It’s time for swimmers to get locked in after Mosinee win

Some names showed up in unusual places on the lineup sheet, which provided some fun for the Medford swimmers in their 96-60 win over Mosinee Thursday in the teams’ Great Northern Conference opener.

The Raiders had no trouble with the fourth-year program from Mosinee, sweeping the top three spots in three individual races and the top two spots in the 200-yard medley and 200-yard freestyle relays before swimming the last three events as exhibition races.

Things will get more competitive today, Thursday, when Medford hosts the Ladysmith Co-op at 5:30 p.m. The teams tend to be among the most even each season in GNC competition. Head coach Betsy Meinel said after two invitationals featuring non-traditional events and then a two-meet week to start dual competition, the Raiders are ready to settle into their normal mid-season groove with dual meets on Thursdays.

“It’s been fun, but now it’s time to get in a regular routine,” she said after Thursday’s win. “These meets have been hard just to plan and do a lineup for. Now we want to compete and prove ourselves in the conference and see how high we can get. (Ladysmith) will be a good meet, we’re excited. We have some things to work on obviously, but we always do. We’d rather work on them now than October.”

Junior Kirsten Weix had one of the top swims against Mosinee, winning the 100-yard freestyle in 1:08.51. Teammates Cadance Haenel and Mackenzie Petersen were second and third at 1:15.47 and 1:16.94.

“Kirsten’s 100 free has come down,” Meinel said. “Last year I believe her fastest was like a 1:13. She was 1:09 the last couple of weeks, then today it was a 1:08 without anyone really pushing her. Give her some competition and she’ll be down to 1:05 or 1:04 in the next week or two.”

Tana Rappe (29.95), Jordyn Johnson (29.99) and Weix (31.65) took the top three spots in the 50-yard freestyle. Sydney Sperl and Rappe were the top two finishers in the 200-yard freestyle at 2:21.32 and 2:24.54. Senior Shaniah Brandt was fourth in 2:53.06. Sperl won the 100-yard butterfly in 1:15.64, Erica Brandner was next at 1:20.48 and Brandt was fourth in 1:44.48.

Aiden Denzer easily won the 200-yard individual medley in 2:30.87. Seniors Kami Razink (2:47.58) and Lacey Brandner

MEDFORD CROSS COUNTRY

(3:02.71) were second and third in their first, and probably only, appearances in the event.

“The girls got to pick one event. Lacey and Kami took the IM which I don’t think either of them have ever swam in competition. There may be a reason for that,” Meinel joked. “They’re seniors and they can check it off their bucket list.”

Had the Raiders scored their 100-yard backstroke races, Denzer (1:08.71), Breanna Kraemer (1:13.64) and Chelsea Gebauer (1:15.75) would’ve grabbed the top three spots.

Mosinee’s top swimmer, Haylie Kluz, won the 500-yard freestyle in 6:10.4 ahead of Medford’s Johnson (6:48.23), Lydia Pernsteiner (6:59.25) and Kassidy Koncel (7:34.73). Kluz also won the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:21.28, ahead of Medford’s Maddie Williams (1:26.47) and Jackie Williams (1:30.42) in one of the Raiders’ exhibition races. Madisyn Pilgrim was fifth in 1:50.92.

“Our breaststrokers did backstroke. Our freestylers swam breaststroke,” Meinel said. “We just kind of mixed it up and had fun.”

Denzer, Gebauer, Sperl and Razink took the top spot in the 200-yard medley relay at 2:06.47, followed by the team of Maddie Williams, Jackie Williams, Brandner and Pernsteiner in 2:21.58, 2.78 seconds ahead of Mosinee’s third-place team. Petersen, Lacey Brandner, Koncel and Haenel were fourth in 2:37.99.

Lacey Brandner, Rappe, Johnson and Razink won the 200-yard freestyle relay in 1:58.65, while Gebauer, Erica Brandner, Haenel and Koncel were next at 2:04.88 and Kraemer, Pilgrim, Petersen and Jackie Williams finished third in Swim

2:08.72.

Medford’s exhibition teams of Sperl, Denzer, Lacey Brandner and Razink (4:16.14) and Rappe, Weix, Maddie Williams and Gebauer (4:32.61) were the first two finishers in the 400-yard freestyle relay.

After tonight’s meet with the Tridents, with a visit to Antigo.

runs in the second half of that game.

According to WisSports.net statistics, Phillips ran for 397 yards and 12.8 yards per carry against the Wildcats and Mc-Donell averaged 11.4 yards on 14 rushing attempts.

Medford hits the road Sept. 16

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