By Jed Buelow

Tomahawk Leader Co-Editor, Sports, Nature Editor

It was easy to see how the Tomahawk girls’ swim team became such a dominating force over the past several years. As each of the seniors stood atop a starting block for Senior Night Thursday, an underclassman took a moment to share with them and the packed crowd at Hatchet Pool what they have meant to them and how they have impacted their lives for the better.

Of course there was also the dominating performance in the pool, as Tomahawk blasted Antigo out of the water 109-59 to get the GNC win and to improve to 3-3 on the year. Right out of the gates it was pretty evident how the night would go. The team of Megan Miles, Dallas Dosch, Savannah Ristau and Taya Johnson won the 200-yard medley relay in a time of 2:12.53 and Kylee Theiler and Molly Mott followed it up going 1,2 in the 200 free to give the Lady Hatchets the early 20-7 lead.

Hatchet freshmen Megan Miles and Joanna Phillips kept it going in the 200 IM as Miles tapped the finish line in 2:33.85 to win the race and Phillips just missed out on 2nd as she finished in a time of 2:46.72.

The red birds would get their first win of the night in the 50 free, as Hatchet seniors Ally Carstensen and Annie Begotka finished just behind the Antigo swimmer to finish 2,3. Fellow senior Savannah Ristau scored a 2nd place finish in the 100 butterfly and was followed to the finish line by Juliana Skubal to help outscore Antigo in the event.

With the score already well within Tomahawk’s favor, K. Theiler helped drop the hatchet on the Red Robins in the 100 free finishing in a time of 53.71 – over 10 seconds faster than the top finisher from Antigo. Molly Mott and M. Miles would continue to pile on the points as they finished 1,2 in the 500 free before another dominating relay performance put the score out of reach.

“The freshmen class led the way with personal records. J. Phillips (2), Brynnen Stefan (2), and M. Miles (1) all had personal bests in the win over Antigo,” stated Hatchet head coach Theresa L’Esperance. “(Molly) Mott led the upper classmen with PR’s in the 200 and 500.”

Karli Woodall and Taya Johnson rounded out the PRs. Coach L’Esperance said Woodall is doing her best at trying to find a balance between swimming and driving all over the Northwoods finding a pool to use for diving. Johnson has the best turns on the team, and it showed on her super time in the 100 lead off in the 400 free relay, the coach added.

In what would prove to be one of the more thrilling races of the night, J. Phillips, D. Dosch, M. Miles and M. Mott tapped the  finish line in 1:53.21 to just outdistance T. Johnson, A. Carstensen, A. Begotka and K. Theiler as they finished in 1:54.47 to finish in second place behind their Hatchet teammates.

Tomahawk would go on to make it a sweep in the relays as they also went 1,2 in the 400 free relay. T. Johnson, J. Phillips, Abby Jaecks and M. Mott took the top spot in 4:19.21 just ahead of teammates Karlie Woodall, Brynnen Stefan, J. Skubal and K. Theiler as they finished in 2nd place.

The Hatchet swimmers travel to Hodag Country tomorrow (Thursday) to take on Rhinelander before finishing out the regular season Saturday, OCt. 19 at the Shorewood Invite. The GNC tilt against the Hodags begins at 5:30 p.m. and the showdown in  Shorewood begins at 9:30 a.m.