Madison East's Aja Van Hout and Madison Memorial's Jackie Powell have been named Madison-area swimmers of the year, featured in the Preps Extra edition of the Sunday Wisconsin State Journal (Nov. 29, 2009). Both Van Hout and Powell won two events at this year's girls D1 state meet -- Van Hout setting a record in the 200 IM and winning the 500 free, while Powell defended her title in the 200 free and also won the 100 free. Van Hout added a third gold medal via her lead-off leg on East's first-place 400 free relay. Madison West's Kyle Rosenstock, who won her record fourth consecutive D1 state diving title, was named diver of the year.
I'd post a link to the story, which also lists a number of other swimmers making the Madison-area swim team, but cannot find a link to the story on the madison.com website (which relegates swimming behind gymnastics and bowling as sports its readers might be interested in). I'll keep looking for it; if anyone out there finds a link, feel free to post it in the comments section or send me an email.
Congratulations to Aja, Jackie, and Kylie -- the honor is well-deserved.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Friday, November 27, 2009
D1 sectional at Schroeder
The Milwaukee-area D1 boys sectional, held for several years at Nicolet High School, has been moved to the Walter Schroeder Aquatic Center in Brown Deer. Marquette will serve as the host school for the sectional, according to the WIAA website.
The switch to Schroeder was prompted by Nicolet being moved this year for boys swimming from D1 to D2. Swim teams are placed in one of the two divisions for swimming based on enrollment, with the largest 60 percent of schools (or co-ops) placed in D1, and the remaining 40 percent placed in D2.
The switch to Schroeder was prompted by Nicolet being moved this year for boys swimming from D1 to D2. Swim teams are placed in one of the two divisions for swimming based on enrollment, with the largest 60 percent of schools (or co-ops) placed in D1, and the remaining 40 percent placed in D2.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
More recruiting updates
See the recruiting post for more recruiting updates; several have been posted in the past few days:
http://wiscswim.blogspot.com/2009/11/recruiting-news.html
http://wiscswim.blogspot.com/2009/11/recruiting-news.html
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
D1 boys season preview 2009-10
Here's what to look for during the upcoming D1 boys swim season:
-- Madison Memorial took home the title last year -- its 10th in school history, and fourth in the last five years -- with a combination of an amazing meet by Michael Drives, a strong showing in diving, and a host of swimmers moving up slightly from their seed placements at the state meet. It was enough to give the Spartans an 18-point victory over Sauk Prairie-Wisconsin Heights. Drives, the best swimmer in the state, broke two state records last year, albiet one that resulted in a second-place finish to Arrowhead's Ryan Hansen in their thrilling duel in the 500 free. Now a senior, the West Point-bound Drives is the kind of versatile swimmer who can enter most any event -- as the current Natatorium pool-record holder in the 200 free, will he feel he's accomplished enough in that race and move back to the 200 IM, which he won at state his sophomore year? Sophomore state qualifiers Patrick Franken (500 IM/500 free) and Ben Anderson (50 free/fly) return, and junior Michael Salerno will take over as a top sprinting threat for the Spartans. But Memorial has to replace several graduated swimmers who contributed points at the state meet, including diver Nate Broadbridge, who's second-place finish at diving help propel the Spartans to the title. Memorial almost always brings in a strong freshman class; they'll need another one if they hope to repeat.
-- Besides Memorial, the state's other dominant D1 program during the decade has been Hartland Arrowhead, with four titles and three runner-up finishes. HA has to replace Hansen and the 37 points he scored at state last year in the 200 and 500 frees, but the team brings a lot of depth to the table this year. Nine swimmers who took part in the state meet last year return for coach Bob Jenkyns, including seniors Cody Roller (6th 200 IM/13th fly) and Chris Jenkyns (9th 500 free/11th back) and sophomore Jake Prodoehl (11th 200 free/8th 500 free). HA may not have the dominant swimmer that Hansen was the past two years at state, but this is one of the deepest squads in D1 this year.
