Seventh in the State!

 2014 Neenah Swim & Dive State Team: 

(back row) Hannah Blob, Gabby Mullally, Malena Waters, Abby Hollub, Rachel Resch, Hannah Sisto, Hazel Hertting, (front row) Caitlin Miller, Kiki Rice, Lindsey Coons, Bella Cortina

Hi Swim & Dive Families!

I'm sure by now you've heard the exciting news:  NHS Swim & Dive took 7th place at Saturday's State meet, which is the highest team finish in the history of the program!

About an hour and a half after Hazel stood on top of the winner's podium, our Neenah swimmers entered the pool.  The girls were all in high spirits after watching Hazel break the State record.

As with Hazel, there were big expectations placed on our swimmers.  They knew a top 10 finish was within their reach.

 The girls were ready to prove that they were contenders!

The Medley Relay made up of Kiki, Abby, Rachel and Malena kicked things off with a 7th place finish and a time of 1:48.11.  Great job, ladies!!

Bella swam the first of the individual events and earned a 23rd place finish in the 200 Free.  She went a 2:00.49.  Way to go, Bella!

Next up were Kiki and Abby in the 200 IM.  Kiki finished 7th with a time of 2:07.04.

 Abby took 19th with a time of 2:12.54.  Great job, ladies!!

Rachel swam a 24.67 in the 50 free and finished in 20th place.  Great job!

After a short break, it was time for Rachel and Hannah to swim the 100 Fly.  Rachel took 8th place with a time of 57.69, and Hannah took 12th with a time of 58.66.  Awesome!

Kiki took down her own 100 Back record (again) with a time of 57.65.  She finished 7th. Way to go, Kiki!

Finally, the 400 Free Relay team of Rachel, Abby, Hannah, and Kiki finished 7th with a new team record time of 3:33.12.  Awesome job, ladies!

Prior to this year, the highest team finish was 12th.  Wisconsin is a great state for swimming, and finishing in the top 10 is a huge accomplishment.  Finishing 7th is a truly amazing accomplishment and one our State team can be proud of for the rest of their lives. Congratulations, NHS Swimmers and Divers, you proved you are not only contenders, but champions in your own right.  We are proud of each and every one of you!


**I'd like to say a big thank you to Karen Tippins, who captured our swimmers in action. I can't take photos while I'm coaching, so I have to rely on other people to take pictures of our girls while they are swimming.   Thank you, Karen, for letting me use your pictures for this blog post.

**I'd also like to shout out to all of our fabulous swim families and fans who made the trip down to Madison to cheer us on.  Your support was definitely felt and truly appreciated!