As noted by a commentator last week, Edgewood toppled DeForest last Thursday night at DeForest's pool 90.5-79.5. The outcome may come as something of a surprise -- DeForest, after all, has won three straight D2 titles -- but maybe shouldn't be considered a huge upset.
After all, Edgewood returned a strong nucleus of swimmers that finished 5th last year at the D2 state meet (albiet nearly 100 points behind DeForest). The Crusaders brought in a deep and talented freshman class last year, and those swimmers now have a season of experience to draw on. And Edgewood appears to have one of those difference-makers that make them dangerous in a dual meet, and that's sprinter Kelsey Richards. Now a senior, Richards had a terrific state meet last Novemeber and appears ready to stamp herself as one of the state's top D2 sprinters. Against DeForest, she won both the 50 and 100 frees, and anchored the team's winning 200 and 400 free relays (Richards' winning time in the 50 free -- 25.3 -- is pretty sharp this early in the season; by comparison, she went 24.72 to finish 4th last year at state).) High school swimming is tilted toward sprinting, and a swimmer who can dominate the sprints and anchor two winning relays can rack up a lot of points for a team.
Richards' effort was augmented by Edgewood's Healy sisters, with Margaret winning the 100 fly and Sarah winning the 500 free. Emma Green, one of those top freshman from last year, won the 200 IM and contributed legs on the 200 and 400 free relays.
It's hard to make too much out of one early-season meet -- DeForest in particular is known for moving its swimmers around in different events during the season before settling on a lineup for the conference/sectional/state meet run. But look for these two teams -- the top two finishers from the Baraboo sectional last year -- to tangle some more as the season progresses.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Girls 2009 season preview cont'd -- D1
Two questions as the D1 2009 girls swim season opens:
-- Can anyone stop Hartland-Arrowhead from winning its 7th state title in the past eight years?
-- Can anyone stop Madison East's Aja Van Hout?
The forecast here says: No, and no.
For the team race, HA would appear to have all the tools it needs to repeat as state champs. It has top-tier swimmers, state-qualifying quality at nearly stroke and race, and enough depth to put together three competitive relays. Two-time state champ Emma Goral (100 fly) leads a strong returning cast that includes returning state meet swimmers Haley Pietila (2nd in both the 200 and 100 frees), Caryn Knight, Kate Jones, Holly Johnson, and Tracy Vogel. Only Vogel and Knight are seniors; HA recaptured its state title last year with a lot of young swimmers. In fact, HA lost only seven points to graduation from the 256 points it scored to win last year's D1 state meet. Add in state-qualifying divers Mary Woodson and Lindsey Day, and HA looks like a solid candidate to repeat come November.
Madison East gave HA a run for the money last year after capturing its first state title in 2007. The Purgolders return a solid group of swimmers, led by Van Hout, who has won seven gold medals in the eight races she has swum at state so far in her careeer (four individual titles, three 1st-place relays). Senior Becca Soderholm (two 2nd-place finishes last year in the 200 IM and 100 fly) and junior Ivy Martin (3rd in the 50 free) also return for East, but departing senior Ruby Martin (four state individual titles, four relay state titles) will leave big shoes to fill.
As for Van Hout, she has a very good chance of joining some elite company in Wisconsin girls high school swim history -- only two swimmers (HA's Andrea Boritzke and Waukesha North's Connie Wright) have won eight individual state titles. Van Hout has won the 200 IM and 500 free each of the past two years, and her winning margins last year (3.37 seconds in the IM, 4.27 seconds in the 500) suggest she'll be tough to beat.
Other teams to watch:
-- Muskego had aims at a top-three finish at state last year, only to finish 5th. But the team returns a strong grup of swimmers, including three of the best sophmores around -- Emma Szczupakiewicz (2nd at state in the 100 back), Sami Pochowski (4th 100 free), and Jessica Wolf (4th 500 free). Add in senior Brittany Walsh (2nd in the 500 free and 3rd in the 200 free at state), and Muskego has top-tier swimmers to match up with most any team in the state. With a bit more depth, Muskego could be competing for some state trophy hardware in November.
-- Badger/Big Foot/Williams Bay, like Muskego, returns a small but very strong group of swimmers that can compete with the best in D1, led by two-time state champ Emily Russart (100 breaststroke). Fellow seniors Lindsey Mikrut (4th 100 fly) and Ellie Lorensi, along with junior Maddie Clark, combined to win the 200 medley relay last year at state and give BBFWB a solid group of swimmers with the potential to place high at the state meet.
-- Waukesha South/Mukwonago has perhaps the most disappointing state meet of the top-tier teams, coming in seeded to finish 2nd and ending up a distant 4th. A number of swimmers return for WSM, led by distance swimmer Courtney Sheehan (4th 200 free, 5th 500 free). But the team also graduated several seniors, including top sprinter Arianna Gorenc.
