Senior Hayley Martin will graduate from Monona Grove as the most decorated swimmer in the school's history. She holds six individual school records (50, 100, 200, and 500 frees, 100 back, 200 IM) and is a member of two school-record relay teams (200/400 free relays). She's won 10 sectional titles in individual events and relays, and enters this weekend's state Division 2 swim meet as the top seed in both the 50 and 100 freestyles.
Name: Hayley Kathryn Martin
School: Monona Grove High School
Year: Senior
Favorite event to swim: 100 free
Proudest accomplishment as a swimmer: I would say getting the Monona Grove girls swim team to the point where it is now. I'm proud to say I was a part of the team that finished a school-best 3rd place at the state meet, when just two years before we finished 17th. I'm also extremely proud to say I was a part of the team that has set 8 (hopefully soon to be 11) new team records.
Favorite swimming memory: That's a tough one. I guess I would say winning the 400 free relay at state last year. Katie Barta and I had been on four top-ranked relays and it felt so good to finally win one, especially to do it together...with the help of two really fast freshmen.
Favorite non-swimming activity: Going to movies...favorite movie currently in theaters is "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa."
Favorite food: Pasta...I eat it just about every day.
Music you listen to get psyched up for a meet: Creedence Clearwater Revival but once I'm at the meet it's all Techno.
Role model: My uncle because at the age of 50 he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. He then lost about 50 pounds and at the age of 52 ran the Chicago Marathon.
Favorite swimmer: Ian Thorpe...even though he retired, and Dara Torres because she retired but still swam in the Olympics.
Family: Sunshine (mom), Chuckles (dad), Hank (brother) a junior swimming for University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Plans after high school: I plan to go to college and continue swimming.
Career goal: I don't know all the details yet, but I'm pretty sure it involves me getting filthy rich without really doing much at all. I plan to major either in journalism or history.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Go fast or go home -- sectional round-ups
Swimmers are usually a quiet lot -- they tend to be more reflective than boastful, more focused than animated. But they often make up for it with their T-shirts. "Go fast or go home" is a favorite.
That about sums up what it took to make it to state this year in both D1 and D2. Cut-off times were much faster than a year ago in nearly all races, and the depth of quality performances was evident throughout the six D1 and four D2 sectionals. In D1, for instance, the cutoff to qualify for the 100-yard breaststroke was nearly a second faster than a year ago. In D2, 10 swimmers qualified for the 100-yard butterfly with times under one minute, compared to three swimmers a year ago.
In D1, the Waukesha South/Mukwanago sectional featured a terrific contest between the hosts and Hartland-Arrowhead, with HA eventually prevailing 391-362. Arrowhead got all 18 of its entries through to state, including three divers. Muskego also made a strong showing at the sectional with some top finishes and finished in third place with 297 points. It was the fastest sectional in the state; of the top three seeds in the 11 swimming events (33 fastest seeded swimmers in the state meet), 17 came out of the WS/M sectional.
Over at the always competitive Middleton sectional, Madison Memorial showed again that superior depth pays off. The Spartans racked up 375.5 points for an easy win over Middleton (315). Defending state champs Madison East finished third with 302 points. East won seven of the 11 events, led by Ruby Martin (50/100 free) and Aja Van Hout (200 IM/500 free), who also swam on the team's winning 200 and 400 free relays. But none of the Purgolders three relays earned top seeds at the state meet. For Memorial, coach Jason Verhelst achieved a first -- all 18 swimmers entered into the sectional meet qualified for state. The Spartans were led by junior Jackie Powell, who earned top-three seeds in the state meet in both the 200 free and the 100 back. But the news coming out of the Middleton sectional is that many of the swimmers who did qualify for state won't be seeded as high as they were at last year's state meet.
Also swimming well in the D1 sectionals was Wausau East, which won the Hudson sectional and sent all three relays to the final heat of the state meet. Other sectional winners were Neenah, Mequon Homestead, and Racine Case.