-- Sauk Prairie/Wisconsin Heights was the surprise of the D1 state meet last year, earning its first runner-up trophy behind oustanding showings at the meet by three swimmers and two relays. Two of those swimmers -- seniors Tyler Lentz and Matt Friede -- return for coach Todd Wuerger this year, forming perhaps the best one-two punch in D1. The Iowa-bound Lentz won the 200 IM last year and finished 3rd in the back; he also contributed strong legs on Sauk's winning (and record-breaking) 200 free relay, as well as its first-place 400 free relay. The Purdue-bound Friede anchored both of those relays, shared a gold medal with a tie for 1st in the 50 free, and finished 2nd in the 100 free. Junior Paul Ballweg, also a member of the two winning relays, returns, as does junior backstroker Stephen Hanko. Look for Sauk to have two more outstanding relays at the state meet this year, along with Friede and Lentz being threats to win each of their individual events. If Wuerger can find a bit more depth, the Eagles may be in a position to make a run for another trophy this year.
-- If Sauk has the best one-two punch in the state, the Greenfield/Greendale co-op may have the best one-two-three punch. Senior Mike Lucchesi and juniors Jack Lennertz and Matt Jungers comprise a versatile and strong trio; between them, the garnered six top-7 finishes in their individual events at last year's state meet, highlighted by Lennertz' runner-up finish in the fly. A DQ by the team's medley relay at last year's state meet --featuring all three of the swimmers -- cost the co-op a higher spot than their 10th place finish. It will be interesting to see if head coach Dale Schrank combines his fast trio into two relays, or spreads them out among three relays. An added bonus for the team: they will host the sectional meet this year, previously held at Racine Park, at Greenfield High School's brand-new pool.
-- No team suffered a bigger single loss to graduation than the New Berlin West/Eisenhower co-op, which lost three-time state champion Byron Butler (now at Iowa, yet another D1 state champ of recent years who has chosen to go out-of-state to swim collegiately). But New Berlin returns a solid cast of swimmers; they'll likely slug it out with Arrowhead at the Waukesha South sectional this year, and are looking to improve upon their 6th-place showing at last year's state meet. Among the swimmers returning: Pitt-bound senior Alex Rodernkirk (7th in the 200 free/6th in the 100 free) and sophomore Jasen Johnson (11th fly/15th breaststroke).
-- Fox Valley Conference foes Appleton North/East and Neenah both had top-10 finishes at last year's state meet, and return some strong state-qualifying swimmers. For North/East, look for senior Josh Kinney (200 IM/breaststroke) and sophomore Jake Iotte (200 IM/500 free) to lead the way; at Neenah, a strong junior class includes Matt Hollub (100 free/100 back), Aaron Sears (500 free/breaststroke), Connor Christiansen (200/500 frees), and Matt Lagieski (breaststroke).
Other notable teams and swimmers to watch:
-- Wausau East's Danny Brebrick returns to defend his 100 free title; East graduated two state champions in Lucas Koenig and Josh Hall.
-- Waukesha South/Catholic Memorial's Collin Nietzel looks to take back the 100 breaststroke title he won as a sophomore before finishing 4th to Hall last year.
-- Muskego's Bobby Wolf (13th 200 free/4th 500 free) and Hartford's Aiden Kohnhorst (5th 200 free/3rd 500 free) are two of the state's top returning distance swimmers.
-- Verona will build around sprinter Derek Toomey (6th 50 free/5th 100 free), versatile junior Spencer Ritt (12th fly/9th back) and distance swimmer Jacob Olandt.
-- Marquette sophomore Lucas Kuriga hopes to repeat his strong freshman season, when he finished 4th in the 200 free and 15th in the fly.
-- Madison East got podium finishes from UW-Green Bay-bound Robert Miner in both the 200 free and fly; he'll be joined by double-state-qualifier Aaron Lickel (IM/100 free) and relay swimmer Coleman Fraser.