-- Wausau East finished 8th last year, a strong showing for a team that hopes to move up this year with the return of most of its top swimmers. Juniors Hanna Hawker, Lea Koenig and Lauren Sichterman join senior Katie Gojewski to form what should be some formidable relays -- WEast finished 3rd in the medley and 2nd in the 200 free relay last year.
-- What of Madison Memorial? Coach Jason Verhelst usually finds himself reloading vs. rebuilding, but this year may be different. The Spartans -- 3rd-place finishers last year at state -- graduated a number of solid seniors, including top sprinter Kayla Smith and relay stalwarts Mackenzie King and Kendra Loch. Senior Jackie Powell returns to defend her state titles in the 200 free and 100 back. The Spartans also return a number of state meet swimmers from last year, including Mary Van Leuven, Kayce Smith, Alissa Endres, Dana Johnson, Ally Boutelle and Catie Beecher. The key question -- can those swimmers join Powell among the upper tier of finishers at state?
Other top swimmers to watch this year:
-- Madison West's Kyle Rosenstock will attempt to become only the second diver in state history -- and the first in D1 -- to capture four state titles. She'll no doubt also be chasing the all-time scoring record of Oshkosh North's Lauren LeRoy (502.45) at the state meet; Rosenstock's winning score of 471.60 last year was the second-best in D1 history.
-- Middleton junior Katie Delaney's time last year at state in the 500 free (4:54.65) was the 4th-fastest all-time in the event, but unfortunately it only netted her a 3rd-place finish at state. Swimming in lane 8, her gasp after looking up at her time on the scoreboard last year was one of the highlights of the state meet. She's finished 3rd and 2nd her first two years at state in this event.
-- With the graduation of a number of top sprinters, Sheboygan North's Parker Wolf will hope to improve on her placements this year at state; she was 4th in the 50 free and 7th in the 100 free.
-- Janesville Craig's Haily Schneider will look to move up higher on the podium this year after 3rd (200 IM) and 5th (100 breaststroke) place finishes at state last year; the same holds true for Green Bay East/Preble's Jasmine Lee, who posted 4th (200 IM) and 5th (100 back) place finishes last year.
-- Can anyone stop Hartland-Arrowhead from winning its 7th state title in the past eight years?
-- Can anyone stop Madison East's Aja Van Hout?
The forecast here says: No, and no.
For the team race, HA would appear to have all the tools it needs to repeat as state champs. It has top-tier swimmers, state-qualifying quality at nearly stroke and race, and enough depth to put together three competitive relays. Two-time state champ Emma Goral (100 fly) leads a strong returning cast that includes returning state meet swimmers Haley Pietila (2nd in both the 200 and 100 frees), Caryn Knight, Kate Jones, Holly Johnson, and Tracy Vogel. Only Vogel and Knight are seniors; HA recaptured its state title last year with a lot of young swimmers. In fact, HA lost only seven points to graduation from the 256 points it scored to win last year's D1 state meet. Add in state-qualifying divers Mary Woodson and Lindsey Day, and HA looks like a solid candidate to repeat come November.
Madison East gave HA a run for the money last year after capturing its first state title in 2007. The Purgolders return a solid group of swimmers, led by Van Hout, who has won seven gold medals in the eight races she has swum at state so far in her careeer (four individual titles, three 1st-place relays). Senior Becca Soderholm (two 2nd-place finishes last year in the 200 IM and 100 fly) and junior Ivy Martin (3rd in the 50 free) also return for East, but departing senior Ruby Martin (four state individual titles, four relay state titles) will leave big shoes to fill.
As for Van Hout, she has a very good chance of joining some elite company in Wisconsin girls high school swim history -- only two swimmers (HA's Andrea Boritzke and Waukesha North's Connie Wright) have won eight individual state titles. Van Hout has won the 200 IM and 500 free each of the past two years, and her winning margins last year (3.37 seconds in the IM, 4.27 seconds in the 500) suggest she'll be tough to beat.
Other teams to watch:
-- Muskego had aims at a top-three finish at state last year, only to finish 5th. But the team returns a strong grup of swimmers, including three of the best sophmores around -- Emma Szczupakiewicz (2nd at state in the 100 back), Sami Pochowski (4th 100 free), and Jessica Wolf (4th 500 free). Add in senior Brittany Walsh (2nd in the 500 free and 3rd in the 200 free at state), and Muskego has top-tier swimmers to match up with most any team in the state. With a bit more depth, Muskego could be competing for some state trophy hardware in November.
-- Badger/Big Foot/Williams Bay, like Muskego, returns a small but very strong group of swimmers that can compete with the best in D1, led by two-time state champ Emily Russart (100 breaststroke). Fellow seniors Lindsey Mikrut (4th 100 fly) and Ellie Lorensi, along with junior Maddie Clark, combined to win the 200 medley relay last year at state and give BBFWB a solid group of swimmers with the potential to place high at the state meet.
-- Waukesha South/Mukwonago has perhaps the most disappointing state meet of the top-tier teams, coming in seeded to finish 2nd and ending up a distant 4th. A number of swimmers return for WSM, led by distance swimmer Courtney Sheehan (4th 200 free, 5th 500 free). But the team also graduated several seniors, including top sprinter Arianna Gorenc.
