High School State Championships: Wisconsin 1, 2 Boys

MADISON, Wisconsin, February 24. THE University of Wisconsin played host to the Wisconsin State Swimming and Diving Championships Feb. 17-18 in Madison. Madison Memorial claimed the Divison 1 title, while the Division 2 crown went to McFarland.

Division 1
For 12 years, Madison Memorial has come out on top in Division 1 swimming. This year's team put together 326 points for the win. Arrowhead came in second with 234 points, with Eau Claire Memorial edging out Middleton for third, 184-181. Madison West and Appleton North both scored 158 points to tie for the fifth spot.

Aiding in the cause was a Madison Memorial sweep of the relays, two in state record-setting times. Seniors Billy Walsh, Patrick Franken and Ben Anderson, along with junior Nick Menninga, combined for a 1:24.60 in the 200 free relay, erasing Madison Memorial's 2007 time of 1:25.73. Sophomore John Hornacek and junior Jeremy Temprano joined Franken and Menninga for a state record-setting 3:06.11 in the 400 free relay. The previous record, also set by Madison Memorial, was 3:07.48 from 2004. Hornacek, Temprano, Anderson and Walsh put together a 1:34.68 triumph in the 200 medley relay.

The only individual Madison Memorial title went to Anderson, who collected a win for the second straight year in the 50 free (21.13) with Arrowhead senior Jake Prodoehl close behind in 21.19. Prodoehl went on to eke out a win in the 100 free (46.23) over Appleton North senior Jake Iotte (46.35). Iotte claimed victory in the 200 free for the second year with his 1:40.42.

Eau Claire Memorial junior Alex DeLakis repeated his wins from last year with his 1:51.54 in the 200 IM and 56.08 in the 100 breast. Also coming in first for the second time were seniors Austin Byrd of Chippewa Falls in the 100 back (49.88) and Noah Potratz from Waukesha South in the 500 free (4:38.73). Middleton senior R.J. Leiferman took the 100 fly win in 50.37. This year's diving champion was Andrew Suchla, a junior at Racine Park (326.60 points).

Division 2

McFarland won its sixth consecutive Division 2 title by racking up 325 points. Cedarburg placed second with 249.5 points, followed by Monona Grove (237), Madison Edgewood (154.5) and Kiel (145.

Ryan O'Donnell, a McFarland senior, closed out his career with 14 titles, the most of any Wisconsin swimmer. He went out in stellar fashion, setting the 200 IM record at 1:48.14 for his third consecutive triumph in that event over his previous mark of 1:49.01 from last year. He also set a new standard in the 100 back with his 48.35, beating Neil Walker's 1994 time of 49.61. Classmate Jake Mandli lowered Derrick O'Donnell's 2006 record of 56.62 with his 56.43 in the 100 breast.

O'Donnell and Mandli, along with senior Collin Morgan and sophomore Tony Donagan, set the only relay mark of the Division 2 meet with their 1:33.81 in the 200 medley relay. Last year's McFarland squad held the previous mark at 1:36.22. McFarland senior Kevin Bennett joined O'Donnell, Donagan and Morgan for a 1:26.29 victory in the 200 free relay.

Monona Grove's 400 free relay of senior Jack Allen, junior Mitchell Paull, freshman Lars Doll and sophomore Andrew Sackett posted a 3:13.18 in the 400 free relay to stop McFarland from a relay sweep. Individually, Allen doubled in the 200 free (1:41.73) and 100 fly (50.45).

Al Nennig, a Grafton junior, powered his way to a 21.64 first-place time in the 50 free. Other event champions included Chris Higgins, a senior at Cedarburg (100 free, 48.16), Kiel senior Nick Halverson (500 free, 4:36.86) and Jor Kaszubowski, a freshman at Whitefish Bay, who dove his way to a 431.20 point total for first.

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