In D2, the big news was DeForest's dominant win at the very deep and fast Baraboo sectional. The Norskies, two-time defending state champs, won their fifth straight sectional title with 358 points, an 82-point margin over second-place Edgewood. DeForest qualified swimmers for state in every single event save for diving, and won two of the three relays (medley, 400 free). What made DeForest's showing all the more impressive was the quality of swimming at the Baraboo sectional; fully 40 percent of the qualifiers for the state D2 meet came out of Baraboo.
In Plymouth, a deep Sturgeon Bay-Sevastopol team held off Grafton, 319-296. Both teams qualified all three relays for the state meet, plus several individual qualifiers. In Cudahay, a surging Elkhorn team won the sectional with a 313-286 win over Whitnall. Elkhorn has been swimming extremely well as of late, and both of their freestyle relays ended up with top-three seeds for the state meet. Menomonie won the Stevens Point sectional, but doesn't look to be a big factor in the team race at the state D2 meet.
That about sums up what it took to make it to state this year in both D1 and D2. Cut-off times were much faster than a year ago in nearly all races, and the depth of quality performances was evident throughout the six D1 and four D2 sectionals. In D1, for instance, the cutoff to qualify for the 100-yard breaststroke was nearly a second faster than a year ago. In D2, 10 swimmers qualified for the 100-yard butterfly with times under one minute, compared to three swimmers a year ago.
In D1, the Waukesha South/Mukwanago sectional featured a terrific contest between the hosts and Hartland-Arrowhead, with HA eventually prevailing 391-362. Arrowhead got all 18 of its entries through to state, including three divers. Muskego also made a strong showing at the sectional with some top finishes and finished in third place with 297 points. It was the fastest sectional in the state; of the top three seeds in the 11 swimming events (33 fastest seeded swimmers in the state meet), 17 came out of the WS/M sectional.
Over at the always competitive Middleton sectional, Madison Memorial showed again that superior depth pays off. The Spartans racked up 375.5 points for an easy win over Middleton (315). Defending state champs Madison East finished third with 302 points. East won seven of the 11 events, led by Ruby Martin (50/100 free) and Aja Van Hout (200 IM/500 free), who also swam on the team's winning 200 and 400 free relays. But none of the Purgolders three relays earned top seeds at the state meet. For Memorial, coach Jason Verhelst achieved a first -- all 18 swimmers entered into the sectional meet qualified for state. The Spartans were led by junior Jackie Powell, who earned top-three seeds in the state meet in both the 200 free and the 100 back. But the news coming out of the Middleton sectional is that many of the swimmers who did qualify for state won't be seeded as high as they were at last year's state meet.
Also swimming well in the D1 sectionals was Wausau East, which won the Hudson sectional and sent all three relays to the final heat of the state meet. Other sectional winners were Neenah, Mequon Homestead, and Racine Case.
In D2, the big news was DeForest's dominant win at the very deep and fast Baraboo sectional. The Norskies, two-time defending state champs, won their fifth straight sectional title with 358 points, an 82-point margin over second-place Edgewood. DeForest qualified swimmers for state in every single event save for diving, and won two of the three relays (medley, 400 free). What made DeForest's showing all the more impressive was the quality of swimming at the Baraboo sectional; fully 40 percent of the qualifiers for the state D2 meet came out of Baraboo.
In Plymouth, a deep Sturgeon Bay-Sevastopol team held off Grafton, 319-296. Both teams qualified all three relays for the state meet, plus several individual qualifiers. In Cudahay, a surging Elkhorn team won the sectional with a 313-286 win over Whitnall. Elkhorn has been swimming extremely well as of late, and both of their freestyle relays ended up with top-three seeds for the state meet. Menomonie won the Stevens Point sectional, but doesn't look to be a big factor in the team race at the state D2 meet.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
D2 sectionals -- what to look for
Over in Division 2, two of the four sectionals stand out -- those at Baraboo and Plymouth.
