PLATTEVILLE - Melanie Schaefer’s record-setting night wasn’t quite enough to lead the Platteville/Lancaster girls’ swim team to victory last Thursday against the visiting Dubuque Hempstead Mustangs.
Schaefer set new freshman records in both the 200-yard individual medley and the 100-yard freestyle and the host Hillmen actually led by eight points with just three events to go against the much larger Hempstead team.
But the Mustangs used their numbers advantage and superior depth to rally for a 91-79 victory and tied the all-time series between the two non-conference rivals at 15 wins apiece.
Despite winning only two events in Thursday’s meet Platteville/Lancaster was within striking distance of victory before Hempstead pulled away in the 100 backstroke, the 100 breaststroke and the 400 freestyle relay.
“We were looking to give the Mustangs a great meet, and I think we did that. We stayed with them until we just ran out of gas,” said Hillmen head coach Tom Caccia.
“I’m very happy with how we did. We don’t look for ‘moral victories.’ We go beat - period. But we didn’t get beat because of lack of effort. We swam as well as we could and we did as well as we have all year. You can’t be upset if you swim faster than you have all year.”
The meet was touch and go all the way. It had three lead changes before Hempstead finally pulled away in the final three events.
“It came down to the final event and we would have had to finish first and third to win the meet and we went 2-4,” added Caccia. “We’ll get back to work and be ready for the next meet.”
Schaefer won the 200-yard individual medley in a new record time of 2 minutes and 25.95 seconds. The old record was held by current Hillmen assistant coach Liz (VonFeldt) Peters with a 2:25.99 set in 1996.
Schaefer finished second in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 58.51 seconds breaking current Platteville/Lancaster junior, Claire Friederick old record of 58.52.
The other Hillmen victory came in the 200-yard freestyle relay. The team of Friederick, Maddie Kieler, Elisa Bilderback and Sarah Loring established a new meet record with a winning time of 1:46.02.
The Hillmen (1-1) will return to action next Thursday with a non-conference triple dual at the UW-Platteville Natatorium against River Valley and Rockford.
Dubuque Hempstead 91,
Platteville/Lancaster 79
(from Thursday, Sept. 8 @ UW-Platteville)
Platteville/Lancaster’s top finishers
200 medley relay - 2.Pla/Lan (Claire Friederick, Brooke Adams, Melanie Schaefer, Sarah Loring) 2:03.07. 200 freestyle - 2.Maddie Kieler (P/L) 2:14.84. 200 individual medley - 1.Schaefer (P/L) 2:25.95. 50 freestyle - 2.Friederick (P/L) 26.28. 100 butterfly - 2.Loring (P/L) 1:11.84. 100 freestyle - 2.Friederick (P/L) 58.90. 500 freestyle - 2.Schaefer (P/L) 5:49.46. 200 freestyle relay - 1.Pla/Lan (Friederick, Kieler, Elisa Bilderback, Loring) 1:46.02. 100 breaststoke - 2.Loring (P/L) 1:20.78. 400 freestyle relay - 2.Pla/Lan (Schaefer, Ally Klein, Bilderback, Kieler) 4:02.72.
