BARABOO — The Platteville/Lancaster boys swim team has improved leaps and bounds since a clunky, error-filled seventh-place finish at the season-opening Southern Lakes Conference Relays on Dec. 3.
This Friday, four members of the team will finish the season (as well as two alternates) among the best of the state’s best swimmers at the WIAA Division 2 state swimming and diving state champions at the UW Natatorium in Madison.
The Hillmen qualified for state in three individual events as well as the 200-yard medley relay.
After a breakout four silver medal winning performance at the Southern Lakes Conference Championships two Saturday’s ago, Lancaster senior Jack Schaffer qualified for state in 100-yard butterfly, 100-yard breastroke, and swam the fly leg on the medley relay.
Platteville junior Dan Iselin will join Schaffer at state, after qualifying in the 100-yard backstroke and swimming the backstroke leg of the medley relay.
Platteville senior Dan Momot (breaststroke) and Platteville junior Nick Demaree (freestyle) swam the other two legs of the medley relay. Senior Kevin Donovan and sophomore Connor Feyen will serve as the state relay alternates.
The sectional champion in each event at each of the four sectionals, as well as the next 12 fastest times qualified for state.
“Early on I thought Jack might have an outside shot of qualifying for state in the butterfly, but to see the medley relay make it, plus Dan in his backstroke and Jack in two events is just incredible,” said Platteville/Lancaster head coach Matt Wunderlin. “The exciting part is that there were little mistakes we made that can be corrected before state, so it’s possible to go even faster.”
Friday’s swimming finals begin at 6:30 p.m.
Schaffer, who was a state qualifier in 2014, finished second in the 100 butterfly in 54.05 seconds and third in the 100 breaststorke in 1:03.23. Both were season-best times. Schaffer’s sectional time in the butterfly was the seventh fastest in the state. He is seeded 11th in the breaststroke.
Iselin placed sixth at sectionals in the backstorke with a new season-best time of 59.12 seconds. He is seeded 14th in the events going into state.
The medley relay team finished seventh at sectionals, but still earned a state berth with a season-best time of 1:44.96, nearly four seconds faster than its previous best this season. The relay is seeded 14th going into state.
“Almost every swim was a lifetime best, and every single person got a season-best time,” added Wunderlin. “Vince and Kevin both got 50 freestyle lifetime bests in the middle of swimming lifetime best 100s in the 400 free relay. The guys were hitting times that seemed nearly impossible at the start of the season. I’m very proud of them.”
The 200 freestyle relay of Schaffer, Iselin, Demaree and Feyen placed eighth in 1:35.20.
Momot finished 11th in the 100 breaststroke (1:13.02) and exchange student Marvin Kaye (1:16.31) finished 13th in the event.
Demaree placed 12th in the 100 backstroke (1:02.75) and 17th in the 50 freestyle (24.08).
Sophomore Michael Prestegard finished 14th in the 100 backstroke (1:05.56).
Iselin placed 16th in the 100 freestyle (52.81).
WIAA Division 2 Baraboo Sectional
(from Saturday, Feb. 13 @ Baraboo)
Team scores — 1.Monona Grove 402.5, 2.McFarland 372, 3.Fort Atkinson 231.5, 4.Baraboo 210, 5.Madison Edgewood 199, 6.DeForest 174, 7.Stoughton 155, 8.Milton 141, 9.Platteville/Lancaster 126, 10.Jefferson/Cambridge 69.
Platteville/Lancaster state qualifiers
200 medley relay — 7.Pla/Lan (Dan Iselin, Vince Momot, Jack Schaffer, Nick Demaree) 1:44.96. 100 butterfly — 2.Schaffer (P/L) 54.05. 100 backstroke — 6.Iselin (P/L) 59.12. 100 breaststroke — 3.Schaffer (P/L) 1:03.23.
Platteville/Lancaster
other sectional results
50 freestyle — 17.Nick Demaree (P/L) 24.08, 27.Connor Feyen (P/L) 25.86. 100 freestyle — 16.Iselin (P/L) 52.81, 28.Feyen (P/L) 58.19. 200 freestyle relay — 8.Pla/Lan (Schaffer, Iselin, Demaree, Feyen) 1:35.20. 100 backstroke — 12.Demaree (P/L) 1:02.75, 14.Michael Prestegard (P/L) 1:05.56. 100 breaststroke — 11.Momot (P/L) 1:13.02, 12.Marvin Kaye (P/L) 1:16.31. 400 freestyle relay — 10.Pla/Lan (Feyen, Donovan, Kaye, Momot) 3:56.90.
