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Top seeds prepare for swim meet

The favorite’s hat fits certain athletes very well.

Others seemed to get bogged down by the pressure and expectations that come with wearing it.

Milton High’s Jeff Maxwell, Delavan-Darien’s Alex Riegert and Nate Johnson, and Elkhorn’s Dalton Anderson will get the chance to see how they can perform as top seeds Friday night.

All four won sectional titles and enter the WIAA Division 2 state meet at the UW Natatorium in Madison as the favorites to win their races.

Maxwell, a junior, is the defending champion in the 500 freestyle. He is the top seed in that event with a qualifying time of 4:43.83, and he also is the top seed in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:45.21. Maxwell was second in the 200 freestyle a year ago.

Maxwell proved to be human earlier in the year when he lost a couple races at two invitational meets, but Milton coach Tom Lieder said his star is primed to make a splash at the state meet.

“Jeff had logged so many yards in the pool earlier in the season that I thought he was a little tired when he lost those races,” Lieder said. “He’s fresh now, and I think he’s going up there with attitude that he needs to prove that last year was no fluke.

“He’s tapered for the last week, and I really think he’ll bring his times down in both races, and if he does, he should win both.”

Maxwell also will swim on the 200 medley relay team and the 200 freestyle relay team, where the Red Hawks have the third- and fifth-fastest qualifying times, respectively.

“All three of our relay teams have an excellent shot at a medal,” Lieder said. “And considering our medley relay team hasn’t been swimming together very long, that would be great.”

Riegert and Johnson are no strangers to the state meet. Riegert, a junior, was second in the state a year ago in the 100 breaststroke and is the top seed this year. His qualifying time of 59.94 is two-tenths of a second ahead of Johnson.

After finishing third in the 50 freestyle a year ago, Riegert qualified this year in the 100 freestyle where he is also the top seed with a time of 48.07.

Johnson, a senior, was third in the 200 individual medley a year ago and third in the 100 breaststroke. His time of 1:58.30 in the 200 IM is the top time coming in by more than a second, and he’s the second seed in the 100 breaststroke.

The Comets’ 200-medley relay team of Riegert, Johnson, Kevin Schneider and Tanner Schmaling is the No. 2 seed with a time of 2:05.60.

Anderson won the 100 butterfly at the sectional meet and is the top seed in the event at state with a time of 52.37. The senior also will swim in the 200 IM, as well as the 200 and 400 freestyle relays.

The Elks’ Ethan Lockhart also is scheduled to compete in four events. The senior will swim in the 100 butterfly and 50 freestyle, along with the 200 and 400 freestyle relays.

“There are a lot of great swimmers in the area,” Lieder said. “We saw that when we were in the Southern Lakes, and now we’re seeing it in the Badger.

“It’s the state meet, and anything can happen, but the kids that are expected to do well, usually do. They’ve been in big meets before and know what to expect.”

If that happens Friday night, there will be a gold rush for a number of area swimmers.

Area Qualifiers

Division 1

Janesville Craig—Extra qualifiers: Nick Hazekamp, sr., 200 freestyle, 1:50.13; 100 backstroke, 54.34.

200 medley relay (Hazekamp, Alex Loftus, so.; Sam Waddell, sr.; Matt Enloe, sr.), 1:41.58; 200 freestyle relay (Nicholas Strub, so.; Sean Davis, sr.; Tyler Meinders, so.; Enloe), 1:31.66; 400 freestyle relay (Strub, Meinders, Enloe, Hazekamp), 3:21.81.

Janesville Parker—Extra qualifier: Marcus Genrich, sr., 200 individual medley, 2:04.53.

Badger/Big Foot—Sectional champion: 200 freestyle relay (Alex Gaugert, jr.; Franek Kulik, so.; Ellis Lagerhausen, jr.; Nathan Kidder, sr.), 1:32.04.

Extra qualifiers: Nathan Kidder, sr., 50 freestyle, 21.99; 100 freestyle, 47.67.

Division 2

Delavan-Darien—Sectional champions: Nathaniel Johnson, sr., 200 individual medley, 1:58.30; Alex Riegert, 100 freestyle, 48.07; Riegert, 100 breaststroke, 59.94; 200 medley relay (Nathaniel Johnson, sr.; Tanner Schmaling, sr.; Kevin Schneider, jr.; Alex Riegert, jr.), 1:40.82.

Extra qualifiers: Kevin Schneider, 100 butterfly, 54.21; 200 individual medley, 2:05.60; Tanner Schmaling, 100 breaststroke, 1:05.26; Johnson, 100 breaststroke, 59.94; 400 freestyle relay (Schneider, Johnson, Mike McErlean, sr.; Riegert), 3:21.03.

Elkhorn—Sectional champion: Dalton Anderson, sr., 100 butterfly, 52.37.

Extra qualifiers: Ethan Lockhart, sr., 100 butterfly, 57.45; 50 freestyle, 23.00; Anderson, 200 individual medley, 2:02.26; 200 freestyle relay (Cory Hoskins, sr.; Frank Rudar, jr.; Lockhart, Anderson), 1:32.53; 400 freestyle relay (Hoskins, Zac Simon, so.; Lockhart, Anderson) 3:24.64.

Fort Atkinson—Extra qualifiers: Wyatt Paul, fr., 50 freestyle, 22.65; 100 freestyle, 49.64; Evan Hill, so., 100 backstroke, 57.24; 100 butterfly, 55.97; Anthony Nelson, 100 butterfly, 57.66; 400 freestyle relay (Paul, Spencer McCombs, sr.; Nelson, Hill), 3:21.36; 200 medley relay (Hill, Paul, Nelson, Joe Athas, jr.), 1:42.60.

Jefferson—Extra qualifiers: Doug Posorske, sr., 50 freestyle, 22.87; 100 butterfly, 55.96; 200 freestyle relay (Lee Olson, sr.; Eric Beccue, sr.; Marcos Lares, fr.; Posorske), 1:35.03.

Milton—Sectional champions: Jeff Maxwell, jr., 200 freestyle, 1:45.21; 500 freestyle, 4:43.83.

Extra qualifiers: Adam Homan, sr., 50 freestyle, 22.90; Erik Swanson, jr., 100 backstroke, 1:03.68; 200 medley relay (Maxwell, Swanson, Homan, Ian McSweeny, sr.), 1:41.44; 200 freestyle relay (Homan, McSweeny, Ryan Fischer, sr.; Maxwell), 1:31.53; 400 freestyle relay (Homan, Jim Anderson, sr.; Fischer, McSweeny), 3:25.24.