-- Wausau East finished 8th last year, a strong showing for a team that hopes to move up this year with the return of most of its top swimmers. Juniors Hanna Hawker, Lea Koenig and Lauren Sichterman join senior Katie Gojewski to form what should be some formidable relays -- WEast finished 3rd in the medley and 2nd in the 200 free relay last year.
-- What of Madison Memorial? Coach Jason Verhelst usually finds himself reloading vs. rebuilding, but this year may be different. The Spartans -- 3rd-place finishers last year at state -- graduated a number of solid seniors, including top sprinter Kayla Smith and relay stalwarts Mackenzie King and Kendra Loch. Senior Jackie Powell returns to defend her state titles in the 200 free and 100 back. The Spartans also return a number of state meet swimmers from last year, including Mary Van Leuven, Kayce Smith, Alissa Endres, Dana Johnson, Ally Boutelle and Catie Beecher. The key question -- can those swimmers join Powell among the upper tier of finishers at state?
Other top swimmers to watch this year:
-- Madison West's Kyle Rosenstock will attempt to become only the second diver in state history -- and the first in D1 -- to capture four state titles. She'll no doubt also be chasing the all-time scoring record of Oshkosh North's Lauren LeRoy (502.45) at the state meet; Rosenstock's winning score of 471.60 last year was the second-best in D1 history.
-- Middleton junior Katie Delaney's time last year at state in the 500 free (4:54.65) was the 4th-fastest all-time in the event, but unfortunately it only netted her a 3rd-place finish at state. Swimming in lane 8, her gasp after looking up at her time on the scoreboard last year was one of the highlights of the state meet. She's finished 3rd and 2nd her first two years at state in this event.
-- With the graduation of a number of top sprinters, Sheboygan North's Parker Wolf will hope to improve on her placements this year at state; she was 4th in the 50 free and 7th in the 100 free.
-- Janesville Craig's Haily Schneider will look to move up higher on the podium this year after 3rd (200 IM) and 5th (100 breaststroke) place finishes at state last year; the same holds true for Green Bay East/Preble's Jasmine Lee, who posted 4th (200 IM) and 5th (100 back) place finishes last year.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Girls 2009 swim season preview
Labor Day's approaching, so that means another season of high school swimming is upon us. Here's a preview of what to expect this year in Div. 2:
-- DeForest has won three straight D2 titles; can they make it four? The Norskies lost a trio of state meet veterans, including distance swimmers Molly Anderson and Karmyn Vandewettering. But a strong core of swimmers return -- distance ace Casey Wolter, sprinter/breaststroker Lindsey Verhulst, and sophomores Leah Winckler and Chelsea Statz, whose strong showings at state last year as freshmen catapulted DeForest to its third straight title. DeForest's formula for winning is lots of depth, talent at the distance events that few teams can match, and three solid relays. They may need to rebuild some of their depth in the distance events, but this is a very versatile group of swimmers, and the rest of the D2 field has a lot of catching up to do -- DeForest won its title last year by 56.5 points. Come November, the Norskies could be tough to topple from their throne.
-- Whitefish Bay features a senior-dominated class with lots of state meet experience, led by senior sprinter Maggie Smith. She'll be looking for her first state title in an individual event after five top-five finishes in the past three years, including two silver medals. WBay will be a deep team this year, with seniors such as Lauren Van Loon and Annie Maercklein returning after qualifying for the state meet last year.
-- Grafton returns senior Sadie Nenning, a backstroke specialist who finished second last year in the 100 back after winning the event her first two years at state. The state runners-up from last year will have to fill some holes left by departing distance swimmer Brianna Dietz, but they also can count on three of the top five returning divers from last year's D2 state meet.
-- Does any D2 team have a better one-two punch than Shorewood? It's doubtful -- senior Elli Sellinger and junior Claire Chamberlain each won a state title and had a runner-up finish at the state meet last year, and were key cogs in Shorewood's second-place finish in the 400-free relay. Seniors Hallie Sanders and Lauren Lanphere return for Shorewood; if this team develops a bit more depth, they could move up from last year's 6th-place finish in the D2 team race.
-- Sturgeon Bay came into last year's D2 state meet with high hopes, only to be disappointed with its 14th-place showing. The team returns nearly all of its top swimmers from last year, including state meet veterans Sierra Townsend, McKenzie Trelka, and Erin Hogan, along with several others. Watch out for Townsend's younger sister Savanna; she could emerge as one of D2's top freshmen.
-- Can McFarland come close to replicating the success of its boys program, which has won three straight boys D2 titles? That may be a tall order, but the Spartans return a solid group of swimmers, including state meet qualifiers Chloe Bartuska, Stirling Smith and Hannah Bristol. McFarland probably tapered for the state meet as well as any team last year; if their relays can move into the top tier of finishers at the state meet (they were 10th, 11th, and 13th last year), the Spartans could dramatically improve upon their 12th-place team finish.
