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WIAA D2 boys swim and dive: Sullivan's four-peat highlights area finishes

zac bellman, milwaukee journal sentinel
·6 min read

WAUKESHA - The 100th annual WIAA swimming and diving championships began Friday afternoon with the Division 2 competition. Here are the area highlights from Waukesha South Natatorium on Friday.

Nicolet's Sullivan four-peats, sets two state records

Nicolet's Jack Sullivan entered Friday's meet with little to prove as the thrice-reigning champion in the 200-yard freestyle, as well as the defending title holder in the 100 freestyle. Despite the rare company he could enter, he said he was relaxed leading up to each race Friday night.

"There was never really that much pressure, it’s just trying my hardest and seeing what happens," Sullivan said.

That approach yielded titles in each of Sullivan's individual events, both of which set state records.

The senior Notre Dame commit became just the second swimmer to four-peat in the 200 freestyle, joining Monona Grove's Ben McDade (2015-2018). His time of 1:37.80 also eclipsed his own record set last year of 1:38.72.

Then in the 100 freestyle, Sullivan edged past McFarland's Lyon Hall to win in another record-breaking effort. His finish in 44.57 seconds eclipsed Brookfield East swimmer Tom Wanezek's 1995 state record of 45.18. Wanezek's time was the last WIAA state record from before the turn of the century. Sullivan did not believe his time would stand another nearly 30 years.

"It feels great to get the state records and get my name up on the board there," Sullivan said. "There’s some other really fast guys coming up and I know they’re going to get broken soon, but I’m just glad to break those for now, and to take that 29-year-old one off the board feels great."

Nicolet's Jack Sullivan celebrates after winning the 100-yard freestyle Friday, one of two two events in which he broke state records during the WIAA Division 2 boys state swimming and diving championships at Waukesha South.
Nicolet's Jack Sullivan celebrates after winning the 100-yard freestyle Friday, one of two two events in which he broke state records during the WIAA Division 2 boys state swimming and diving championships at Waukesha South.

Whitefish Bay's Emory wins diving event

Whitefish Bay sophomore Tyler Emory won the 1-meter diving event to lead off a number of top finishes for the Blue Dukes. After finishing third as a freshman, Emory outperformed a fifth seed entering Friday's meet to win gold with a finals score of 374.40.

Cedarburg junior Evan Zimbelman finished second with a finals score of 358.80. Zimbelman was one of three Bulldogs to place at state in the event, followed by juniors Samuel Krzykowski (280.90, 10th) and Tommy O'Neil (265.95, 11th). Also reaching a podium finish in the event from the area was Port Washington senior Cory Riel, who placed fifth with a score of 313.95.

Whitefish Bay sophomore Tyler Emory performs a dive on his way to winning the event.
Whitefish Bay sophomore Tyler Emory performs a dive on his way to winning the event.

Whitefish Bay finishes in close third, Nicolet further back in fourth

Whitefish Bay saw a slim chance of finishing runner-up to a dominant McFarland team evaporate over the final few events, as Rhinelander's depth vaulted them into second. Nevertheless, the Blue Dukes had several strong individual and relay finishes. Senior Finn Holdredge led swimmers with a 500 freestyle win in 4:31.42 that knocked off five seconds from his qualifying time at sectionals the week before. Holdredge, who finished second in the event at state a year ago to Whitnall sophomore Ethan Schutten, was disappointed the event did not feature a rematch.

"I was kind of sad. I wanted a good race and a chance to get him back," Holdredge said.

Holdredge's win in the 500 freestyle, fourth in the 200 freestyle and contributions to two podium relay teams led scorers for the third-place Blue Dukes. Also reaching the podium were sophomore AJ Katch in the 500 freestyle (sixth, 4:53.77) and senior Will Antonelli in the 100 backstroke (fourth, 52.92).

The 200 yard medley relay team consisting of: Antonelli, Holdredge, sophomore Owen Nedostrup and sophomore Steven Camacho placed fourth, while the 200 freestyle relay team of: junior William Wang, junior Luke Sommer, Katch and Camacho took third. The night ended with another podium relay, as Wang, Katch, Antonelli and Holdredge took fifth in the 400 freestyle relay.

Nicolet rounded out individual podium performances around Sullivan with freshman Jude Hill's third in the 100 yard backstroke (52.59). A third-place 200 medley relay team of: Hill, Sullivan, senior Brandon Pargamotnikas and senior Gabe Nelson took third, as did a 400 freestyle relay team of: junior Connor Freeze, junior Keegan Burgher, Hill and Sullivan.

The Prairie School/St. Catherines led by Borzynski, Breit

A rising PSC team with upstart talent saw two sophomores lead an 11th-place team finish, including Jack Borzynski and Nathan Breit.

Borzynski swam in the first of two heats of the 200 individual medley, but still raced fast enough to finish sixth with a time of 1:58.07. The performance was the first of two individual races, the latter of which was an eighth-place finish in the 100 butterfly in 52.11 seconds. Borzynski said he was hopeful that this was a sign of things to come.

"I feel like I learned a lot. I feel like I know what to expect more," Borzynski said. "Freshman year I didn’t know much going in, but now I feel like I’ve got a good understanding and next year will be good."

Breit added a sixth in the 100 backstroke (53.64) and a seventh in the 200 freestyle (1:45.89). Both sophomores also contributed to a seventh-place 200 freestyle relay team that also included senior Hemingway Fletcher and sophomore Nolan Mrotek, as well as a 12th-place 200 medley relay team that included Mrotek and Fletcher as well.

Other podium highlights

  • Shorewood's 200 medley relay team of junior Julian Sherman, senior Noah Mulvey, freshman Ethan Kim and senior James Simon took sixth (1:40.34). Its 200 freestyle relay team of Mulvey, Simon, junior Soren Wall and senior Johan Nannink also took fifth (1:30.64).

  • Brown Deer/University School of Milwaukee senior Fernando Islas, despite racing in heat one of the 50 freestyle, finished tied for fifth with a time of 21.68. Islas also took a fourth in the 100 butterfly (51.30).

  • Brookfield Academy sophomore Niall Parkins took fourth in the 500 freestyle (4:48.89) and 14th in the 200 freestyle (1:49.12).

  • Port Washington sophomore Charlie Prince took fourth in the 100 yard breaststroke (58.69) and seventh in the 100 butterfly (52.01).

Full individual and team results are available on the WIAA website.

Team standings

1, McFarland, 325; 2, Rhinelander, 243; 3, Whitefish Bay, 222; 4, Nicolet, 158; 5, Edgewood, 154.5; 6, Stoughton, 128.5; 7, Shorewood, 126.5; 8, Ashwaubenon, 125; 9, Monona Grove, 95; 10, Sauk Prairie/Wisconsin Heights, 90; 11, The Prairie School/St. Catherines, 83; 12, River Falls, 79; 13, Kiel/Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah, 53; 14, DeForest, 52; 15, Rice Lake, 46; 16, Port Washington, 41; 17, Chilton Co-op, 40; 17, Baraboo, 40; 19, Two Rivers/Roncalli, 36; 20, Cedarburg, 35; 21, Platteville/Lancaster, 31; 22, Brown Deer/University School of Milwaukee, 28.5; 23, Brookfield Academy, 18; 24, Mount Horeb, 17; 24, Sturgeon Bay Co-op, 17; 26, Whitnall, 11; 27, Menomonie, 9; 28, Pulaski, 6; 28, Grafton, 6; Fort Atkinson, 4; 31, Tomahawk, 3; 32, Elkhorn Area, 1.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: WIAA D2 boys swim and dive: Nicolet, WFB athletes highlight finishes