state; and Baraboo sophomore Emily O'Rourke, 6th at state in the back.

Division 1 preview

The big question entering the 2008 girls season: Can Madison East repeat its remarkable run to a state title? The Purgolders won their first state title last year, edging crosstown rival Madison Memorial by a mere 3.5 points. It was all the more remarkable, given that East won the title with just six swimmers.

Head coach Matt Matteson returns a strong corps of swimmers from last year's title team, including: sophomore Aja Van Hout, one of the few swimmers in recent state history to win two individual state titles (500 free, 200 IM) as a freshman; senior Ruby Martin, who won the 50 free last year and is arguably the best sprinter in the state; and junior Becca Soderholm, who had two top-four finishes (fly, IM) at state last year. Add in sophomore Ivy Martin and freshman Chelsea Soderholm, and Matteson has the foundation for another run at a state title.

Make no mistake; East is a squad geared for the state meet, as they have the ability to qualify all three relays for state, as well as score well in individual events. But their margin of error is thin, as the team carries just 14 swimmers and lacks the kind of depth seen in most of the state's other top D1 programs.

Other top teams and contenders:

-- The list of contenders for the state title has to start with Madison Memorial. Memorial last year appeared poised to end Hartland Arrowhead's six-year stranglehold on the state D1 title, only to see East swim a near-perfect state meet. Head Coach Jason Verhelst returns a strong group of swimmers from last year's runner-up squad, including: senior sprinters Kayla Smith and Mackenzie King, distance swimmer and backstroker Jackie Powell, breastroker Kendra Loch, and distance swimmer Dana Johnson. The Spartans always feature great depth, often qualifying multiple swimmers from individual events and qualifying three relays for state. It's also a veteran group of swimmers, and one that's probably hungry to improve on last year's 2nd-place finish at state.

-- Middleton finished third last year at state, and returns state qualifiers Katie Delaney (200/500 free), Kayla Beckwith (50/100 free), Talia Horner (back) and Ashley Ryan (fly). Middleton also usually features very good depth, and they return last year's third-place finisher in diving in sophomore Lauren Callen.

-- Hartland Arrowhead's remarkable run of six state titles came to an end last year, but HA returns a solid group of swimmers who qualified for state last year, led by sophomore butterfly champion Emma Goral.

-- Waukesha South/Mukwanago finished a surprising fourth last year at state, and returns several state meet veterans led by senior sprinter/butterflier Arianna Gorenc. The team will be looking for swimmers to move up to the top-tier in individual races; the highest individual finish for the team last year at state was 5th.

-- Memorial has supplanted Madison West as the top team on the city's west side, but the Regents are establishing a solid nucleus of young swimmers. West is led by seniors Abby Mundt and Maddie O'Keefe, and augmented by sophomore Ilsa Feierabend (state qualifier in both the 200/500 frees) and state relays swimmers Margaret Ntambi, Carolyn Curran and Kirkley Doyle. West also returns junior Kylie Rosenstock, the state dive champ.

Other individuals to watch this year include: Waukesha West junior Stephanie Armstrong, state champ on the 100/200 free; Wisconsin Rapids sophomore Becca Weiland, who had two 3rd-place finishes in the 50 and 100 free sprints at state; Janesville Craig junior Hailey Schneider (4th IM, 5th breaststroke), and Badger/Big Foot sophomore Emily Russart, who set the only record at the state meet in winning the 100 breaststroke.

New high school swim blog

Today marks the debut of a blog devoted to following high school swimming in Wisconsin. The goal is to provide information to fans of swimming, and to highlight the accomplishments of these hard-working high school athletes. I'm a parent of two swimmers, active in the Monona Swim and Dive Club, and a supporter of high school swimming generally. Although I'm closely associated with Monona Grove swimming (my son swims for the high school team, and friends of our family swim for the girls team), I hope to keep the contents of the blog objective, fair and balanced. Comments are welcome, although I hope the tone and content of the comments -- like my goal for the blog -- is supportive and informative.