Start with Baraboo. This should be an old-fashioned barn-burner. It features the defending state champs and top-ranked (latest coaches poll) DeForest, 2nd and 3rd-ranked Sauk Prairie and Milton, three other teams in the top 10 (Baraboo, 6th; Monona Grove, 9th; McFarland, 10th), plus an Edgewood squad (13th in the latest poll) that's been swimming very well of late. That's seven of the top 13 D2 teams in the state -- whew! DeForest, based on its win last week in the Badger Conference North swim meet (over Sauk, Baraboo and McFarland), appears on paper to be the favorite. But sectional meets -- unlike conference meets, where teams with lots of quality depth do well -- have much smaller numbers of entries, and thus teams with one or two dominant swimmers, combined with three high-placing relays, can do well. That might bode well for the likes of Sauk (freestyler Abby Diehl and butterfly/backstroker Alison Meng), Milton (breaststroke state champ Jennah Haney), and Monona Grove (freestyle sprinter Hayley Martin). It wouldn't be a shock if DeForest comes out on top, but look for a logjam of teams competing for the other top spots, as well.
In Plymouth, the top two teams from the Small State Invitational -- often a harbinger of the state D2 meet -- will square off again: champs Sturgeon Bay/Sevastopol and Grafton. Shorewood (with its terrific duo of Elli Sellinger and Clare Chamberlain), Whitefish Bay (with sprinter Maggie Smith) and Plymouth (with D2 freshman of the year Kate Criter) will also compete for the sectional title. Add in Berlin/Green Lake (Siri Smits) and Brookfield Academy (Kelsey Hojan-Clark), and the Plymouth meet probably features the best raw individual talent of any of the D2 sectionals. Who will emerge as sectional title winner is anyone's guess, but Sturgeon Bay has looked very good all season long.
The Cudahay sectional features some strong talent as well; look for Waukesha Catholic Memorial, Whitnall and Elkhorn to be among the top teams coming out of here. Up in Stevens Point, Colby Abbotsford recently entered the state coaches poll as the 18th ranked team in the state; they will likely battle New London and Shawano for top honors.
Start with Baraboo. This should be an old-fashioned barn-burner. It features the defending state champs and top-ranked (latest coaches poll) DeForest, 2nd and 3rd-ranked Sauk Prairie and Milton, three other teams in the top 10 (Baraboo, 6th; Monona Grove, 9th; McFarland, 10th), plus an Edgewood squad (13th in the latest poll) that's been swimming very well of late. That's seven of the top 13 D2 teams in the state -- whew! DeForest, based on its win last week in the Badger Conference North swim meet (over Sauk, Baraboo and McFarland), appears on paper to be the favorite. But sectional meets -- unlike conference meets, where teams with lots of quality depth do well -- have much smaller numbers of entries, and thus teams with one or two dominant swimmers, combined with three high-placing relays, can do well. That might bode well for the likes of Sauk (freestyler Abby Diehl and butterfly/backstroker Alison Meng), Milton (breaststroke state champ Jennah Haney), and Monona Grove (freestyle sprinter Hayley Martin). It wouldn't be a shock if DeForest comes out on top, but look for a logjam of teams competing for the other top spots, as well.
In Plymouth, the top two teams from the Small State Invitational -- often a harbinger of the state D2 meet -- will square off again: champs Sturgeon Bay/Sevastopol and Grafton. Shorewood (with its terrific duo of Elli Sellinger and Clare Chamberlain), Whitefish Bay (with sprinter Maggie Smith) and Plymouth (with D2 freshman of the year Kate Criter) will also compete for the sectional title. Add in Berlin/Green Lake (Siri Smits) and Brookfield Academy (Kelsey Hojan-Clark), and the Plymouth meet probably features the best raw individual talent of any of the D2 sectionals. Who will emerge as sectional title winner is anyone's guess, but Sturgeon Bay has looked very good all season long.
The Cudahay sectional features some strong talent as well; look for Waukesha Catholic Memorial, Whitnall and Elkhorn to be among the top teams coming out of here. Up in Stevens Point, Colby Abbotsford recently entered the state coaches poll as the 18th ranked team in the state; they will likely battle New London and Shawano for top honors.