-- Madison Edgewood finished 5th last year at state, and with most of their top swimmers returing, the Crusaders are looking to move up a few spots. Senior sprinter Kelsey Richards leads a strong group of somewhat young swimmers; Edgewood brought in a terrific freshman class last year that should continue to develop. With graduation taking five of the top divers from D2, sophomore diver Sheridan Hearn will look to improve her 11th place showing from last year.
-- Other teams to watch: Elkhorn will be led by senior Terrin Seaver, a three-year state meet qualifier, and sophomore sprinter Rachel Johnson; Sauk Prairie returns juniors Alison Meng and Kelsey Kohlbeck, but will have to replace 100 free champion Abby Diehl; Monona Grove returns state meet qualifiers Kelsey Millin and Elizabeth Emmerich, but like Sauk Prairie will have to replace a state champ (Hayley Martin, 50 free).
-- Other swimmers to watch: Brookfield Academy junior Kelsey Hojan-Clark was named the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's swimmer of the year after winning both the 200 and 500 free last year; Plymouth's Kate Criter won the ultra-fast 100 breaststroke last year as a freshman; Milton senior Jennah Haney hopes to recapture her 100 breaststroke title that she won as both a freshman and sophomore; Berlin/Green Lake junior Siri Smits returns to defend her 100-back title that she won in record time last year; Waukesha Catholic Memorial's Anna Meinholz had an outstanding freshman year that culminated in a 3rd-place finish at state in the 100 breaststroke.
-- DeForest has won three straight D2 titles; can they make it four? The Norskies lost a trio of state meet veterans, including distance swimmers Molly Anderson and Karmyn Vandewettering. But a strong core of swimmers return -- distance ace Casey Wolter, sprinter/breaststroker Lindsey Verhulst, and sophomores Leah Winckler and Chelsea Statz, whose strong showings at state last year as freshmen catapulted DeForest to its third straight title. DeForest's formula for winning is lots of depth, talent at the distance events that few teams can match, and three solid relays. They may need to rebuild some of their depth in the distance events, but this is a very versatile group of swimmers, and the rest of the D2 field has a lot of catching up to do -- DeForest won its title last year by 56.5 points. Come November, the Norskies could be tough to topple from their throne.
-- Whitefish Bay features a senior-dominated class with lots of state meet experience, led by senior sprinter Maggie Smith. She'll be looking for her first state title in an individual event after five top-five finishes in the past three years, including two silver medals. WBay will be a deep team this year, with seniors such as Lauren Van Loon and Annie Maercklein returning after qualifying for the state meet last year.
-- Grafton returns senior Sadie Nenning, a backstroke specialist who finished second last year in the 100 back after winning the event her first two years at state. The state runners-up from last year will have to fill some holes left by departing distance swimmer Brianna Dietz, but they also can count on three of the top five returning divers from last year's D2 state meet.
-- Does any D2 team have a better one-two punch than Shorewood? It's doubtful -- senior Elli Sellinger and junior Claire Chamberlain each won a state title and had a runner-up finish at the state meet last year, and were key cogs in Shorewood's second-place finish in the 400-free relay. Seniors Hallie Sanders and Lauren Lanphere return for Shorewood; if this team develops a bit more depth, they could move up from last year's 6th-place finish in the D2 team race.
-- Sturgeon Bay came into last year's D2 state meet with high hopes, only to be disappointed with its 14th-place showing. The team returns nearly all of its top swimmers from last year, including state meet veterans Sierra Townsend, McKenzie Trelka, and Erin Hogan, along with several others. Watch out for Townsend's younger sister Savanna; she could emerge as one of D2's top freshmen.
-- Can McFarland come close to replicating the success of its boys program, which has won three straight boys D2 titles? That may be a tall order, but the Spartans return a solid group of swimmers, including state meet qualifiers Chloe Bartuska, Stirling Smith and Hannah Bristol. McFarland probably tapered for the state meet as well as any team last year; if their relays can move into the top tier of finishers at the state meet (they were 10th, 11th, and 13th last year), the Spartans could dramatically improve upon their 12th-place team finish.
-- Madison Edgewood finished 5th last year at state, and with most of their top swimmers returing, the Crusaders are looking to move up a few spots. Senior sprinter Kelsey Richards leads a strong group of somewhat young swimmers; Edgewood brought in a terrific freshman class last year that should continue to develop. With graduation taking five of the top divers from D2, sophomore diver Sheridan Hearn will look to improve her 11th place showing from last year.
-- Other teams to watch: Elkhorn will be led by senior Terrin Seaver, a three-year state meet qualifier, and sophomore sprinter Rachel Johnson; Sauk Prairie returns juniors Alison Meng and Kelsey Kohlbeck, but will have to replace 100 free champion Abby Diehl; Monona Grove returns state meet qualifiers Kelsey Millin and Elizabeth Emmerich, but like Sauk Prairie will have to replace a state champ (Hayley Martin, 50 free).
