Eagles’ swimmers fourth at conference

With time winding down on its season, Sauk Prairie’s girls swimming team is treasuring each moment together in and out of the pool. That included the annual Badger North Conference meet, where the Eagles finished fourth out of eight teams last Saturday. “I was really happy with how the girls swam,” Sauk Prairie coach Melani Guentherman said. “We only had two of the girls fully rested. So a lot of girls were swimming some different races, and the relays tried out some different combinations.” Waunakee won its fifth consecutive conference title, finishing with 475 points to easily outdistance runner-up DeForest, which recorded 375 points. Baraboo was third with 336 points followed by Sauk Prairie, which finished with 300 points. The Eagles placed all three of their relays on the podium with top-six finishes, while junior Cora Dunnum and sophomore Kassandra Miller were honored in individual events. “Overall, the girls performed really well,” Guentherman said. Leading the way for Sauk Prairie was Miller, who recorded the Eagles’ top individual event performance with a third-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle in 5 minutes, 31.99 seconds. In addition, Miller led off on the opening 200-yard medley relay that placed fourth in 1:57.76 and included sophomore Amelia Hunter, freshman Riley Talmage and Dunnum. Miller also anchored the third-place, 200-yard freestyle relay team (1:45.09) that included Dunnum, senior Alexa Judd and sophomore Ashley Pape. Guentherman said she was pleased with Miller’s continued improvement. “She dropped seven seconds in her 500 free,” Guentherman said of Miller. “She wasn’t rested and was just kind of run out there and she was feeling it. It was nice to see her have a really solid swim in the 500.” Talmage continued her breakout season, also anchoring the fifth-place 400-yard freestyle relay (3:56.19) that included Judd, Pape and junior Lauryn Drager. Competing in two individual events, Talmage reached the podium with a sixth-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle (5:40.71). She also placed seventh in the 200-yard freestyle (2:08.10). “She was a club swimmer so we knew she had some swimming experience,” Guentherman said of Talmage. “But she’s been gaining steam as the season’s progressing. The last few weeks she’s been swimming outstanding.” Dunnum continued her late-season surge, recovering from a shoulder injury that had sidelined her most of the season, to also take fourth in the 50-yard freestyle (:26.15). “We’ve only had her for a few weeks, and with her shoulder she’s only been swimming 50s,” Guentherman said of Dunnum. “But she’s getting a little better each time she swims.” • On deck: Sauk Prairie will compete at the WIAA Division 2 Baraboo Sectional at Jack Young Middle School on Saturday at 1 p.m. The winners of each event in the four sectionals qualify for state along with the next 12 qualifiers regardless of sectional. “That’s been the focal point for us for much of the season,” Guentherman said of the sectional competition. “We’re trying to give girls as many opportunities as possible to try and make it to state. We’re going to pull out the stops and hopefully they will peak on Saturday.” The Baraboo Sectional will be one of the most competitive in Division 2, including top-ranked Madison Edgewood, second-ranked McFarland and fifth-ranked DeForest along with the host Thunderbirds, Monroe and Portage, which have several top-end swimmers. Following the meet, the team will gather at the Blue Spoon restaurant to await the final list of qualifiers from the WIAA. “It’s kind of a mini-state meet, honestly,” Guentherman said of sectionals. “We have no sure things period. We’re going to have to fight to make it to state. There are some outside chances with some individuals depending on where we put them, and we’re hoping to qualify some relays.” Nov. 2 Badger North Conference meet Team scores: 1, Waunakee, 475; 2, DeForest, 375; 3, Baraboo, 336; 4, Sauk Prairie, 300; 5, River Valley/Richland Center, 206; 6, Lodi, 173; 7, Beaver Dam, 172.5; 8, Portage, 128.5. 200-yard medley relay — 1, Waunakee (Graf, Wallace, Schmeiser, Blitz), 1:49.89; 2, Baraboo, 1:52.57; 3, DeForest, 1:56.92; 4, Sauk Prairie ‘A’ (Kassandra Miller, Amelia Hunter, Riley Talmage, Cora Dunnum). 1:57.76; 7, Sauk Prairie ‘B’ (Summer Acker, Giulia Brickl, Grace Orr, Ashley Pape), 2:01.83. 200-yard freestyle — 1, Miller, P, 1:58.79; 2, Rosenkvist, W, 1:59.92; 3, Wallace, W, 2:00.10; 7, Talmage, SP, 2:08.10; 10, Alexa Judd, SP, 2:08.86; 12, Hunter, SP, 2:11.33; 13, Emily Vande Hey, SP, 2:11.88. 200-yard individual medley — 1, Schmeiser, W, 2:09.24; 2, Sautebin, W, 2:17.68; 3, Gneiser, B, 2:18.43; 8, Lauryn Drager, SP, 2:27.30; 14, Orr, SP, 2:34.57; 15, Acker, SP, 2:34.71. 50-yard freestyle — 1, Harper, RV/RC, :25.30; 2, Boehning, D, :25.37; 3, Blitz, W, :25.71; 4, Dunnum, SP, :26.15; 9, Miller, SP, :26.49; 13, Pape, SP, :27.30; 17, Abbey McCumber, SP, :28.58. 100-yard butterfly — 1, Schmeiser, W, :57.30; 2, Lohr, B, 1:01.18; 3, Presny, L, 1:02.; 13, Hunter, SP, 1:09.94; 14, Drager, SP, 1:12.20. 100-yard freestyle — 1, Harper, RV/RC, :54.33; 2, Oosterhof, D, :55.48; 3, Boehning, D, :56.34; 12, Coy, SP, 1:00.24; 15, McCumber, SP; 1:01.47; 18, Brickl, SP, 1:02.89. 500-yard freestyle — 1, Ryniak, W, 5:25.25; 2, Miller, P, 5:26.79; 3, Miller, SP, 5:31.99; 6, Talmage, SP, 5:40.71; 10, Vande Hey, SP, 5:53.17; 11, Acker, SP, 5:59.30. 200-yard freestyle relay — 1, Waunakee (Wallace, Sautebin, Blitz, Schmeister), 1:41.36; 2, DeForest, 1:43.34; 3, Sauk Prairie ‘A’ (Dunnum, Judd, Pape, Miller), 1:45.09; 9, Sauk Prairie ‘B’ (Orr, Drager, Vande Hey, Hunter), 1:50.89. 100-yard backstroke — 1, Graf, W, :59.81; 2, Grenon, BD, 1:00.88; 3, Sautebin, W, 1:00.99; 8, Judd, SP, 1:05.42; 13, Coy, SP, 1:10.08; 15, Brickl, SP, 1:12.25. 100-yard breaststroke — 1, Wallace, W, 1:07.35; 2, Lohr, B, 1:09.33; 3, Willis, D, 1:09.53; 9, Orr, SP, 1:20.39. 400-yard freestyle relay — 1, DeForest (Boehning, Willis, Miller, Oosterhof), 3:43.95; 2, Waunakee, 3:44.55; 3, Baraboo, 3:50.25; 5, Sauk Prairie ‘A’ (Judd, Pape, Drager, Talmage), 3:56.19; 9, Sauk Prairie ‘B’ (Vande Hey, Coy, Acker, McCumber), 4:04.51.