D1 sectionals -- what to look for
Sectional swim meets are this Saturday, Nov. 7. There is something both special and nerve-wracking about sectional swim meets. It is the only way swimmers can qualify for the state swim meet, so they can't have an off day. And given that swimmers can only automatically qualify for the state meet by winning an event, the day is prolonged by the wait for other results to pour in from around the state to find out who's qualified. In short, the intensity at sectional meet rises significantly over the regular season meets, and how a swimmer handles the one-and-done nature of sectional qualifying often determines whether they move on to the state meet.
In D1, the two big sectionals to watch will be at Middleton and Waukesha South/Mukwonago. Middleton boasts the deepest talent pool, with defending state champs Madison East (ranked 1st in the latest state coaches poll), Madison Memorial (3rd), Middleton (5th), Madison West (6th), and Oregon (7th). Last year saw Middleton edge out Memorial by just three points via a win in the last event, the 400 free relay. Of course, that was also the sectional that saw third-place East win six of the 11 swim races and emerge as a real threat for a state title, which they won a week later. Those three teams will battle it out again this Saturday, with Madison West (coming off a solid runner-up finish in the Big Eight Conference meet) and possibly Oregon also in the mix. The meet will also features several solid swimmers such Janesville Craig's Hailey Schneider, Verona's Katelyn Baltes, and Madison LaFollette's Britney Hilgendorf. Look for swimmers and relays finishing in 6th and 7th place still having a good shot at qualifying for state from this sectional.
At the Waukesha South/Mukwonago sectional, Hartland-Arrowhead and the host team will battle it out for top honors. HA defeated WS/M at the Classic 8 conference meet last week, and will be looking to qualify all of its relays and a number of swimmers for the state meet. HA is a real threat for the D1 state title, but the team has some young swimmers who will be under the pressure-cooker of sectional qualifying for the first time. Expect Brookfield Central and Muskego to round out the contenders here.
As for the other sectionals, look for:
-- Wausau East (9th in the latest coaches poll) to contend for the Hudson sectional title, and Wisconsin Rapids Becca Weiland to do well in the freestyle sprints;
-- Oshkosh West and Neenah to battle it out in the Neenah sectional.
-- Homestead and Cedarburg to lock up in the Cedarburg sectional; and
-- Badger Big Foot and Racine Case to contend for the sectional title at Kenosha Bradford.
In D1, the two big sectionals to watch will be at Middleton and Waukesha South/Mukwonago. Middleton boasts the deepest talent pool, with defending state champs Madison East (ranked 1st in the latest state coaches poll), Madison Memorial (3rd), Middleton (5th), Madison West (6th), and Oregon (7th). Last year saw Middleton edge out Memorial by just three points via a win in the last event, the 400 free relay. Of course, that was also the sectional that saw third-place East win six of the 11 swim races and emerge as a real threat for a state title, which they won a week later. Those three teams will battle it out again this Saturday, with Madison West (coming off a solid runner-up finish in the Big Eight Conference meet) and possibly Oregon also in the mix. The meet will also features several solid swimmers such Janesville Craig's Hailey Schneider, Verona's Katelyn Baltes, and Madison LaFollette's Britney Hilgendorf. Look for swimmers and relays finishing in 6th and 7th place still having a good shot at qualifying for state from this sectional.
At the Waukesha South/Mukwonago sectional, Hartland-Arrowhead and the host team will battle it out for top honors. HA defeated WS/M at the Classic 8 conference meet last week, and will be looking to qualify all of its relays and a number of swimmers for the state meet. HA is a real threat for the D1 state title, but the team has some young swimmers who will be under the pressure-cooker of sectional qualifying for the first time. Expect Brookfield Central and Muskego to round out the contenders here.