-- Other swimmers to watch: Brookfield Academy junior Kelsey Hojan-Clark was named the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's swimmer of the year after winning both the 200 and 500 free last year; Plymouth's Kate Criter won the ultra-fast 100 breaststroke last year as a freshman; Milton senior Jennah Haney hopes to recapture her 100 breaststroke title that she won as both a freshman and sophomore; Berlin/Green Lake junior Siri Smits returns to defend her 100-back title that she won in record time last year; Waukesha Catholic Memorial's Anna Meinholz had an outstanding freshman year that culminated in a 3rd-place finish at state in the 100 breaststroke.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
2009 boys swim season recap
The old saying -- the more things change, the more they stay the same -- might've applied to this year's high school boys swim season. Madison Memorial got back to winning state titles after a one-year hiatus in D1, and McFarland won its third straight state title in D2 and appears poised for another run at the top.
Highlights:
-- Certainly the D1 500 free final at the state meet was the best race of the year -- two great swimmers in Memorial's Michael Drives and Hartland-Arrowhead's Ryan Hansen going at each other for the full 500 yards, well ahead of the rest of the field. It's rare for a front-runner to get overtaken in the late stretches of a race and then summon the will to come back; Hansen did just that in a terrific display of talent and guts. Both swimmers became the first in state history to go under 4:30 seconds in the 500, with Hansen's 4:28.98 topping Drives by exactly one second. Hansen is headed off to the University of Utah to continue his swim career; Drives returns for his senior year, where he'll surely want to take aim at the new 500 record. Will there be anyone of Hansen's caliber to push Drives beyond it?
-- The entire D1 state meet was a crazy affair, with winners coming out of the second heat, a tie for a gold medal, and non-traditional swim powers like Sauk Prairie-Wisconsin Heights and Wausau East giving the big-name programs all they could handle in the race for the state title. It demonstrated that the boys swim talent in D1 was spread throughout the state this year. In particular, it's heartening to see programs like the New Berlin co-op, Greenfield-Greendale, and Hartford emerge as strong teams to go along with the traditional Milwaukee-area powers of Arrowhead, Marquette and Homestead. And keep an eye on the Appleton North/East co-op, which finished 7th at state with a solid group of young swimmers.
-- If the Hansen/Drives 500 was the race of the year, the relay of the year was the D2 400 free relay, won by McFarland in record time. The race was essentially over after the first leg by senior Brandon O'Donnell, but the Spartans were chasing one of the best records on the D2 board, set by the oustanding 2005 Sturgeon Bay/Southern Door squad that was the best in state history. The Spartans -- O'Donnell was joined by his brother Ryan along with Brian Heiser and Graham Thoresen -- swam the relay virutally alone, but that didn't stop them from smashing the record by more than two seconds with a 3:07.84 that was just three-tenths of a second off the D1 record. Close races, of course, are fun to watch -- but equally exciting can be a group of athletes, at the absolute peak of their training and preparation, pulling off a difficult task. It was fun to watch.
-- Kudos to Cedarburg's Will Mathee, who entered the D2 diving championship as the defending champ but second-seeded to Plymouth's Mitchell Spaeth. Mathee won his second straight title, fending off a late charge by Spaeth, and ended his career with two gold medals, a silver for 2nd place in his sophomore year, and a bronze from his third-place finish as a freshman. Ryan Jefferson of Edgewood, with four state titles and the current record-holder, will long be the standard-bearer for D2 diving, but Mathee had a terrific career capped by his second win.
As for next year, can the two state team title winners repeat? Memorial returns Drives, plus the emerging Patrick Franken, who came on late in the year as one of the best freshmen in the state, and Ben Anderson, another solid freshmen. But they will have to replace a bevy of seniors, including diver Nate Broadbridge (2nd at state), who contributed points at the state meet. Runner-up Sauk Prairie/Wisconsin Heights graduates Tyler Evans, a mainstay of their relays, but returns Matt Friede and Tyler Lentz, maybe the best one-two punch in the state. Sauk isn't the deepest squad around, but what they have is very, very good. Wausau East and Marquette graduate most of their top swimmers, but Arrowhead -- aside from Hansen -- returns a good share of its state team that finished 5th. Appleton North/East, Greenfield/Greendale, Neenah and Verona also return squads with solid state meet experience.
In D2, McFarland graduates state meet vets Brandon O'Donnell and Thoresen, but returns nine other swimmers who qualified in 13 individual events at state, led by 200 free champ Heiser. And some of those swimmers only swam one event at sectionals, as McFarland bumped up against its 18-entry limit. In a word, they are loaded -- thanks to this year's terrific freshman class, which had five swimmers qualify for state. If anyone can give McFarland a run, it's probably state runner-up Whitefish Bay, which has finished 2nd or 3rd at state eight of the past 10 years, but always shy of 1st place. WB returns a very strong group of swimmers, almost all of them seniors with a lot of state meet experience, and will likely be pumped up for a run at the title. Madison Edgewood and Shorewood, which tied for 4th at state, also return strong groups of swimmers.
