By Nick Beversdorf
Reporter
Yesterday the lady Hatchets finished their last regular conference meet, defeating Rhinelander. A closer meet than usual, Tomahawk defeated Rhinelander with 92 team points compared to their 77 team points. This win tops off a terrific season that has seen the Hatchets undefeated. Many of the swimmers also had personal bests at this meet.
Most of the Hatchet swimmers placed in one of the top three spots in each varsity event, if not the first spot. Kylee Theiler placed first in the 200-yard varsity freestyle with a time of 2:06.37 and first in the 500-yard varsity freestyle with a time of 5:38.33.
Katy Volz placed first in the 100-yard varsity butterfly with a time of 1:02.52 and she placed second in the 200-yard varsity IM with a time of 2:22.96. Rachel Dallman placed first in the 50-yard varsity freestyle with a time of 26.06 seconds and placed second in the 100-yard varsity freestyle with a time of 56.02 seconds.
Kaylie Svacina placed first in the 100-yard varsity breaststroke with a time of 1:15.67 and placed second in the 500-yard varsity freestyle with a time of 5:53.16. Megan Marcks placed first in the 100-yard varsity backstroke with a time of 1:04.75 and placed third in the 100-yard varsity butterfly with a time of 1:08.3.
In the 200-yard varsity medley relay, the Tomahawk A-Team consisting of Megan Marcks, Kirstin Marcks, Katy Volz and Shelby Benaszeski placed first with a combined time of 1:55.76. In the 200-yard freestyle relay, the A-Team consisting of Benaszeski, Theiler, Svacina and Dallman placed first with a combined team time of 1:45.12, just edging our the Rhinelander A-Team by 0.48 of a second.
Lastly, the A-Team consisting of Thieler, Megan Marcks, Dallman and Volz placed first in the 400-yard varsity freestyle relay with a combined time of 3:45.5, again edging out the Rhinelander A-Team (3:55.46) by less than a second.
“The score indicates a strong win, but in the points of swimming, it was very close,” comments head coach Theresa L’Esperance. “Rhinelander has a great team in terms of swimming depth. From a coaching perspective, it was a little stressful, but from a fan perspective it was a great night for watching very close races. Rhinelander is a great team and will challenge for the championship at the GNC Meet on Oct. 28.
“We could not close out the events, Rhinelander took every fifth place finish. In addition, our B relays were off. We did not place a single B relay in scoring points. We cannot head into Conference with weak B relays. We have a lot of work ahead of us in the next three weeks.”
Benaszeski and Kirstin Marcks also put up respectable times, with Benaszeski placing second in the 50-yard varsity free with a time of 26.54 seconds and Kirstin placing third in the 200-yard IM with a time of 2:34.56.
“Megan Marcks continues to push her backstroke setting a personal record,” adds L’Esperance. “Theiler also broke her personal record in the 500 and then swam a super fast 50 split in the winning 200 Free Relay. Both Theiler and Svacina, who went 1-2 in the 500, had no rest between events and swam great splits in the 200 Free Relay.
“Rachel Dallman swam the best of her season having to compete head to head with State Medalist Kiah Francis. Dallman is setting herself up for a great post season. Volz also had to swim against Francis and pushed her IM to a close PR.
“The JV completed their swims for the season. All three swimmers set personal records: Begotka in the free relay, Hanke in her open 50 Free, and Goehe in both her split in the medley and her 200 Freestyle. I look forward to their return next season.
“Seniors Jackie Elliott and Hannah Schade completed their last home swim meet with a win. Schade, who trains in swimming for BB season, has not been able to compete because of a double knee repair. Yet, she comes to practice everyday with a smile on her face. She has supported and encouraged the freshmen swimmers, taking on the role of a strong leader for them. Ms. Elliott is one of the most positive role models I have ever coached. She leads the team by her excellence in the classroom, her never ending laughter, her pre-game speeches, and her love of her teammates. Both seniors will be missed, their contribution to the team is selfless.”
The lady Hatchets will travel to UW-Stevens Point on Friday, Oct. 28, to face off against fellow GNC opponents one last time before the season officially concludes. Events are set to start at 5 p.m.
For the full results list, click here.