As for the other sectionals, look for:
-- Wausau East (9th in the latest coaches poll) to contend for the Hudson sectional title, and Wisconsin Rapids Becca Weiland to do well in the freestyle sprints;
-- Oshkosh West and Neenah to battle it out in the Neenah sectional.
-- Homestead and Cedarburg to lock up in the Cedarburg sectional; and
-- Badger Big Foot and Racine Case to contend for the sectional title at Kenosha Bradford.
Conference round-ups
Conference swim meets wrapped up this past weekend; here's a brief summary of the big ones:
-- As expected, Madison Memorial swept to a big win in the Big Eight Conference, garnering 555 points to win by nearly 200 points. Madison West (365), Middleton (355) and Madison East (349) duked it out all day long at the UW Natatorium for the next three spots. Memorial can probably "out-depth" any team in the state; the talent pool there is extraordinarily deep. The Spartans also got a strong showing from junior Jackie Powell (winner of the 200 free and 100 back), and received a win from its 400 free relay. East continued to look very sharp as it prepares to defend its D1 state title; the Purgolders won six of the 11 events, setting conference records in all of them (200 medley and free relays, Aja Van Hout in the 200 IM and 500 free, and Ruby Martin in the 50 and 100 free sprints). Considering some of those records were held by the likes of outstanding Memorial swimmers such as Jane Evans and Michelle Jesperson, it was a pretty impressive showing by East's small squad. Full results here:
http://www.spartanswimmingdiving.com/files/conference_meet/2008/2008_Conference_Meet_Results.pdf
-- Hartland-Arrowhead won the Classic 8 conference meet quite easily over a solid Waukesha South/Mukwanago squad, 678-540.5. Arrowhead won 9 of the 12 events at the meet, including the dive meet. Interestingly, one of Arrowhead's best swimmers -- sophomore Emma Goral, the defending state champ in the 100 fly -- only swam that event at the conference meet. Instead of a second individual event, she swam on all three winning relays -- perhaps a sign of Arrowhead's strategy for the state D1 meet, where it figures to be a strong contender.
-- Brookfield Central defeated neighborhood rival Brookfield East in the Greater Metro meet, led by junior Katie Schroeder's wins in the 200 IM and 100 fly.
-- D1 Mequon Homestead won the North Shore meet quite easily over D2 Whitefish Bay and Grafton, despite winning only one event. Whitefish Bay, which edged Grafton by just six points for second place, was led by junior sprinter Maggie Smith, who won the 50 (25.22) and 100 (55.33) frees. Grafton got a terrific meet from junior Sadie Nenning, who won the 200 IM in a very fast 2:08.81 (second-fastest time posted this year in D2) and contributed two strong legs on winning relay teams.
-- D2 teams Shorewood and Whitnall hooked up for a real shoot-out at the Woodland Conference meet, winning all of the events between them. Whitnall took six event, but Shorewood's five wins and an edge in depth proved the difference, as they won 443-402. Whitnall was led by state meet veteran Liz Bishop, who posted a very fast 1:06.31 in winning the 100 breaststroke, and swam legs on two winning relays. Shorewood's Clare Chamberlain and Elli Sellinger continued to be one of the stronger duos swimming this year, winning three conference titles and combining for a win on the team's 400-yard freestyle relay.
-- D2 Elkhorn won the Southern Lakes Conference meet by just nine points over D1 Badger-Big Foot, and showed they could make some noise at the D2 state meet. The Elkhorn squad was led by freshman Rachel Johnson, who won conference titles by completing the rare 50/500 free double. The team also won the 200 and 400 free relays with times that ranked 2nd (200) and 4th (400) fastest in the state this year.
