Sectionals -- D2

D2 sectionals were fast this year -- very fast. How fast? Qualifying time standards fell in every event this year save for one -- the backstroke. Some dropped noticeably, like the 200 IM, which fell 2.5 seconds. Relay qualifying times were also much faster, with the 400 free relay qualifying time dropping an astounding 5.5 seconds (3:27.02 this year vs. 3:32.53 last year).

To cite a few examples, Sturgeon Bay/Southern Door's John Parent broke 1:50 in the 200 free and failed to make the final heat. Last year, any time under 23 seconds in the 50 free got a swimmer into the final heat; this year, 23 seconds barely got you into the state meet (last two qualifying times were 23 flat and 23.07.) Only two swimmers this year above 50 seconds in the 100 free made state; last year there were 10. And on and on -- similar to the girls season last fall, it was swim fast or go home.

It was also a tale of some lopsided results -- two of the four sectionals (Waunakee and Cudahay) sent more than two-thirds of the individual swimmers, and exactly two-thirds of the relays, to state.

Here's a summary from the four D2 sectionals:

Stevens Point -- Ashwaubenon won going away, 399.5-305 over runner-up Berlin/Green Lake. The Jaguars won all three relays, went 1-2 in the diving, and had a double-winner in Phillip Crum (200 IM, 100 breaststroke), along with a win from ace sprinter Jake Pelishek in the 50 free, who topped a very good field in the 50 free (2nd went to Eric Emerson of River Falls and 3rd to Rhinelander's Ben Lonsdorf, runner-up at state last year in the event). The Jaguars decided to put senior Chris Vandervest (who has signed a Div. II football letter-of-intent for Minnesota-Duluth) on all three relays, and it paid off; the medley relay with Vandervest leading off won by more than six seconds. Sturgeon Bay/Southern Door (294), River Falls (284), and Rice Lake (202.5) rounded out the top five.

Waunakee -- Just in case anyone was wondering, McFarland showed who's the boss of D2 this year with an outstanding showing at the Waunakee High School pool, winning with 427 points over Edgewood's 307. The Spartans won all three relays (all ended up as the top seeds for this week's state meet), six of the eight individual swimming events, and qualified 17 of its 18 individual entries to state. Leading the way was the senior tandem of Graham Thoresen and Brandon O'Donnell. Thoresen won the 200 and 500 frees in two thrilling duels with Edgewood's Chase Stephens (winning the 200 by .04 seconds, and the 500 by .09 seconds), while O'Donnell won his specialties (200 IM, 100 fly). Only Edgewood's Drew teDuits, who won the 50 free and the 100 back, and Monona Grove's Trevor Sisson, who won the diving the night before, broke up the McFarland party. And just in case you're wondering whether McFarland's going away after this year -- well, they're not. Seven of the team's 17 state qualifying bids (five different swimmers) were won by freshmen. Edgewood provided a good battle for the Spartans in the two free relays, and with teDuits and Stephens the Crusaders have two of the better D2 swimmers in the state. But few teams can come close to matching McFarland's depth; it's why they'll be a heavy favorite this Friday at the UW Natatorium for a third straight state title. Fort Atkinson (235), Waunakee (228), and Oregon (194) rounded out the top five.

Plymouth -- Cedarburg continued its fine late-season run with a 384-358.5 win over the host team. Diving is strong in this sectional (half the divers at state came out of this sectional), and Cedarburg parlayed a 2-6-7 finish in the diving to help it to the win. The squad won all three relays, got a double-win from Carl Newenhouse (100 free, 100 back), and added a win from distance swimmer Jim Akkala (500 free). Plymouth took home three wins courtesy of double-winner Jesse Gambrell (200 IM, 100 breaststroke) and Brian Linzmeyer (200 free). Rounding out the top five were Port Washington (228), Milwaukee Lutheran (185.5), and Grafton (180).

Cudahay -- The sectional at Cudahay was arguably the deepest of the four sectionals, sending more individual entries to state than any other. Whitefish Bay emerged from a very fast meet the winner with 351 points to 328 for runner-up Shorewood. It was a wild and wooly meet; WB won without winning a single event, but parlayed its depth into three top-five finishes in the relays and a number of top-10 finishes. The meet was abnormally deep in some areas -- in the breaststroke, 10 swimmers qualified for the state meet. Whitnall loaded up its relays with its two best swimmers -- Tyler Leroy and Doug Bell only swam one individual event -- and it paid off, as the team won the 200 and 400 free relays and all three relays qualified for state. And did any two swimmers have a better sectional meet in the state than Delavan-Darien's dynamic duo of Nathaniel Johnson and Alex Riegert? Johnson won the 200 IM, earning the top seed at the state, followed by Riegert winning the 100 free and similarly earning the top seed at state. The pair then went 1-2 in the breaststroke -- separated by a mere .02 seconds (with Reigert outtouching his teammate) -- and they earned the top two seeds at state in the event. The pair also led D-D to a win in the medley relay and a runner-up finish in the 400 free relay. Not a bad day's worth of work. Milton's Jeff Maxwell won both the 200 and 500 frees and established himself as the favorite in both events with times of 1:45.21 (200) and 4:43.83 (500, where he's the defending state champ). Milton ended up third (277), followed by D-D (251) and Whitnall (228).