Tomahawk girls swim team's depth has Hatchets set for a strong finish at state
TOMAHAWK — Depth is a reason the Tomahawk girls swim team captured the Great Northern Conference championship this year.
It showed again as Tomahawk won a WIAA Division 2 sectional title last weekend at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Tomahawk won five events and qualified for the WIAA state girls meet in 10 of 12 events overall.
Depth is why the program heads to Madison with confidence as well.
"We definitely want to be in the Top 10 and we are shooting to finish among the top six," Tomahawk coach Theresa L'Esperance said. "That is our goal, but anything in the Top 10 would be something. We have never done that before."
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Tomahawk will have five individuals and three relays to lead the local qualifiers for Friday's Division 2 state meet at the University of Wisconsin Natatorium. Both Merrill and Medford qualified an individual as well.
At the sectional, Tomahawk's Kylee Theiler broke her own program records in the 200- and 500-yard freestyle, and Megan Marcks set Tomahawk's mark in the 100 backstroke, previously held by Lauren Hilt.
Rachel Dallman is swimming in the 50 and 100 freestyle events and two relays in her fourth state appearance. Tomahawk's three state-qualifying relays — the 200 medley and the 200 and 400 freestyle — are competing in the second and fastest heats in Friday's meet.
"We have never done that before, either," L'Esperance said of the relay teams' position. "It raises the stakes and adds a little pressure, but we are taking it on. We like it."
Tomahawk wasn't the only program to have a stellar performance at the sectional. Merrill finished 11th overall but had the highest sectional point total in the program's history. The Bluejays also set program records in four events, including in the 500 free as sophomore Trinity Kanitz became the first Bluejays swimmer, and second individual overall, to qualify for the state meet. Merrill qualified a diver for the meet in 1986.
Kanitz set program records in the 200 individual medley and 500 free last year. This year, she broke the mark in the 200 free, which stood for 14 years, and she took 22 seconds off her mark in the 500.
"She is a freight train," Merrill coach Kristie Winter said of Kanitz. "There is no stopping her both in practice and meets. She is the first one to dryland in the morning and the last one out of the pool each day."
Medford's Erin Bergmanis making her first state appearance. The Raiders freshman finished first in the 200 IM and 100 backstroke during in last week's sectional.
She also is part of the Raiders' state-qualifying 400 free relay team.
It is the culmination of Bergman's solid first year with Raiders program as she helped Medford place fourth overall in the sectional.
"She started the season out fast, dominating in the 100 backstroke and the 200 IM all season long," Medford coach Betsy Berends said. "Going into sectionals, we had our sights on state but never expected her to win the sectional in both events. Coming from behind in the IM was amazing to watch. We had worked on her breaststroke for the last month of the season as that is her weakest leg, and it really paid off."
WIAA DIV. 2 LOCAL STATE QUALIFIERS
1-Meter Diving: Karlie Woodall, Tomahawk. 200 medley relay: Tomahawk (Megan Marcks, Kirstin Marcks, Katy Volz, Kaylie Svacina). 200 free: Kylee Theiler, Tomahawk. 200 IM: Erin Bergman, Medford. 50 free: Rachel Dallman, Tomahawk. 100 free: Rachel Dallman, Tomahawk. 500 free: Kylee Theiler, Tomahawk; Trinity Kanitz, Merrill. 200 free relay: Tomahawk (Katy Volz, Kylee Theiler, Shelby Benaszeski, Rachel Dallman). 100 back: Erin Bergman, Medford; Megan Marcks, Tomahawk. 100 breast: Kaylie Svacina, Tomahawk. 400 free relay: Tomahawk (Katy Volz, Kylee Theiler, Shelby Benaszeski, Rachel Dallman); Medford (Kaylee Seifert, Hallie Schumacher, Erin Bergman Avery Apfelbeck).