-- As expected, Madison Memorial swept to a big win in the Big Eight Conference, garnering 555 points to win by nearly 200 points. Madison West (365), Middleton (355) and Madison East (349) duked it out all day long at the UW Natatorium for the next three spots. Memorial can probably "out-depth" any team in the state; the talent pool there is extraordinarily deep. The Spartans also got a strong showing from junior Jackie Powell (winner of the 200 free and 100 back), and received a win from its 400 free relay. East continued to look very sharp as it prepares to defend its D1 state title; the Purgolders won six of the 11 events, setting conference records in all of them (200 medley and free relays, Aja Van Hout in the 200 IM and 500 free, and Ruby Martin in the 50 and 100 free sprints). Considering some of those records were held by the likes of outstanding Memorial swimmers such as Jane Evans and Michelle Jesperson, it was a pretty impressive showing by East's small squad. Full results here:
http://www.spartanswimmingdiving.com/files/conference_meet/2008/2008_Conference_Meet_Results.pdf
-- Hartland-Arrowhead won the Classic 8 conference meet quite easily over a solid Waukesha South/Mukwanago squad, 678-540.5. Arrowhead won 9 of the 12 events at the meet, including the dive meet. Interestingly, one of Arrowhead's best swimmers -- sophomore Emma Goral, the defending state champ in the 100 fly -- only swam that event at the conference meet. Instead of a second individual event, she swam on all three winning relays -- perhaps a sign of Arrowhead's strategy for the state D1 meet, where it figures to be a strong contender.
-- Brookfield Central defeated neighborhood rival Brookfield East in the Greater Metro meet, led by junior Katie Schroeder's wins in the 200 IM and 100 fly.
-- D1 Mequon Homestead won the North Shore meet quite easily over D2 Whitefish Bay and Grafton, despite winning only one event. Whitefish Bay, which edged Grafton by just six points for second place, was led by junior sprinter Maggie Smith, who won the 50 (25.22) and 100 (55.33) frees. Grafton got a terrific meet from junior Sadie Nenning, who won the 200 IM in a very fast 2:08.81 (second-fastest time posted this year in D2) and contributed two strong legs on winning relay teams.
-- D2 teams Shorewood and Whitnall hooked up for a real shoot-out at the Woodland Conference meet, winning all of the events between them. Whitnall took six event, but Shorewood's five wins and an edge in depth proved the difference, as they won 443-402. Whitnall was led by state meet veteran Liz Bishop, who posted a very fast 1:06.31 in winning the 100 breaststroke, and swam legs on two winning relays. Shorewood's Clare Chamberlain and Elli Sellinger continued to be one of the stronger duos swimming this year, winning three conference titles and combining for a win on the team's 400-yard freestyle relay.
-- D2 Elkhorn won the Southern Lakes Conference meet by just nine points over D1 Badger-Big Foot, and showed they could make some noise at the D2 state meet. The Elkhorn squad was led by freshman Rachel Johnson, who won conference titles by completing the rare 50/500 free double. The team also won the 200 and 400 free relays with times that ranked 2nd (200) and 4th (400) fastest in the state this year.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Clipping along -- Sturgeon Bay's D2 prospects
Since the start of the season, the Sturgeon Bay-Sevastopol girls swim co-op has been impressive. The Clippers may not get the publicity of other teams statewide, since they are far outside the orbit of the Madison/Milwaukee-area girls swimming arena that has dominated recent state meets. Part of what makes SB/S hard to evaluate is that they rarely swim against top-notch competition -- the Bay Conference simply can't compete with the likes of the Badger North and South conferences, or the various suburban Milwaukee conferences, for depth of talent.
But SB/S has been sharp when it's gone up against the higher-profile programs in the state. It was the top-finishing D2 squad in the D1-heavy Wisconsin Invitational, held earlier this season at the UW Natatorium, and the Clippers won the Small State Invitational last month in Shorewood that included all but a small handful of the state's top D2 programs.
What's impressive about the Clippers is their ability to swim times in line with the best in D2 against competition that's not that strong. Take their Bay Conference meet Thursday night, which SB/S won by more than 200 points. Their winning 200 medley (1:54.55) and 400 free (3:43.9) relays swam times competitive with the best swum so far this season in D2. Swimmers Cassidy Smith, Sierra Townsend, and sisters Taylor and Mackenzie Trelka also swam times at the conference meet that are certainly competitive with anything swum in the final heats of recent D2 state meets.
