and Aiden Denzer were on ….

and Aiden Denzer were on the 200-yard medley relay team that placed sixth and set a school record with a time of 1:53.41.

Razink, Brandner, Maddie Williams, Lydia Pernsteiner and Shaniah Brandt are this year’s seniors.

“It’s one of our bigger classes,” Meinel said.

“They’re great. They all are good leaders, whether they’re captains or not.

They’re all leading everyone just fine. Most of them have swam together for almost a decade now so they know how each other works. It’s a good group. I enjoy having them in the pool. They bring a new energy.”

Razink was Medford’s leader in the 50- and 100yard freestyle sprints, ending 2020 at 26.17 seconds in the 50 and breaking the minute barrier at 58.84 seconds at the Medford subsectional in the 100. Meinel said Razink seems poised for a big year. The same is true of Brandner, who has been a steady performer in every freestyle race during her first three years.

Williams is another dependable swimmer who has had success in just about every event in her career, while Brandt has put in good work in distance events and the 200-yard individual medley. Pernsteiner joined the team last fall and was an immediate contributor in the 200- and 500-yard freestyles.

Denzer and Weix are the lone returning juniors, but both will be significant contributors. Weix is another swimmer who has done a variety of events in her two years. She ended last year scoring points in the 500-yard freestyle. Denzer was the breaststroker on that record-setting medley relay team, figures to take a leading role in the 100yard breaststroke and also has 200-yard individual medley experience.

Jackie Williams, who finished behind Denzer as the team’s number-two breaststroke swimmer, Jordyn Johnson and Breanna Kraemer, one of the team’s 100-yard butterfly entrants last year, return as sophomores.

“(The sophomores) now know what we expect, they know what’s coming,” Meinel said. “It’s a lot easier. They know how to prepare. For a lot of freshmen, burnout happens in October because you don’t pace yourself for that long stretch. It’s a long season.” The eight newcomers include junior Madisyn Pilgrim, sophomore Kassidy Koncel and freshmen Cadance Haenel, Mackenzie Petersen, Erica Brandner, Tana Rappe, Sydney Sperl and Chelsea Gebauer. Roles and spots, both individually and on relay teams, are up for grabs in these first few meets and the coaches are excited to see who steps up and grabs them.

“We pretty much have two holes in each of our relays, which isn’t a bad thing,” Meinel said. “It’s a spot for girls to step up and whoever steps up this week may not be the same in October and that’s what’s fun. I’m excited for them to surprise us. Because there’s a lot of girls who have potential to step into those roles whether they’re seniors, juniors, sophomores or freshmen, it doesn’t matter here.”

“I think they’re bringing a lot to the team,” Razink said of the new swimmers. “We have a lot more variety this year, I think, which is really nice and not so stressful for all of us swimmers who have been on the team. It means we can focus on the events we’ve been swimming and they can bring up the ones where we really need them, which is really nice for everybody.”

Medford begins Great Northern Conference competition Sept. 2 by hosting Mosinee, which earned its first-ever dual win in three years last fall by beating Tomahawk. The Raiders will get a good test Sept. 9 when they host the Ladysmith Co-op. Rhinelander, who won the watered-down Division 2 state championship last fall, is in town Sept. 23 and, according to Meinel, remains the overwhelming favorite in the conference.

The Raiders are excited about a schedule change this year that moves the Great Northern Conference meet up a week to Oct. 22, giving the league’s eight teams two weeks to prepare for the Nov. 6 WIAA Division 2 sectional at Menomonie.

“We petitioned for that as coaches,” Meinel said. “Otherwise the meet is in the middle of our taper. We did it with the virtual GNC meet last year and we liked it so much. We’ll have more of a chance (at conference) now. Otherwise we had to pick one. Now we can actually focus on conference and focus on sectionals.”

“I think for the team, I just hope that we all can have a good season and get along well with no drama,” Brandner said. “I just hope we can cheer each other on along the way. Let’s just be together and win.”

“I’m hoping that we can help each other break our personal goals that we want and get any records that we want,” Weix said.

“I hope we all meet a personal best this year and every meet we’re getting better and better,” Razink said. “I think that’s our goal, to see improvement each meet as a team and individually. When you’re improving individually it helps the team as a whole. It is an individual sport, but it all comes down to everybody’s times and finishes that make our team succeed at those dual meets.”