Madison Memorial took an early lead and pulled away at the finish to win its fourth straight team title at the 90th State Boys Swimming and Diving Championships Saturday at the UW Natatorium in Madison, Wis.
The Spartans amassed 319 points with Madison West finishing second with 216.5 points. Arrowhead placed third with 194.5 points, and Muskego was fourth at 166.
The Spartans’ title comes on the strength of a four event titles and exceptional depth. In the 200-yard medley relay, the quartet of senior John Hornacek, junior Amos Kaldor and sophomores Justin Temprano and Ben Gebhart won with a time of 1:33.92. It was the fourth straight State title for the Spartan medley relay.
The Spartans’ 200 freestyle relay won for the third straight season. Seniors Sam Szotkowski and Nathan Eckerle and juniors Ryan Menninga and Alex Peterson-Weber collaborated to win the event with a time of 1:25.42.
In individual events, Gebhart added a victory in the 100 butterfly with a time of 50.03 after finishing fourth in the event last season. Temprano added a title in the 100 backstroke with a time of 51.13 to improve on his fourth-place finish a year ago.
Muskego won three individual events. Senior Jon Roberts of Muskego improved on his efforts from a year ago to win both the 50 and 100 freestyles with times of 21.10 and 46.04, respectively. He entered the meet as the top returning swimmer from last year in both events, having finished third in the 50 and second in the 100 last season. Senior Joe Szczupakiewicz successfully defended his championship in the 500 freestyle with a time of 4:32.05, which ranks as the third fastest time in meet history for Division 1.
A freshman with the top seed in two events made quite an impression in his first State meet. Paul DeLakis of Eau Claire Memorial/North won the 200 individual medley with a time of 1:49.81 and the 100 breaststroke with a time of 56.46.
Arrowhead snapped Madison Memorial’s string of four straight titles in the 400 freestyle relay. Freshman Nick Woida, sophomore Logan Roberts, junior Logan Kozlik and senior Jake Barry won the relay with a time of 3:09.04. Barry pulled away in the last lap of his anchor slot to clinch the win.
Junior Nick Plachinski of Cedarburg surged to the lead late in the 200 freestyle to capture the gold medal with a time of 1:40.71. He defeated a field that included competitors that finished second, third and fourth at State in 2013.
Senior Draven Feustel of Neenah won the one-meter diving competition with a score of 421.65 He improved on his eighth-place standing last year. Senior Marcel Harris of Sheboygan North came in second with a score of 412.90.
The State Individual Wrestling Tournament is the next WIAA State Tournament on the horizon. It begins Thursday, Feb. 27 and runs through Saturday, March 1 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis.