Conference round-up -- D1

Division 1 conference meets last weekend gave a pretty good indication of what to expect this coming weekend at sectionals -- Madison Memorial, Hartland-Arrowhead, and Marquette look strong, with Middleton, Sauk Prairie-Wisconsin Heights, and Greenfield-Greendale nipping at their heels.

-- Memorial won the always tough Big Eight Conference meet, all the stronger this year with the addition of Verona. They beat out a Middleton squad that made a strong showing, 497-471, with Madison West topping Verona 385.5-337 for third. All four squads will make their presence felt at the Middleton sectional meet. Memorial's Michael Drives, fighting a cold, won the 200 and 500 frees, and the team's 200-yard free relay scored a solid win by more than a minute over Middleton. But the Cardinals won the other two relays, and it was no surprise that senior Purdue recruit Sam Niesen swam on those winning relays. He garnered four wins overall with 1st-place finishes in the back and 100 free.

-- Arrowhead topped Marquette 458-420 in the Classic 8/Greater Metro Conference meet at the fast Waukesha South pool in a meet in which depth paid off for HA. The squad won three events to seven for Marquette, but rode its superior depth to a win. Notable swims for HA included Ryan Hansen's wins in the 200 free (1:41.66) and 500 free (4:36.65), the event in which he's the defending state champ. Only Drives on Memorial has swum faster this year in those two events, and the two swimmers appear headed for a showdown in both events at the UW Natatorium.

-- Sauk Prairie-Wisconsin Heights finished second to two-time defending D2 champ McFarland in the Badger North Conference swim meet, despite winning seven events. The result prompted Eagles coach Todd Wuerger to suggest McFarland might be the best team in the state, D1 or D2.

-- Lake Geneva Badger-Walworth Big Foot on the Southern Lakes Conference meet easily over D2 Elkhorn, with Nathan Kidder winning the 50 and 100 freestyle sprints.

-- Hartford won the four-team Wisconsin Little Ten Conference meet led by Aiden Kohnhorst and Tyler, who each won two individual events and contributed legs on the team's winning medley and 200 free relays.

-- New Berlin edged D2 Shorewood in the Woodland Conference meet, with the Greenfield-Greendale co-op finishing third. G-G's trio of Mike Lucchesi, Jack Lennertz and Matt Jungers won five events, with Lennertz blazing to a win in the 100 butterfly in a D1 season-best time of 50.27. The trio also swam on the team's winning 400 free relay, with Lucchesi and Lennertz swimming on the winning 200 free relay. G-G is one of those teams that won't score as many points in conference and even sectionals meets as they will at state; look for the co-op to make a strong showing at the state D1 meet. New Berlin won four events at the conference meet, led by Byron Butler's win in the backstroke, where he will certainly be a strong contender for a state title.

-- Wausau East won the Wisconsin Valley Conference swim meet 343-308 over runner-up Stevens Point, with wins in all three relays and six individual events. Lucas Koening, Danny Brebrick and Josh Hall contributed five individual wins for East, with Hall being named conference swimmer of the year.

-- Bayport won the Fox River Classic Conference 553-474 over D2 Ashwaubenon. Ryan Keuler and Max Van Egeren both won two individual events and swam on two first-place winning relays for Bayport.