AHS Girls Swim Take 15th in the D2

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The Antigo Girls Varsity Swim team ended their 2024 season at the State Meet in Waukesha on Friday. Four swimmers qualified for state, setting the Robins up to swim two individual events and two relays. Antigo finished 15 out of 34 teams, and 2nd among Great Northern Conference teams.

Senior Chloe Tainter swam the 100 butterfly at the State Meet for the third year in a row. She entered the meet in fifteenth and finished in eleventh. Her 1:00.47 time was fast, just a half second slower than her school record set last year.

After that slightly disappointing finish to her individual event, Tainter launched herself into the two team relays with determination. In leading off the 200 freestyle relay, she swam within .3 of a second of her own school record in the 50 free. That leg put the Robins in the lead, which they never let go of. Freshman Allyssa Jansen flew off the block second and held the lead with her split of 26.65.  Fellow freshman Eleanor Tassler followed in the third leg with a personal best time of 25.96.  The relay was anchored by freshman Holland Tainter who swam the 50 in 24.29 seconds. The Robins won the heat and earned 8th place overall in the D2 for the event, moving up from their 14th place seed.  They also bested their own team record from Sectionals by three seconds.

The four swimmers also competed in the 400 freestyle relay, the last event of every high school swim meet.  They were seeded 13th and finished twelfth with a time of 3:48.06.  This time is four and half seconds faster than their Sectional time the week before, and lowered their own team record again. C. Tainter led off and was followed by Allyssa Jansen who powered through her 100 yard leg in 59.41 seconds. Tassler completed the third leg in 58.42 and H. Tainter finished the relay with a split of 54.57.

A second team record was set in the 400 meter relay event.   C.Tainter’s leadoff leg was 1.2 seconds faster than her own school record from last year, bringing the 100 free team record to 55.66.   The first relay split is an official time as the start is the same as all other races. Other legs of the relay have rolling relay exchanges so cannot be used as records.

In between the two relay events, H. Tainter shaved another .5 second off her own 100 backstroke record, and swam in the heat where a state record was set. In her first visit to the State Meet, H. Tainter finished 8th overall with a time of 59.12. She also swam three events in a row with limited rest, showcasing her powerful preparation and discipline.

With four swimmers in the water, and four alternates cheering them on, the small but fast Robins team set four team records in their final meet of a record-breaking season.