MADISON, Wis. – Madison West successfully defended its Division 1 title at the 95th Annual State Boys Swimming & Diving Championships at the UW Natatorium Saturday.
The Regents amassed 314 points and won five events, including two relays en route to their 15th State championship. Last season’s runner-up Middleton finished second again with 257 points, and Waukesha South/Catholic Memorial was third with 161 points.
Madison West was led by Wes Jekel, who won four events and set two records in the process. He shattered the former record in winning the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 48.09 to successfully defend the title he won in the event in 2018. Jekel also set a record as a member of the 200 medley relay with teammates Jaden Weiss, Henry Miller and Charlie Feller. They finished in a time of 1:30.83 to give the Regents their second straight crown in the event.
Jekel also swam to the gold medal in the 100 butterfly with a time of 48.14, and in the 400 freestyle relay with teammates Constatin Bensch, Isaac Casey and Lain Weaver with a time of 3:04.94, giving Madison West possession of the State title in the event for the second year in a row.
Andrew Martin paced Middleton to its runner-up finish by winning a pair of events. He won the 500 freestyle in a time of 4:31.12 after placing seventh last season and 11th in 2017. He also was a member of the record-setting 200 relay team with Archer Parkin, Nate Lamers and Forrest Peterson. They established a new State meet record with a winning time of 1:23.12.
Michael Linnihan won two events to propel Brookfield Central/East to its third-place standing. He raced to victory in both the 100 and 200 freestyles. He won the 100 freestyle in a time of 44.94 after finishing third a year ago, and he finished with a time 1:39.00 to claim victory in the 200 freestyle following a third-place finish in 2018.
Braden Rumpit also claimed a title for Brookfield Central/East. He entered the diving competition with the top qualifying performance and verified that distinction by winning the event with a score of 486.55 after finishing third last season.
Ben Gabbey of Muskego improved on his runner-up finish from a year ago in winning the 100 breaststroke in a time of 56.04, and freshman William Hayon of Sheboygan North made an auspicious State debut by winning the 50 freestyle with a time of 20.76 in an event that featured seven on last season’s top 10 finishers.
Shane Blinkman of Hudson returned to championship form to win the 200 individual medley with a time of 1:46.99. He finished runner-up in 2017 after earning the title as a freshman in 2016.
2019 Division 1 Team Results
2019 Division 1 Event Results