WAUKESHA, Wis. – Middleton captured the Division 1 team championship and one record fell at the 2023 State Girls Swimming & Diving Championships at the Waukesha South High School Natatorium Saturday.
The Cardinals compiled 212.5 points to win the program’s fourth championship. They made history by becoming the first program to win a team title without winning an individual or relay event in the meet. It's also the third State championship won by the school in the last eight days. The Cardinals won the boys soccer and boys volleyball State titles weekend.
Verona finished runner-up with 202 points, and former defending champion Arrowhead placed third with a score of 163.
The meet featured several multiple individual champions. Maggie Wanezek of Brookfield East swam to two individual event titles and one relay championship. She successful defended the title she won the last two seasons in the 100-yard backstroke, breaking the State record for the third straight year with a time of 50.97. She also finished runner-up in the event in 2020. Wanezek earned the gold medal in the 200 individual medal as well with a time of 1:58.43 after placing 10th a year ago. Her time is the four-fastest recorded in the history of the Division 1 State Meet.
In addition, Wanezek teamed up with her sister, Caroline, Paris Fullerton and Audrey Olen to claim the title in the 400 freestyle relay in a time of 3:25.32.
Olivia Wanner of Waukesha West/Catholic Memorial, a four-time State qualifier, also swam to two individual event titles and one relay crown. She won the 50-yard freestyle in a time of 22.82 after placing third last season, fourth in 2021 and ninth in 2020. She also won the 100 freestyle with a time of 49.43 after placing third the past two seasons and finishing sixth in 2020. Her times in those two events ranks as the sixth- and fifth-fastest time in Division 1 State Meet history, respectively.
Wanner also joined teammates Elizabeth Beam, Avelyn Brown and Karlee Marusik to gain possession of the gold medal in the 200 freestyle relay, posting a winning time of 1:34.22.
Ella Antoniewski of Waukesha South/Mukwonago repeated as champion in a pair of events. She posted a time of 1:47.14 to win the 200 freestyle for the second year in a row. Her time ranks sixth-fastest on the all-time Division 1 State Meet honor roll. Antoniewski also added another gold medal in the 500 freestyle, completing the distance race in a time of 4:47.16, which is the third-fastest Division 1 time ever recorded at the State Championships.
MacKenzie Thomas of Badger/Big Foot/Westosha Central/Williams Bay/Wilmot, another four-year qualifier, was victorious in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:02.87 after she had finished fourth in each of the past three seasons. Carly Larson of De Pere/West De Pere earned the title in the 100 butterfly with a time of 53.77 after placing ninth two seasons ago.
Fynn Langley of Germantown was the champion in the one-meter diving competition with a score of 497.00 after she placed third a year ago and 13th in 2021. Wylde Chupich of the Badger co-op finished runner-up for the third consecutive season.
The Germantown 200 medley relay, comprised of Isabelle Barger, Abby Bruss, Julia Saxman and Caden Kelly, raced to the title with a time of 1:41.55, which is the fourth-fastest time recorded in the event by a quartet in the State Meet history.