One other big question looms before next year -- what about all those fast suits? International and state swim federations are looking closely at suit technology, with some in the swim community speculating some of them may be banned soon. If so, will qualifying times for the state meets, and records at the meets (three fell in D1 -- although two swimmers surpassed the 500 free record, and three teams surpassed the 200 free relay -- and one fell in D2, and a few others were quite close in both divisions), continue to fall? Is it the swimmers getting better and faster, or are the suits responsible? Stay tuned...
Highlights:
-- Certainly the D1 500 free final at the state meet was the best race of the year -- two great swimmers in Memorial's Michael Drives and Hartland-Arrowhead's Ryan Hansen going at each other for the full 500 yards, well ahead of the rest of the field. It's rare for a front-runner to get overtaken in the late stretches of a race and then summon the will to come back; Hansen did just that in a terrific display of talent and guts. Both swimmers became the first in state history to go under 4:30 seconds in the 500, with Hansen's 4:28.98 topping Drives by exactly one second. Hansen is headed off to the University of Utah to continue his swim career; Drives returns for his senior year, where he'll surely want to take aim at the new 500 record. Will there be anyone of Hansen's caliber to push Drives beyond it?
-- The entire D1 state meet was a crazy affair, with winners coming out of the second heat, a tie for a gold medal, and non-traditional swim powers like Sauk Prairie-Wisconsin Heights and Wausau East giving the big-name programs all they could handle in the race for the state title. It demonstrated that the boys swim talent in D1 was spread throughout the state this year. In particular, it's heartening to see programs like the New Berlin co-op, Greenfield-Greendale, and Hartford emerge as strong teams to go along with the traditional Milwaukee-area powers of Arrowhead, Marquette and Homestead. And keep an eye on the Appleton North/East co-op, which finished 7th at state with a solid group of young swimmers.
-- If the Hansen/Drives 500 was the race of the year, the relay of the year was the D2 400 free relay, won by McFarland in record time. The race was essentially over after the first leg by senior Brandon O'Donnell, but the Spartans were chasing one of the best records on the D2 board, set by the oustanding 2005 Sturgeon Bay/Southern Door squad that was the best in state history. The Spartans -- O'Donnell was joined by his brother Ryan along with Brian Heiser and Graham Thoresen -- swam the relay virutally alone, but that didn't stop them from smashing the record by more than two seconds with a 3:07.84 that was just three-tenths of a second off the D1 record. Close races, of course, are fun to watch -- but equally exciting can be a group of athletes, at the absolute peak of their training and preparation, pulling off a difficult task. It was fun to watch.
-- Kudos to Cedarburg's Will Mathee, who entered the D2 diving championship as the defending champ but second-seeded to Plymouth's Mitchell Spaeth. Mathee won his second straight title, fending off a late charge by Spaeth, and ended his career with two gold medals, a silver for 2nd place in his sophomore year, and a bronze from his third-place finish as a freshman. Ryan Jefferson of Edgewood, with four state titles and the current record-holder, will long be the standard-bearer for D2 diving, but Mathee had a terrific career capped by his second win.
As for next year, can the two state team title winners repeat? Memorial returns Drives, plus the emerging Patrick Franken, who came on late in the year as one of the best freshmen in the state, and Ben Anderson, another solid freshmen. But they will have to replace a bevy of seniors, including diver Nate Broadbridge (2nd at state), who contributed points at the state meet. Runner-up Sauk Prairie/Wisconsin Heights graduates Tyler Evans, a mainstay of their relays, but returns Matt Friede and Tyler Lentz, maybe the best one-two punch in the state. Sauk isn't the deepest squad around, but what they have is very, very good. Wausau East and Marquette graduate most of their top swimmers, but Arrowhead -- aside from Hansen -- returns a good share of its state team that finished 5th. Appleton North/East, Greenfield/Greendale, Neenah and Verona also return squads with solid state meet experience.
In D2, McFarland graduates state meet vets Brandon O'Donnell and Thoresen, but returns nine other swimmers who qualified in 13 individual events at state, led by 200 free champ Heiser. And some of those swimmers only swam one event at sectionals, as McFarland bumped up against its 18-entry limit. In a word, they are loaded -- thanks to this year's terrific freshman class, which had five swimmers qualify for state. If anyone can give McFarland a run, it's probably state runner-up Whitefish Bay, which has finished 2nd or 3rd at state eight of the past 10 years, but always shy of 1st place. WB returns a very strong group of swimmers, almost all of them seniors with a lot of state meet experience, and will likely be pumped up for a run at the title. Madison Edgewood and Shorewood, which tied for 4th at state, also return strong groups of swimmers.
One other big question looms before next year -- what about all those fast suits? International and state swim federations are looking closely at suit technology, with some in the swim community speculating some of them may be banned soon. If so, will qualifying times for the state meets, and records at the meets (three fell in D1 -- although two swimmers surpassed the 500 free record, and three teams surpassed the 200 free relay -- and one fell in D2, and a few others were quite close in both divisions), continue to fall? Is it the swimmers getting better and faster, or are the suits responsible? Stay tuned...
