Sectionals -- D1

D1 sectionals this past weekend went as anticipated -- faster times than last year (notably in the fly and breaststroke), although perhaps not as noticeable as some of the D2 qualifying time drops. The Waukesha South sectional was exceptionaley fast, Memorial dominated the Middleton sectional, and Marquette won going away in the Nicolet sectional. On to the recaps:

Hudson -- Eau Claire, with a strong showing by its distance swimmers and a terrific meet by senior Will Weggel depth, won the sectional title 392-315 over Wausau East. Memorial's 500 free swimmers swept the top three spots, while Weggel won the 50 free and 100 fly, upsetting Wausau East's Lucas Koenig in the latter event. East left with lots of hardware, however, as it won five of the 11 even swimming events, led by two-time winner Josh Hall (200 IM, 100 breaststroke). East's 200 medley relay won by more than five seconds and will be looking to defend its title this week at the D1 state meet.

Neenah -- The host team won its sectional 374-336.5 over Bayport with only one win -- backstroker Matt Hollub. Bayport racked up six wins in the sectional, but couldn't match the host's depth. Appleton's Ryan Goggans was a double winner in the 200/500 frees.

Middleton -- Madison Memorial dominated the always fast Middleton sectional, topping Verona easily 392.2-279. The Spartans won all three relays, Michael Drives doubled up in the 200 and 500 frees, and Shaun Marcott went under 1:00 to win the breaststroke. Add in Nat Broadbridge's win in the diving, and Memorial cruised to victory and emerged as the favorite for this week's D1 title. Sauk Prairie/Wisconsin Heights' Matt Friede doubled up in the freestyle sprints, and enters the state meet with the top seed in both the 50 and 100 frees. Teammate Tyler Lentz, meanwhile, won the 200 IM and will go into the state meet as the 2nd seed. Middleton (278), Madison West (248.5) and Sauk (224) rounded out the top five.

Nicolet -- The weakest of the six sectionals nonetheless produced a strong contender for a state title in Marquette, which won all but one of the 11 swimming events to win easily, 429.5-335.5 over host Nicolet. Sprinter Andrew Breger, presumably well after a season beset with shoulder problems, won both the 50 and 100 free sprints and swam on two of the team's winning relays. Milwaukee Riverside's Carlos Rios will carry the hopes of the Milwaukee City League on his shoulders; he won the Nicolet diving sectional title and goes into the state meet as the top seed in diving.

Waukesha South -- This is the home of amazing times and stunning depth; one wonders if the WIAA shouldn't at some point consider a realignment of teams in the Milwaukee area, particularly given the weakness of the not-so-far-away Nicolet sectional. In the end, Hartland-Arrowhead waged a terrific battle with New Berlin, coming out on top 312-291. Others in the top five included Wauesha South/Catholic Memorial (242.5), Meno. Falls/Germantown/Hamilton (238.5), and Hartford (200). HA was led by Ryan Hansen, newly signed to the University of Utah and the defending state champ in the 500 free. Hansen won the 200 free (1:41.34), then came back with a stunning 4:31.20 in the 500 free, or more than a second below the current state record. Hansen's a treat to watch -- he attacks the 500 like a sprint, racing off to the lead that he tries to hold -- and should be fun to watch this Saturday. How deep is this sectional? A total of 13 swimmers in the 500 free qualified for state.

Racine Park -- Kenosha Tremper beat Kenosha Bradford 338-309, but the real noise came from Greenfield/Greendale and its trio of Mike Lucchesi, Jack Lennertz and Matt Jungers. The trio won five events among them (Lucchesi the 100 free, Lennertz the 50 free and 100 fly, and Jungers the 200 IM and the 100 back; Lucchesi was 2nd to Lennertz in the 50 free)and helped G-G to easy wins in the 200 medley and 400 free relays.