The Clippers will get a strong dose of competition in their sectional. The WIAA, rather than placing SB/S among its northern neighbors in the Stevens Point sectional, has placed the team in the Plymouth sectional, a much more competitive meet. There they will match up against the likes of Grafton (who they edged out for the Small State Invitational title), Shorewood, Plymouth and Whitefish Bay. With the talent also brought to that sectional by teams such as Berlin-Green Lake and Brookfield Academy, the Plymouth sectional ranks alongside Baraboo as the toughest D2 sectional. Don't be surprised to see the Clippers come out of the sectional with a bevy of state qualifiers.
But SB/S has been sharp when it's gone up against the higher-profile programs in the state. It was the top-finishing D2 squad in the D1-heavy Wisconsin Invitational, held earlier this season at the UW Natatorium, and the Clippers won the Small State Invitational last month in Shorewood that included all but a small handful of the state's top D2 programs.
What's impressive about the Clippers is their ability to swim times in line with the best in D2 against competition that's not that strong. Take their Bay Conference meet Thursday night, which SB/S won by more than 200 points. Their winning 200 medley (1:54.55) and 400 free (3:43.9) relays swam times competitive with the best swum so far this season in D2. Swimmers Cassidy Smith, Sierra Townsend, and sisters Taylor and Mackenzie Trelka also swam times at the conference meet that are certainly competitive with anything swum in the final heats of recent D2 state meets.
The Clippers will get a strong dose of competition in their sectional. The WIAA, rather than placing SB/S among its northern neighbors in the Stevens Point sectional, has placed the team in the Plymouth sectional, a much more competitive meet. There they will match up against the likes of Grafton (who they edged out for the Small State Invitational title), Shorewood, Plymouth and Whitefish Bay. With the talent also brought to that sectional by teams such as Berlin-Green Lake and Brookfield Academy, the Plymouth sectional ranks alongside Baraboo as the toughest D2 sectional. Don't be surprised to see the Clippers come out of the sectional with a bevy of state qualifiers.
Badger Conference swim meets
As expected, Oregon and DeForest won their respective conference swim meets Halloween night -- both had gone through their duel-meet seasons undefeated, so their wins at the conference swim meets were no surprise.
For DeForest, it was business as usual -- they beat Baraboo by 60 points (493-433) with their usual mix of superior depth and top-flight distance swimmers (sweeping the top three spots in the 500 free and 2nd and 3rd places in the 200 free). The Norskies won only two of the 11 events at the meet -- Casey Wolter in the 500 free and the 200 free relay, which has been strong all season. The shorter of the two freestyle relays was the best event of the night, with DeForest edging Baraboo by .12 seconds (1:43.04 winning time), and 3rd-place Sauk Prairie only .41 seconds behind the Norskies.
For Sauk Prairie and McFarland (third and fourth in the meet, with 356 and 298 points respectively), the meet showcased why the two teams will still be strong factors at sectionals. Sauk got two wins from senior Abby Diehl (200 free -- 1:57.33; 100 free -- 54.64) and a win in the meet-ending 400 free relay with a strong time of 3:43.48 (trumping DeForest by more than a second.) Along with sophomores Alison Meng (who won the 100 fly and was 2nd in the 100 back) and Kelsey Kohlbeck (3rd in the fly), Sauk has some strong contenders for top finishes at the sectional meet. McFarland was led by Stirling Smith (winner of the 100 breaststroke, 2nd in the IM) and its winning medley relay team.
Over at Monona Grove, host of the Badger South meet, Div. 1 Oregon won the first conference title in years by a team not named Verona (now moved to the Big Eight). Maddie Schwartz won two events for the Penthers (500 free/100 back) and the team won both the medley and 400 free relays, along with a second-place finish in the 200 free relay. The Panthers garnered 495 points to easily win over Edgewood (392), which grabbed second place in the meet (without benefit of a win in any event) through some impressive swims by the Crusader's strong freshmen class.
