Most goals met in matchup with the Hodags

MEDFORD GIRLS SWIMMING

While the ultimate goal was to win, the Medford Raiders felt good about achieving all of their secondary goals Thursday in a 103-67 loss to Great Northern Conference swim power Rhinelander.

Well, they almost reached all of them –– at least well enough to earn a day off from practice.

“We took a gamble in some spots hoping we’d get a couple of points,” head coach Betsy Meinel said. “My goal was 70 points. We were close. Our other goals were scoring more points than anyone else has scored against them in conference, which we did. They didn’t win every event and they didn’t get one-two-three in any event or the top one-two in the relays. We achieved all of them.”

Thursday’s dual matched the last two undefeated teams in GNC competition but, led by standouts like Malia and Karis Francis and Abi Winnicki, the Hodags were still heavy favorites and won every event but one.

That was the 100-yard breaststroke where Raider freshman Chelsea Gebauer gladly took advantage of Malia Francis pulling out of the event and won it in 1:17.92, missing her personal-best by 0.05 seconds but good enough to beat Hodag Lily Thorsen by 0.68 seconds. Jordyn Johnson added fourth-place points for Medford at 1:24.37 and Jackie Williams got the fifth-place point in 1:29.31.

Gebauer is one of a handful of freshmen making an impact on this year’s squad. Sydney Sperl is another. She led an impressive showing by Medford in the 100-yard butterfly with a second-place time of 1:12.67. Freshman Erica Brandner was third in 1:16.9 and senior Maddie Williams got key fourth-place points at 1:19.74. All three Raiders set their best butterfly times of the fall.

“I don’t think we’ve ever gone twothree- four in the butterfly against them,” Meinel said. “We’ll take it.”

Senior Lacey Brandner pushed Rhinelander’s Maria Heck in the 200-yard freestyle but Heck was able to pull away in the last 25 yards and win in 2:11.88. Brandner’s time of 2:13.68 was a seasonbest by about five seconds. Freshman Tana Rappe was fourth in 2:23.78 and Colby Bergman was sixth at 2:26.83.

“I think Lacey had a bad turn and that threw it off,” Meinel said. “That was a tough one, but that kind of got the momentum of the meet going. Going into it I told the girls Rhinelander is going to come out hard. The 200 got the girls ready.”

Brandner moved to the 500-yard freestyle as well, swimming it for the second time this fall and cutting over 15 seconds while taking second in 6:11.18 behind Hodag Ellyse Younker (5:55.86). Seniors Lydia Pernsteiner (6:49.77) and Shaniah Brandt (7:14.41) were fourth and fifth with Brandt cutting about 15 seconds off her previous season-best.

Senior Kami Razink hit her first sub-60 second swim of the fall in the 100-yard freestyle, taking second at 58.98 seconds behind Malia Francis (55.73). Breanna Kraemer got the fifth-place point at 1:06.49 and Mackenzie Petersen was sixth in 1:12.44.

Junior Aiden Denzer returned to the 100-yard backstroke, something she’d swam once this year, and took second in 1:07.85 behind Karis Francis (1:04.79). Sperl was a solid third in 1:11.43 and Maddie Williams was sixth at 1:17.92. Denzer also took third in the 200-yard individual medley at 2:31.17, just ahead of Gebauer (2:43.54) and Jackie Williams (2:47.05). Winnicki won in 2:17.32, just ahead of Karis Francis (2:19.67).

Kirsten Weix was third for Medford in the 50-yard freestyle at 30.7 seconds, while Kassidy Koncel was fifth at 31.76 seconds.

Rhinelander won the 400-yard freestyle relay in 3:55.84, but Medford collected six points by taking second and third. Sperl, Lacey Brandner, Denzer and Razink finished in 4:11.23 and Erica Brandner, Maddie Williams, Jackie Williams and Gebauer finished in 4:24.32, 0.45 seconds ahead of the Hodags’ B team in an exciting sprint to the wall.

“Third place never felt so good on that one,” Meinel said. That was one we wanted.”

Denzer, Gebauer, Sperl and Razink swam the 200-yard medley relay in a season-best 2:03.7, nearly eight seconds behind the Hodags’ star-studded A team of the Francises, Winnicki and Younker. Rappe, Johnson, Erica Brandner and Maddie Williams were fourth in 2:15.75 and Kraemer, Weix, Brandt and Pernsteiner were sixth in 2:27.5.

Rappe, Johnson, Lacey Brandner and Razink were second in 1:54.64 in the 200-yard freestyle relay, 6.95 seconds behind the Hodags. Cadance Haenel, Weix, Kraemer and Pernsteiner took fourth in 2:06.03, while Petersen, Koncel, Bergman and Brandt were fifth in 2:14.05.

Kraemer won the JV 50-yard freestyle in 29.64 seconds, Petersen (32.2) was second and Brandt (37.45) was fourth. Bergman was second in the JV 100-yard freestyle at 1:07.11, just ahead of Koncel (1:11.99). Weix was second in the JV 100yard backstroke at 1:21.78, while Haenel was fourth at 1:29.03.

“I think the girls did great,” Meinel said. “I think Rhinelander was surprised. I think they thought it would be a lot easier and we gave them a run for their money in a lot of races.”

Medford is at Tomahawk today, Thursday, and hosts Colby-Abbotsford Oct. 7 in its next two GNC meets.

Medford’s Breanna Kraemer makes the turn in the backstroke leg of the 200-yard medley relay during Thursday’s home meet with Rhinelander.MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS