Burning questions -- Div. 2 state

Here are a few questions as preparations are under way for the Div. 2 state meet:

-- If one concedes the state title to McFarland (and the Spartans are seeded 140 points ahead of the competition), who will lay claim to the runner-up trophy? Five teams -- Shorewood, Ashwaubenon, Delavan-Darien, Whitefish Bay and Edgewood -- can make a legitimate claim on second place, as they are separated by a mere 29 points based on seeding. D-D probably has the least amount of room to move up -- they qualified seven swimmers, and only have two relays swimming compared to the others' three relays -- while Shorewood (12 swimmers, three relays) and Whitefish Bay (11 swimmers, three relays, plus a diver) arguably have the greatest ability to move upward and grab ahold of 2nd place. Maybe it will come down to the last event, which would be fun -- all six of the top-seeded teams, led by McFarland, qualified their 400 free relays into the final heat.

-- Will either Graham Thoresen or Brandon O'Donnell of McFarland, or perhaps both, finally win an individual state title? The two seniors have been stalwarts during McFarland's run to the past two state titles, and they form the foundation for what is McFarland's best team yet. Both have won gold medals on relays -- they swam on the Spartans winning 400 free relay last year, and O'Donnell has swum fly on two straight 1st-place medley relays -- but they have fallen just short in their bids for an individual state title. O'Donnell finished 2nd last year in both the 200 IM and 100 fly, but both winners have since graduated. He is seeded 2nd in both events this year. Thoresen, third last year in the 200 free and third the past two years in the 500 free, will return to face strong fields in both events this year. He, too, is seeded 2nd in both events.

-- Speaking of McFarland, it may be a stretch for the Spartans to exceed the all-time Div. 2 team score of 393, held by the great 2005 Sturgeon Bay/Southern Door squad. Can they do the next best thing, and break the SB/SD state record in the 400 free relay? McFarland's 400 free relay has been the most dominant D2 relay in the state this year, and enters the state meet with a seed time of 3:16.27, more than four seconds faster than 2nd-seeded Whitnall. The McFarland relay this year has been comprised of the two O'Donnell brothers, Brandon and Ryan, along with Thoresen and Brian Heiser. Just for kicks, here are the splits on that 2005 SB/SD relay: Luke Cummings: 49.14; Sam Parent: 48.08; Kevin Campbell: 48.10; Shane Eliason: 45.12.

-- Can Rhinelander's Ben Lonsdorf bring home a state title to Hodag-land? If he does, it surely will be bitter-sweet. Lonsdorf, a senior who has signed with the Univeristy of Wyoming, came into last year's state meet as the top seed in both the 50 and 100 frees, and finished runner-up in both events. This year, with lots of fast times swum at sectionals, he enters as the 4th seed in the 50 free and 3rd seed in the 100 free. He will be the school's lone representative at the state meet, and maybe its last; the Rhinelander school district, under severe budget pressure, has announced tentative plans to cut the boys swimming program for the coming school year.

-- Can Edgewood's Chase Stephens chase down his Badger Conference rivals in the 200 and 500 freestyles? One of the more intriguing story lines during the D2 season has been the emergence of Stephens as a legitimate threat to Badger Conference swimmers Jeff Maxwell of Milton and McFarland's duo of Thoresen and Heiser in the distance events. He came within inches of knocking off Thoresen in each event at the Waunakee sectionals, and earlier this season topped Maxwell at the Platteville Invite in the 500 free. In the 200 free, Stephens is seeded 3rd, behind top-seeded Maxwell and 2nd-seeded Thoresen and just ahead of 4th-seeded Heiser; the four swimmers are separated by just 1.21 seconds. In the 500, it's Maxwell, Thoresen and Stephens in the seeding, separated by less than 2.5 seconds. Both should be terrific races.

-- Who will emerge as the ultimate winner in the season-long duel between divers Will Mathee of Cedarburg and Mitchell Spaeth of Plymouth? Mathee is the defending state champ, with Spaeth as runner-up last year, but Spaeth comes in as the top-seeded diver based on sectional scores. The pair have waged some very good duels this year, with Spaeth winning both the sectional title and the Small School Invite title three weeks ago. They are the only two divers entering the state meet with scores above 400.

-- If, as expected, Edgewood's Drew teDuits makes the podium (he is seeded 2nd in the 50 free and 1st in the 100 back), can we expect the announcers at the Natatorium to pronounce his name correctly? Here's a hint: Tee-Dites. That's "tee," like the thing you hit a golf ball off of, followed by "Dites," like Kites (the thing kids fly in the springtime), except it's a D instead of a K. It helps not to look at the name while trying to pronounce it.