-- Menomonee Falls/Germantown/Hamilton junior diver Nathan Cox returns to defend his title; he'll be pushed by Appleton West/Kimberly senior Stephen Bothun and Marquette senior Michael Donofrio.
-- Madison Memorial took home the title last year -- its 10th in school history, and fourth in the last five years -- with a combination of an amazing meet by Michael Drives, a strong showing in diving, and a host of swimmers moving up slightly from their seed placements at the state meet. It was enough to give the Spartans an 18-point victory over Sauk Prairie-Wisconsin Heights. Drives, the best swimmer in the state, broke two state records last year, albiet one that resulted in a second-place finish to Arrowhead's Ryan Hansen in their thrilling duel in the 500 free. Now a senior, the West Point-bound Drives is the kind of versatile swimmer who can enter most any event -- as the current Natatorium pool-record holder in the 200 free, will he feel he's accomplished enough in that race and move back to the 200 IM, which he won at state his sophomore year? Sophomore state qualifiers Patrick Franken (500 IM/500 free) and Ben Anderson (50 free/fly) return, and junior Michael Salerno will take over as a top sprinting threat for the Spartans. But Memorial has to replace several graduated swimmers who contributed points at the state meet, including diver Nate Broadbridge, who's second-place finish at diving help propel the Spartans to the title. Memorial almost always brings in a strong freshman class; they'll need another one if they hope to repeat.
-- Besides Memorial, the state's other dominant D1 program during the decade has been Hartland Arrowhead, with four titles and three runner-up finishes. HA has to replace Hansen and the 37 points he scored at state last year in the 200 and 500 frees, but the team brings a lot of depth to the table this year. Nine swimmers who took part in the state meet last year return for coach Bob Jenkyns, including seniors Cody Roller (6th 200 IM/13th fly) and Chris Jenkyns (9th 500 free/11th back) and sophomore Jake Prodoehl (11th 200 free/8th 500 free). HA may not have the dominant swimmer that Hansen was the past two years at state, but this is one of the deepest squads in D1 this year.
-- Sauk Prairie/Wisconsin Heights was the surprise of the D1 state meet last year, earning its first runner-up trophy behind oustanding showings at the meet by three swimmers and two relays. Two of those swimmers -- seniors Tyler Lentz and Matt Friede -- return for coach Todd Wuerger this year, forming perhaps the best one-two punch in D1. The Iowa-bound Lentz won the 200 IM last year and finished 3rd in the back; he also contributed strong legs on Sauk's winning (and record-breaking) 200 free relay, as well as its first-place 400 free relay. The Purdue-bound Friede anchored both of those relays, shared a gold medal with a tie for 1st in the 50 free, and finished 2nd in the 100 free. Junior Paul Ballweg, also a member of the two winning relays, returns, as does junior backstroker Stephen Hanko. Look for Sauk to have two more outstanding relays at the state meet this year, along with Friede and Lentz being threats to win each of their individual events. If Wuerger can find a bit more depth, the Eagles may be in a position to make a run for another trophy this year.
-- If Sauk has the best one-two punch in the state, the Greenfield/Greendale co-op may have the best one-two-three punch. Senior Mike Lucchesi and juniors Jack Lennertz and Matt Jungers comprise a versatile and strong trio; between them, the garnered six top-7 finishes in their individual events at last year's state meet, highlighted by Lennertz' runner-up finish in the fly. A DQ by the team's medley relay at last year's state meet --featuring all three of the swimmers -- cost the co-op a higher spot than their 10th place finish. It will be interesting to see if head coach Dale Schrank combines his fast trio into two relays, or spreads them out among three relays. An added bonus for the team: they will host the sectional meet this year, previously held at Racine Park, at Greenfield High School's brand-new pool.