Milton (363 points) and the host Silver Eagles (348) battled all night long for third place, and featured the meet's two most impressive swimmers. Milton's Jennah Haney won the 200 free with a time (1:54.66) that's only one-tenth of a second behind the fastest D2 time posted this year. She came back to win the 100 breaststroke (where she's the two-time defending D2 state champ) in a time of 1:06.45, a new conference record. MG's Hayley Martin continued to dominate in the freestyle sprints, winning the 50 free in 24.56 (missing the conference record by .02 seconds) and the 100 free in 53.19, bettering her state-best posted time by .03 seconds. She also anchored the Silver Eagle's winning 200 free relay, which swam a D2 season-best time of 1:42.30.
Most of the Badger Conference teams, North and South, will meet Nov. 7 at the D2 Baraboo sectionals in what should be a terrific meet -- the latest state coaches poll has 7 of the top 11 teams in D2 swimming at the sectional, including the top three ranked teams (DeForest, Milton, Sauk Prairie). Look for lots of 5th, 6th, 7th and maybe even 8th-place finishers to qualify for the state meet out of this sectional.
For DeForest, it was business as usual -- they beat Baraboo by 60 points (493-433) with their usual mix of superior depth and top-flight distance swimmers (sweeping the top three spots in the 500 free and 2nd and 3rd places in the 200 free). The Norskies won only two of the 11 events at the meet -- Casey Wolter in the 500 free and the 200 free relay, which has been strong all season. The shorter of the two freestyle relays was the best event of the night, with DeForest edging Baraboo by .12 seconds (1:43.04 winning time), and 3rd-place Sauk Prairie only .41 seconds behind the Norskies.
For Sauk Prairie and McFarland (third and fourth in the meet, with 356 and 298 points respectively), the meet showcased why the two teams will still be strong factors at sectionals. Sauk got two wins from senior Abby Diehl (200 free -- 1:57.33; 100 free -- 54.64) and a win in the meet-ending 400 free relay with a strong time of 3:43.48 (trumping DeForest by more than a second.) Along with sophomores Alison Meng (who won the 100 fly and was 2nd in the 100 back) and Kelsey Kohlbeck (3rd in the fly), Sauk has some strong contenders for top finishes at the sectional meet. McFarland was led by Stirling Smith (winner of the 100 breaststroke, 2nd in the IM) and its winning medley relay team.
Over at Monona Grove, host of the Badger South meet, Div. 1 Oregon won the first conference title in years by a team not named Verona (now moved to the Big Eight). Maddie Schwartz won two events for the Penthers (500 free/100 back) and the team won both the medley and 400 free relays, along with a second-place finish in the 200 free relay. The Panthers garnered 495 points to easily win over Edgewood (392), which grabbed second place in the meet (without benefit of a win in any event) through some impressive swims by the Crusader's strong freshmen class.
Milton (363 points) and the host Silver Eagles (348) battled all night long for third place, and featured the meet's two most impressive swimmers. Milton's Jennah Haney won the 200 free with a time (1:54.66) that's only one-tenth of a second behind the fastest D2 time posted this year. She came back to win the 100 breaststroke (where she's the two-time defending D2 state champ) in a time of 1:06.45, a new conference record. MG's Hayley Martin continued to dominate in the freestyle sprints, winning the 50 free in 24.56 (missing the conference record by .02 seconds) and the 100 free in 53.19, bettering her state-best posted time by .03 seconds. She also anchored the Silver Eagle's winning 200 free relay, which swam a D2 season-best time of 1:42.30.
Most of the Badger Conference teams, North and South, will meet Nov. 7 at the D2 Baraboo sectionals in what should be a terrific meet -- the latest state coaches poll has 7 of the top 11 teams in D2 swimming at the sectional, including the top three ranked teams (DeForest, Milton, Sauk Prairie). Look for lots of 5th, 6th, 7th and maybe even 8th-place finishers to qualify for the state meet out of this sectional.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)