Winhawks find swim meet just out of reach!

Ever stretch trying to get something off the top shelf and couldn’t quite reach it? 

The Winona Winhawks (0-2, 0-2) were stretching all night Tuesday trying to catch Rochester Century (2-0, 2-0) but in spite of some stellar performances couldn’t quite get there!

The Winhawks started out strong, the 200 Medley A Relay of Sophomore Morgan Whyte, Sr. Greer Kosidowski, Sr. Reese Galewski and Sr. Emily Thurow walked away with the race winning with over 3 body lengths to spare. 

The 200 Freestyle featured both So. Morgan Whyte and Sr. Greer Kosidowski right back in the water. They went out strong and were 1-2 in the first 50. Morgan was tied with Shin of Roch and Greer on their heels at the 100. By the 150 the Winhawks were 2-3 and finished that way with Morgan taking 2^nd in a respectable early season time and Greer swims to 3^rd just a few seconds off her season best of 2012.  With their 1-4-5 Roch pulls even in the meet.

The 200 IM was shy of bodies and Sr. Co-Captain Reese Galewski swims to a 2^nd place finish and newcomer 7^th Grader Morgan Drazkowski scores her first point as a varsity swimmer bringing home the 5^th spot. The Winhawks fall behind by 6.

The 50 Freestyle also known as the splash –n- dash saw Sr. Emily Thurow bring home 2^nd. Coming in in 4^th and 5^th respectively BOTH 8^th Grader Alexa Lofgren and Jr. Kailey Kronebusch swim personal best times! Rochester stretches their lead to 8 points though. 

Diving saw Sr. Co-Captain Janelle Mueller and Jr. Sarah Scherbring place 2-3 while scoring personal best scores for a 6 dive list! Rochester still pads their lead out to 10 points. 

The 100 Yard Butterfly was the line in the sand for the Winhawks, not allowing the meet to get away from them was crucial and the girls respond. Sr. Co-Captain Reese Galewski swims a solid early season time and wins the event by a body length. Freshman Hanna O’Neill brings home 4^th and the Winhawks stop the bleeding with an 8-8 point total. 

The 100 Freestyle sees a Winhawks surge, perhaps spurned on by their Sr. Co-Captain winning the Fly. 8^th Grader Alexa Lofgren takes the field out for a ride leading wire to wire to not only set a personal best by over 7 seconds, but crashes through the barrier to become the newest entry into the Winhawk Minuteman Club! Right behind her is Sr. Emily Thurow in 3^rd place and young Morgan Drazkowski continues to contribute in her varsity road trip debut placing 4^th overall. The 11-5 point spread brings the Winhawks back to within 4 points! 

The 500 Freestyle brings the Winhawks a little back to earth. Rochester, well known for producing distance swimmers, takes the 1-2-3 sweep, with Sr. Razil Campbell and Freshman Jessica Kohner to score in 4-5 respectively. The Rochester lead stretches back out to 14 points.

The 200 Freestyle Relay could have been the Winhawks’ Waterloo but a combination of old and new banded together to not only hold off the Panthers but gain ground on them! The A Relay led off with Sr. Emily Thurow, and Freshman Hanna O’Neill, making quality swims followed by 8^th Grader Alexa Lofgren and Sr. Greer Kosidowski both swimming personal best relay splits. Their effort was nearly matched by the Winhawk B relay of Sr. Abbey Quandahl that led the race for the first 50, Sr. Razil Campbell, with Sophomore Kailey Kronebusch swimming a PB wrapped by the scoring upstart 7^th Grader Morgan Drazkowski. After Abbey, the Winhawk A relay took the lead on the strength of Hanna followed by Alexa’s PB and then Greer’s PB held off the charging panthers for a 1-3 finish and the Winhawks were back within 8 points. 

The 100 Backstroke was a draw score wise thanks to the 1^st -4^th finish by Sophomore Morgan Whyte’ lead and the returning world traveller Sr. Abbey Quandahl gaining back her form. 

The 100 Breaststroke saw Sr. Greer Kosidowski have a breakout night swimming a personal best to take the win. With depleted numbers the Winhawks only have youngsters left and 7^th grader Annika Anderson brings home 5^th and Rochester gets to pad their lead by two more points, 91-81.

It is the last event, the 400 Freestyle Relay and the Winhawks find themselves in the unenviable position of having to place first AND second in order to win the swim meet. Again with depleted ranks the hard charging Winhawks give it all they have. Sr. Co-Captain Reese Galewski leads out the team and touches first at both the 50 split and the 100 exchange just tenths off of her all time personal best. Next in the water 7^th grader Alexa Lofgren nearly matches her minuteman performance of earlier and bends but does not break only yielding 1 second of the 2 ½ second lead. Sophomore Morgan Whyte hits the water third and ekes her teammates out an additional 1 1 /2 second pad to the lead. Last in the water, having had an unbelievable night already, young Morgan Drazkowski is tasked with holding off the Panther’s All Conference sprinter Lexi Shin. Morgan swims valiantly holding the Panther anchor off through the 50 but yields ground getting touched out at the end by 0.5 seconds. 

Winhawks           87           Panthers 99

Next up for the Winona Winhawks Swimmers & Divers, a road trip to Menomonie WI to battle the Mustangs. 

The Menomonie girls’ swimming and diving team have a new coach this season, 2008 MHS graduate Kia Kraft begins her first year as head coach after wrapping up her swimming career at UW EauClaire.

Menomonie won three conference titles and one runner-up finish during Kraft’s four years of high school (under three different head coaches) and has earned one just one BRC championship since. 

She will have an uphill battle in her return to the program, however, as the Mustangs finished sixth in the BRC a year ago and loses five of its top swimmers and its top diver to graduation.

Leading the returning swimmers is Kia’s sister, Claire, who finished in the top five at two sectional events last season (100 breaststroke and 500 freestyle). Also back are Kenya Henderson, Emily Billingsley and Amy Hildebrand, who all placed in the top 15 in at least one sectional event in 2012.

Nearly, doubling the roster is the incoming crop of seven freshmen who are strong swimmers. Coach Kraft says the determination, experience and work ethic of this year’s team will be its strengths.

6PM Menomonie High School, 1715 5th Street West  Menomonie, WI 54751