-- No team suffered a bigger single loss to graduation than the New Berlin West/Eisenhower co-op, which lost three-time state champion Byron Butler (now at Iowa, yet another D1 state champ of recent years who has chosen to go out-of-state to swim collegiately). But New Berlin returns a solid cast of swimmers; they'll likely slug it out with Arrowhead at the Waukesha South sectional this year, and are looking to improve upon their 6th-place showing at last year's state meet. Among the swimmers returning: Pitt-bound senior Alex Rodernkirk (7th in the 200 free/6th in the 100 free) and sophomore Jasen Johnson (11th fly/15th breaststroke).
-- Fox Valley Conference foes Appleton North/East and Neenah both had top-10 finishes at last year's state meet, and return some strong state-qualifying swimmers. For North/East, look for senior Josh Kinney (200 IM/breaststroke) and sophomore Jake Iotte (200 IM/500 free) to lead the way; at Neenah, a strong junior class includes Matt Hollub (100 free/100 back), Aaron Sears (500 free/breaststroke), Connor Christiansen (200/500 frees), and Matt Lagieski (breaststroke).
Other notable teams and swimmers to watch:
-- Wausau East's Danny Brebrick returns to defend his 100 free title; East graduated two state champions in Lucas Koenig and Josh Hall.
-- Waukesha South/Catholic Memorial's Collin Nietzel looks to take back the 100 breaststroke title he won as a sophomore before finishing 4th to Hall last year.
-- Muskego's Bobby Wolf (13th 200 free/4th 500 free) and Hartford's Aiden Kohnhorst (5th 200 free/3rd 500 free) are two of the state's top returning distance swimmers.
-- Verona will build around sprinter Derek Toomey (6th 50 free/5th 100 free), versatile junior Spencer Ritt (12th fly/9th back) and distance swimmer Jacob Olandt.
-- Marquette sophomore Lucas Kuriga hopes to repeat his strong freshman season, when he finished 4th in the 200 free and 15th in the fly.
-- Madison East got podium finishes from UW-Green Bay-bound Robert Miner in both the 200 free and fly; he'll be joined by double-state-qualifier Aaron Lickel (IM/100 free) and relay swimmer Coleman Fraser.
-- Menomonee Falls/Germantown/Hamilton junior diver Nathan Cox returns to defend his title; he'll be pushed by Appleton West/Kimberly senior Stephen Bothun and Marquette senior Michael Donofrio.
Kelsey Hojan-Clark repeats as MJS swimmer of the year
It's two in a row for Brookfield Academy junior Kelsey Hojan-Clark; just like last year, she's been named the Swimmer of the Year by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. See this:
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/preps/73077602.html
Here's the understatement of the year, found near the end of the story:
"Hojan-Clark, who is receiving some interest from Division I schools..."
You think?
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/preps/73077602.html
Here's the understatement of the year, found near the end of the story:
"Hojan-Clark, who is receiving some interest from Division I schools..."
You think?
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
D2 boys season preview 2009-10
Here's a rundown of the upcoming D2 boys season:
-- McFarland was an easy winner of its third straight state title last year, its 122-point margin over Whitefish Bay the largest at the state meet since 2005. Despite losing two senior stalwarts in Bradon O'Donnell and Graham Thoresen, the Spartans return more than enough talent to make a run at a fourth straight title. Coach Nick Weiss' squad is led by senior Brian Heiser -- the UW-Green Bay recruit is the defending state champ in the 200 free, finished 3rd in the 100 free, and swam on two gold-medal relays, including the team's record-breaking 400 free relay. He'll be joined by fellow senior Peter Grenzow, who qualified for state last year in both the 50 and 100 frees, and has anchored four Spartan relays to first-place finishes at state during his career. Sophomore Ryan O'Donnell had an impressive freshman campaign last year, when he finished 2nd (200 IM) and 3rd (backstroke) in his individual events at state and swam on two first-place relays. A host of other state-qualifying swimmers from last year's squad -- senior Ben Psyk, junior Geoff Glover, and sophomores Jacob Mandli, Collin Morgan, Max Schimanski and Ryan Krattiger -- also return, giving McFarland the kind of depth that few D2 teams can match. In fact, of the 17 individual "swims" McFarland had at state last year, the swimmers responsible for 13 of them return. It remains to be seen whether this squad can match the performance of last year's team, which won all three relays at state and had 8 individual top-3 finishes. But it's an awfully good -- and deep -- squad.
