Raiders win fiveon- five matchup with Hatchets

MEDFORD BOYS SWIM

In a meet that signified what it can be like trying to complete a season during a pandemic, the Medford Raiders beat Tomahawk 60-45 Thursday with both teams fielding just five available swimmers.

Isaac Dittrich and Abe Miller paved the way for Medford’s first win of the season, winning two individual races each and taking a place on the Raiders’ two victorious relay teams.

Just eight events were held. The teams agreed to nix the 200-yard individual medley, 100-yard butterfly and 400-yard freestyle to make sure each event that was held was contested.

Medford head coach Shari Bergman said despite the unique circumstances, the win was rewarding for the guys who were able to compete.

“It’s kinda getting to that point in the season where the ones who have been able to stick with it, they’re tired, they’re sore, they’re fighting through it right now.”

Dittrich and Dylan Kraemer improved significantly in both the 200-yard and 500yard freestyles. Dittrich won the 200-yard race in 2:22.3 beating Hatchet Cullen Flynn by 7.69 seconds. Kraemer was fourth in 2:40.73. Dittrich’s time was a season-best by 11 seconds, while Kraemer cut 13 seconds.

In the 500, Dittrich dropped 17 seconds and won it in 6:46.76. Kraemer cut almost 35 seconds from his Dec. 3 time at Rhinelander and took second in 7:22.67, over 27 seconds ahead of third-place finisher Taje Casey.

“Isaac’s working really hard,” Bergman said. “ All those little fine details that you usually really instill at the end of the season, he’s always wanting to be better and better at those now. He has a really good work ethic. Isaac is right on target in his 200 and 500 that he just loves to swim. “Dylan likes the two longer races too,” she added. “He is not too terribly far off from his sectional meet times from last year. Dylan works really hard in practice. He really does. There are still a couple things just to fine tune with his turns and things. He’s a great addition to the team.” Miller won the tight closest races. First, he swam the 100-yard freeestyle in 1:04.64 to beat Tomahawk’s Alex Norman by 0.57 seconds. Later, he took the 100yard backstroke in 1:18.53, clipping Flynn by 0.2 seconds. His freestyle time was just off his personal-best 1:03.94 set at last year’s sectional. In the backstroke, which he is swimming for the first time, he set a season-best time despite a less-thansmooth finish. “He was a little disappointed because he does like the butterfly,” Bergman said. “But in order for the other team to be competitive, they wouldn’t have had anyone in the 100 fly, he did the backstroke.”

The team of Miller, Adam Swedlund, Dittrich and Mitchell posted Medford’s fastest time of the early season in the 200yard freestyle, winning by 1.14 seconds in a time of 1:56.47. Those same four swimmers won the 200-yard medley relay in 2:06.23, beating the Hatchets by 13.98 seconds.

Mitchell set a personal-best time in the 50-yard freestyle at 26.78 seconds. He placed second behind Tomahawk’s Adam Hall (24.82). Swedlund was third in 29.39 seconds.

Swedlund cut 7.09 seconds from his previous best in the 100-yard breaststroke while taking second in 1:16.48, just ahead of Mitchell’s third-place time of 1:21.44. Hall eked out the win in 1:15.8. “What a meet for Adam,” Bergman said. “That was great. That 1:16 is what Jacob podiumed with sixth place at conference last year. It was nice for Adam to have that competition with Adam Hall from Tomahawk. That competition headto- head really helped him. His pullouts were really good tonight. Adam has come a long way from club season last year.”

Medford traveled to Lakeland Tuesday to make up a Dec. 10 postponement. That meet was held after this week’s early holiday deadline for The Star News. The Raiders host Menomonie this coming Tuesday, Dec. 29 in a 5:30 p.m. non-conference meet.