Saturday, March 7, 2009
A few state swim meet highlights
Wisconsin swim fans have posted some videos of the state swim meet on YouTube. Here are a couple of the more noteworthy ones:
-- The terrific D1 500 free duel between Hartland-Arrowhead's Ryan Hansen and Madison Memorial's Michael Drives:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtNVNHN0N8Q
-- Wausau East's Josh Hall winning the D1 100 breaststroke; note how at the end, he seems to take off his water-clogged goggles:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byjsNEAx7vg&feature=related
-- The terrific D1 500 free duel between Hartland-Arrowhead's Ryan Hansen and Madison Memorial's Michael Drives:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtNVNHN0N8Q
-- Wausau East's Josh Hall winning the D1 100 breaststroke; note how at the end, he seems to take off his water-clogged goggles:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byjsNEAx7vg&feature=related
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
And the best boys swim team in the state is...McFarland
McFarland showed it was one of the best Div. 2 boys teams in years, exceed by only the 2005 Sturgeon Bay/Southern Door squad. Only that SB/SD team exceeded McFarlands' point total of 332 since the WIAA split swimming into two divisions in 1993.
Meanwhile, Madison Memorial's winning total of 200.5 was the lowest in state history since the first year of 16-place scoring in 1982.
So how would the two Spartan squads fare against each other in a mythical match-up? Well, the WIAA does allow teams to move up a division, at their own discretion, if they want to compete against higher-caliber opponents at state-level competition. No one's taken up the WIAA on the rule since it was put in place a few years ago.
But what if McFarland had chosen to do so this year? They would've won the D1 title as well. Slotting McFarland's state qualifiers and relays into the Div. 1 meet would have resulted in a final tally of 195 for McFarland to 192.5 for Memorial.
Memorial won the state title on the strength of its relays, all of which had top-four finishes at the D1 meet, along with a win and a second-place from star swimmer Michael Drives in the 200/500 frees. But McFarland would've nearly matched Memorial's performance in the relays -- scoring 84 points in the D1 meet to Memorial's 90 -- and McFarland's distance swimmers would have out-pointed Memorial's in the 200 and 500 frees by a 48-42 margin. Led by brothers Brandon and Ryan O'Donnell, McFarland also would've out-pointed Memorial in the 200 IM, the 100 fly, and the 100 back.
Don't look for McFarland to move up to Div. 1 anytime soon. The three-time state champs are well below the enrollment level needed to involuntarily move up to Div. 1, and it's doubtful the school will make the move on its own. One can probably guess the "four-peat" signs are already being printed in McFarland.
Meanwhile, Madison Memorial's winning total of 200.5 was the lowest in state history since the first year of 16-place scoring in 1982.
So how would the two Spartan squads fare against each other in a mythical match-up? Well, the WIAA does allow teams to move up a division, at their own discretion, if they want to compete against higher-caliber opponents at state-level competition. No one's taken up the WIAA on the rule since it was put in place a few years ago.
But what if McFarland had chosen to do so this year? They would've won the D1 title as well. Slotting McFarland's state qualifiers and relays into the Div. 1 meet would have resulted in a final tally of 195 for McFarland to 192.5 for Memorial.
Memorial won the state title on the strength of its relays, all of which had top-four finishes at the D1 meet, along with a win and a second-place from star swimmer Michael Drives in the 200/500 frees. But McFarland would've nearly matched Memorial's performance in the relays -- scoring 84 points in the D1 meet to Memorial's 90 -- and McFarland's distance swimmers would have out-pointed Memorial's in the 200 and 500 frees by a 48-42 margin. Led by brothers Brandon and Ryan O'Donnell, McFarland also would've out-pointed Memorial in the 200 IM, the 100 fly, and the 100 back.
Don't look for McFarland to move up to Div. 1 anytime soon. The three-time state champs are well below the enrollment level needed to involuntarily move up to Div. 1, and it's doubtful the school will make the move on its own. One can probably guess the "four-peat" signs are already being printed in McFarland.
About that Waukesha South D1 sectional...
Maybe the Waukesha South pool is faster than the UW Natatorium.
What else explains the fall-off in the performance of the swimmers who qualify for state out of the Waukesha South sectional when they reach the state meet at the Nat?
Last fall, the top-three seeded teams for the girls D1 state meet were Hartland-Arrowhead, Waukesha South/Mukwonago, and Muskego --all of which swam their sectional at the intensely competitive Waukesha South sectional. In the end, all three girls teams placed lower than their seed placements -- Arrowhead, although it still won the meet, dropped 22 points, and Waukesha South/Mukwonago dropped 69.5 points.