-- Perhaps the team best-suited to make a run at McFarland is last year's runner-up, Whitefish Bay. The Blue Dukes return a senior-dominated squad with considerable state-meet experience -- sprinter and UW-Madison recruit Chuckie Prestigiacomo (50/100 frees); Boston College-bound Jason Castillo (200 IM/breaststroke); Tommy Hiller (fly, 500 free); Chris Fink (200 free/backstroke); junior DJ Freisch (IM/breaststroke); and Walker Brengel (200 free). Add in seniors Rob Colton and Domi Lauko, both of whom swam on state-qualifying relays last year, and Whitefish Bay is one of the few teams in the state with the kind of depth needed to tangle with McFarland. The key for Whitefish Bay may rest in moving their swimmers into the top tier of competitors at the state meet -- WB's relays last year finished with two 3rds and a 9th, while its individual swimmers had five top-6 podium finishes compared to nine for McFarland.
-- Shorewood returns a strong nucleus of swimmers that helped the Greyhounds to a tie for 4th at last year's state meet. Leading the team is senior Stephen Meyer, who finished 2nd in both the fly and backstroke at state, and came within two-tenths of a second of winning both events. He's joined by junior Kasmir Bohannon (200 free/back); senior Mike Ross (IM/breaststroke); sophomore Jay Tomasiewicz (IM/500 free); senior Asher Kaufman (breaststroke); junior Isaac Flegel-Mishlove (500 free); and senior Arthur Staub (medley and 200 free relays). They'll need to replace the points at state generated by Karl Weisling, who had two podium finishes in the 200 and 500 frees as a senior last year.
-- Madison Edgewood features perhaps the best one-two punch in D2 in junior Drew teDuits and senior Chase Stephens. teDuits won the backstroke last year, nearly breaking the state record in the event, and finished 2nd in the 50 free, while contributing strong legs on Edgewood's medley and 400 free relays. The Northwestern-bound Stephens finished 3rd at state last year in both the 200 and 500 frees, and anchored two top-three relays. Edgewood -- which tied Shorewood for 4th last year at state -- will look for juniors Eric Wendorf and Eric Madsen, along with sophomore Mark Vukich, to step up to replace graduated state qualifiers Chris Kuecker and Matt Everts.
Other teams and swimmers to watch during the season:
-- Cedarburg graduated all of its 31.5 points it scored in diving at last year's state, along with distance swimmer Jim Akkala. But junior Carl Newenhouse (4th at state in the back, 11th in the 100 free) returns, as do state qualifiers Connoer Neuville (500 free), Nate Jones (back), and three-fourths of all three relays that made it to state.
-- Delavan-Darien returns Alex Reigert, the defending state champ in the 100 breaststroke who also finished 5th in the 100 free, along with Kevin Schneider, a state qualifier in the IM and fly.
-- Fort Atkinson is one of several D2 teams with a powerful twosome of swimmers returning: junior Evan Hill (6th in both the fly and back at state) and sophomore Wyatt Paul (7th in both the 50 and 100 frees), both also featured on Fort's two strong relays at state last year.
-- Brookfield Academy is home to another strong twosome -- between them, juniors Jack Donovan (200 free/fly) and Jonathan Marks (200 IM/breaststroke) had three top-six podium finishes at state.
-- Milton returns former state champion Jeff Maxwell, who finished second in the 500 free by less than a third of a second last year after winning the event as a sophomore. Maxwell, a versatile swimmer, also finished 4th last year in the 200 free. State qualifier Erik Swanson (breaststroke) also returns for the Redhawks.
