Senior Ben McDade completed a historical career in leading Monona Grove to its fourth consecutive Division 2 title at the State Boys Swimming & Diving Championships Friday at the UW Natatorium in Madison, Wis.

McDade won four events in the meet to set the all-time State championship record for the most titles in a career with 15, surpassing the Ryan O’Donnell of McFarland, who won 14 crowns from 2009-12. 

"I put in a lot of hard work over the past four years, a lot of early mornings, a lot of tough practices and a lot of times where you just didn't want to get out of bed," McDade said. "Winning the 15 golds and setting the record validated all of that, and made it all worth it. I wouldn't take back a single morning practice or a single 50-yard swim. It has all been worth it in the end."

McDade won his fourth championships in both the 200- and 500-yard freestyles with times of 1:40.32 and 4:32.50, respectively. He is just the sixth swimmer to win the same event four times and the first to do it in three different events.

He also added titles in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays. He teamed with seniors Shane Sackett, Bronz Geissler and Jacob Lippiatt to post a time of 1:26.53 in the 200 freestyle relay. McDade won his fourth championship as a member of the 400 freestyle with seniors Eric Storms and Lippiatt and junior Josh Douberly in a time of 3:09.80. 

Storms, Douberly, Geissler and Sackett joined forces to give the Silver Eagles a sweep of the relays by winning the 200 medley relay in a time of 1:34.85. Storms added his third title of the meet by capturing the 100 backstroke title for the third consecutive year, finishing in a time of 50.18.

Senior Max McHugh of the Sturgeon Bay co-op also grabbed the spotlight by winning a pair of events and shattering the national record in 100 breaststroke with a winning time of 51.62. The former national mark was 52.65. McHugh also established a State meet record to earn the championship in the 50 freestyle with a time of 20.34.

Senior Ben Hayes of Brown Deer/University School was also a multi-event champion. He won his second straight title in the 200 individual medley with a time of 1:50.28, and he captured the gold in the 100 butterfly with a time of 49.62.

A pair of Edgewood competitors won championships in their events. Sophomore Truman teDuits of Edgewood swam to the title in the 100 freestyle with a time of 46.06, and freshman Ben Stitgen placed first in the diving competition with a final score of 401.95.

Monona Grove finished with 333 points to win the school’s fifth State boys swimming & diving team championship, all coming since 2013. Edgewood finished a distant second with 191 points, and Ashwaubenon was third with 174.

The 2018 State Boys Swimming & Diving Championships resumes Saturday with the Division 1 competition. Diving begins at 10 a.m. with the swimming finals to follow at 3 p.m.

Complete Division 2 Event Results

Complete Division 2 Team Results