Would the same results play out at the state Div. 1 boys meet? Sure looks that way. The five highest-seeded teams coming out of the Waukesha South sectional all placed lower than their seeds have predicted. Hartland-Arrowhead (seeded 173, scored 160), New Berlin (dropped 23), Waukesha South/Catholic Memorial (dropped 47), Hartford (dropped 12), and Men. Falls/Germantown/Hamilton (swimmers seeded to score 44, scored 33) -- collectively the top teams coming out of the sectional dropped 106 points from their seeding.
It should be noted that many swimmers coming out of the Waukesha South sectional did improve their times at the state meet. But at the highest levels of the sport, among swimmers aiming to compete at the state meet, the final meet of the season is usually when they swim their fastest times. Their training -- or tapering in swim lingo -- is geared toward the final meet. For nearly all swimmers in the state, the UW Nat is the fastest pool they'll swim in all season. All of that leads --usually, and with most swimmers -- to time drops, often dramatic ones, at the state meet. So swimmers who don't drop time, or drop only modest amounts of time, can get bypassed at the state meet by swimmesrs dropping dramatic amounts of time.
So what gives with the Waukesha South sectional results, and the corresponding performance at the state meet? One or two programs failing to match their seed placements is one thing; eight teams over the course of two separate seasons seems to represent a trend. Explanations? Here's a few speculative ones:
-- The Waukesha South sectional, for both boys and girls, is probably the most competitive in the state, and certainly the deepest. In the midst of such intense competition, it's probably not unusual for swimmers to collectively swim faster times than other sectionals in the state. Top-flight competition tends to spur on fast times.
-- Because of the intensity and depth of the Waukesha South sectional, coaches are left with little choice but to taper their swimmers' training for that meet, instead of holding off those tapers until the state meet. Cut-off times to qualify for the state meet, and to make it into the top-scoring final heats, are getting lower and lower, with some dramatic drops this year in particular (both boys and girls). At Waukesha South, that trend is exacerbated by the quality and depth of the competition. Ergo swimmers who don't do extremely well at the meet risk being left behind, or not qualifying with as fast of a time. It's awfully tough to swim at the absolute highest levels of one's ability two weeks in a row; maybe the Waukesha South qualifiers are spent after the meet and don't have as much left for the state meet.
-- Maybe the pool is just that fast.
Other thoughts?
What else explains the fall-off in the performance of the swimmers who qualify for state out of the Waukesha South sectional when they reach the state meet at the Nat?
Last fall, the top-three seeded teams for the girls D1 state meet were Hartland-Arrowhead, Waukesha South/Mukwonago, and Muskego --all of which swam their sectional at the intensely competitive Waukesha South sectional. In the end, all three girls teams placed lower than their seed placements -- Arrowhead, although it still won the meet, dropped 22 points, and Waukesha South/Mukwonago dropped 69.5 points.
Would the same results play out at the state Div. 1 boys meet? Sure looks that way. The five highest-seeded teams coming out of the Waukesha South sectional all placed lower than their seeds have predicted. Hartland-Arrowhead (seeded 173, scored 160), New Berlin (dropped 23), Waukesha South/Catholic Memorial (dropped 47), Hartford (dropped 12), and Men. Falls/Germantown/Hamilton (swimmers seeded to score 44, scored 33) -- collectively the top teams coming out of the sectional dropped 106 points from their seeding.
It should be noted that many swimmers coming out of the Waukesha South sectional did improve their times at the state meet. But at the highest levels of the sport, among swimmers aiming to compete at the state meet, the final meet of the season is usually when they swim their fastest times. Their training -- or tapering in swim lingo -- is geared toward the final meet. For nearly all swimmers in the state, the UW Nat is the fastest pool they'll swim in all season. All of that leads --usually, and with most swimmers -- to time drops, often dramatic ones, at the state meet. So swimmers who don't drop time, or drop only modest amounts of time, can get bypassed at the state meet by swimmesrs dropping dramatic amounts of time.
So what gives with the Waukesha South sectional results, and the corresponding performance at the state meet? One or two programs failing to match their seed placements is one thing; eight teams over the course of two separate seasons seems to represent a trend. Explanations? Here's a few speculative ones:
-- The Waukesha South sectional, for both boys and girls, is probably the most competitive in the state, and certainly the deepest. In the midst of such intense competition, it's probably not unusual for swimmers to collectively swim faster times than other sectionals in the state. Top-flight competition tends to spur on fast times.
-- Because of the intensity and depth of the Waukesha South sectional, coaches are left with little choice but to taper their swimmers' training for that meet, instead of holding off those tapers until the state meet. Cut-off times to qualify for the state meet, and to make it into the top-scoring final heats, are getting lower and lower, with some dramatic drops this year in particular (both boys and girls). At Waukesha South, that trend is exacerbated by the quality and depth of the competition. Ergo swimmers who don't do extremely well at the meet risk being left behind, or not qualifying with as fast of a time. It's awfully tough to swim at the absolute highest levels of one's ability two weeks in a row; maybe the Waukesha South qualifiers are spent after the meet and don't have as much left for the state meet.
-- Maybe the pool is just that fast.
Other thoughts?
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