-- Plymouth returns state qualifiers Jesse Gambrell (200 IM/breaststroke), Brian Linzmeyer (200 free) and Andrew Connor (breaststroke), along with state qualifying divers Zach Schroeder and Josh Suchon.
-- Monona Grove returns double state qualifiers Aaron Pomeroy (50/100 frees) and Jake McDade (200 IM/500 free), along with nearly all of the team's two relays (200/400) that qualified for state. Senior Trevor Sisson, 3rd last year at state, is the top returning diver in the state; freshman brother Patrick joins him on the boards this year.
-- McFarland was an easy winner of its third straight state title last year, its 122-point margin over Whitefish Bay the largest at the state meet since 2005. Despite losing two senior stalwarts in Bradon O'Donnell and Graham Thoresen, the Spartans return more than enough talent to make a run at a fourth straight title. Coach Nick Weiss' squad is led by senior Brian Heiser -- the UW-Green Bay recruit is the defending state champ in the 200 free, finished 3rd in the 100 free, and swam on two gold-medal relays, including the team's record-breaking 400 free relay. He'll be joined by fellow senior Peter Grenzow, who qualified for state last year in both the 50 and 100 frees, and has anchored four Spartan relays to first-place finishes at state during his career. Sophomore Ryan O'Donnell had an impressive freshman campaign last year, when he finished 2nd (200 IM) and 3rd (backstroke) in his individual events at state and swam on two first-place relays. A host of other state-qualifying swimmers from last year's squad -- senior Ben Psyk, junior Geoff Glover, and sophomores Jacob Mandli, Collin Morgan, Max Schimanski and Ryan Krattiger -- also return, giving McFarland the kind of depth that few D2 teams can match. In fact, of the 17 individual "swims" McFarland had at state last year, the swimmers responsible for 13 of them return. It remains to be seen whether this squad can match the performance of last year's team, which won all three relays at state and had 8 individual top-3 finishes. But it's an awfully good -- and deep -- squad.
-- Perhaps the team best-suited to make a run at McFarland is last year's runner-up, Whitefish Bay. The Blue Dukes return a senior-dominated squad with considerable state-meet experience -- sprinter and UW-Madison recruit Chuckie Prestigiacomo (50/100 frees); Boston College-bound Jason Castillo (200 IM/breaststroke); Tommy Hiller (fly, 500 free); Chris Fink (200 free/backstroke); junior DJ Freisch (IM/breaststroke); and Walker Brengel (200 free). Add in seniors Rob Colton and Domi Lauko, both of whom swam on state-qualifying relays last year, and Whitefish Bay is one of the few teams in the state with the kind of depth needed to tangle with McFarland. The key for Whitefish Bay may rest in moving their swimmers into the top tier of competitors at the state meet -- WB's relays last year finished with two 3rds and a 9th, while its individual swimmers had five top-6 podium finishes compared to nine for McFarland.
-- Shorewood returns a strong nucleus of swimmers that helped the Greyhounds to a tie for 4th at last year's state meet. Leading the team is senior Stephen Meyer, who finished 2nd in both the fly and backstroke at state, and came within two-tenths of a second of winning both events. He's joined by junior Kasmir Bohannon (200 free/back); senior Mike Ross (IM/breaststroke); sophomore Jay Tomasiewicz (IM/500 free); senior Asher Kaufman (breaststroke); junior Isaac Flegel-Mishlove (500 free); and senior Arthur Staub (medley and 200 free relays). They'll need to replace the points at state generated by Karl Weisling, who had two podium finishes in the 200 and 500 frees as a senior last year.
-- Madison Edgewood features perhaps the best one-two punch in D2 in junior Drew teDuits and senior Chase Stephens. teDuits won the backstroke last year, nearly breaking the state record in the event, and finished 2nd in the 50 free, while contributing strong legs on Edgewood's medley and 400 free relays. The Northwestern-bound Stephens finished 3rd at state last year in both the 200 and 500 frees, and anchored two top-three relays. Edgewood -- which tied Shorewood for 4th last year at state -- will look for juniors Eric Wendorf and Eric Madsen, along with sophomore Mark Vukich, to step up to replace graduated state qualifiers Chris Kuecker and Matt Everts.
Other teams and swimmers to watch during the season:
-- Cedarburg graduated all of its 31.5 points it scored in diving at last year's state, along with distance swimmer Jim Akkala. But junior Carl Newenhouse (4th at state in the back, 11th in the 100 free) returns, as do state qualifiers Connoer Neuville (500 free), Nate Jones (back), and three-fourths of all three relays that made it to state.
-- Delavan-Darien returns Alex Reigert, the defending state champ in the 100 breaststroke who also finished 5th in the 100 free, along with Kevin Schneider, a state qualifier in the IM and fly.
-- Fort Atkinson is one of several D2 teams with a powerful twosome of swimmers returning: junior Evan Hill (6th in both the fly and back at state) and sophomore Wyatt Paul (7th in both the 50 and 100 frees), both also featured on Fort's two strong relays at state last year.
-- Brookfield Academy is home to another strong twosome -- between them, juniors Jack Donovan (200 free/fly) and Jonathan Marks (200 IM/breaststroke) had three top-six podium finishes at state.
-- Milton returns former state champion Jeff Maxwell, who finished second in the 500 free by less than a third of a second last year after winning the event as a sophomore. Maxwell, a versatile swimmer, also finished 4th last year in the 200 free. State qualifier Erik Swanson (breaststroke) also returns for the Redhawks.
-- Plymouth returns state qualifiers Jesse Gambrell (200 IM/breaststroke), Brian Linzmeyer (200 free) and Andrew Connor (breaststroke), along with state qualifying divers Zach Schroeder and Josh Suchon.
-- Monona Grove returns double state qualifiers Aaron Pomeroy (50/100 frees) and Jake McDade (200 IM/500 free), along with nearly all of the team's two relays (200/400) that qualified for state. Senior Trevor Sisson, 3rd last year at state, is the top returning diver in the state; freshman brother Patrick joins him on the boards this year.
Monday, November 23, 2009
A different sort of recruit -- Sheboygan North's Parker Wolf and her remarkable comeback from cancer
Sheboygan North's Parker Wolf, one of D1's better sprinters, has decided to extend her swimming career at nearby UW-Green Bay.
That she's able to continue swimming at all is a remarkable story, chronicled in this Sheboygan Press report:
http://www.sheboyganpress.com/article/20091120/SHE020507/911200406/1089/SHE02
In 2008, Wolf garnered two top-10 finishes at the D1 state meet, including a 4th in the 50 free. But before she began her senior year of swimming, she was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkins lymphoma, and underwent radiation treatments and chemotherapy. Her return to swimming was uncertain, but Wolf battled all the way back to again qualify for state. In her last individual race, she set a school record in the 100 free. With her cancer in remission, Wolf will continue her swimming career for the Phoenix.
Said her mother, Jean: "I've told Parker, 'You've already won the biggest race of your life; you've beaten cancer.'"
That she's able to continue swimming at all is a remarkable story, chronicled in this Sheboygan Press report:
http://www.sheboyganpress.com/article/20091120/SHE020507/911200406/1089/SHE02
In 2008, Wolf garnered two top-10 finishes at the D1 state meet, including a 4th in the 50 free. But before she began her senior year of swimming, she was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkins lymphoma, and underwent radiation treatments and chemotherapy. Her return to swimming was uncertain, but Wolf battled all the way back to again qualify for state. In her last individual race, she set a school record in the 100 free. With her cancer in remission, Wolf will continue her swimming career for the Phoenix.
Said her mother, Jean: "I've told Parker, 'You've already won the biggest race of your life; you've beaten cancer.'"
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