Wildcat swimmers splash down at State to culminate season of growth

Diving straight into the deep end, four lady Wildcats advanced to WIAA State following their sectionals meet on November 9. Taking 10th place out of 40 teams from across the state, the West Girls Swim wrapped their season on a high note, yet again smashing records and furthering their bonds built over the season.

Head Coach Kel Van Sistine is particularly proud of the increase of swimmers attending.

“It’s been more than the last few years,” she said. “We only took two last year, and I don’t think this year was the most we took, but it was noteworthy because we took relays to state. I also think it was notable because this was the first time we had a diver since 2013, so that’s pretty significant.”

The increase of swimmers attending only added to the fun, according to senior Samara Zeinert.

“This year’s state was a lot more special because last year we only had two individual people go, so taking a relay is way more fun,” she said. “We’re able to be there as a group, cheer each other on, and have a lot of supporters, which I think is really important to doing really well.”

Senior Sarah Draxler recognizes that this support from their fellow swimmers even extends to watching competitors, giving them further drive to try their hardest.

“Overall, it was just a really cool experience to be able to swim with all of the fast people in the lanes next to you,” she said.

Van Sistine sees state as the culmination of a season filled with success and highlights.

“We broke five school records and we only had eight events so I thought that was pretty significant and we also had three podium events,” she said. “All of our events except for one scored us points, so all of that was pretty significant. Anytime we can get in the top 15 in the state is pretty great.”

Sophomore Kiersten Dietschweiler believes the quartet’s camaraderie contributed to their general success.

“As a group, we were really good for each other,” she said. “Everyone was hyping each other up, and our relays were really positive. After the 400 free relay, the last race of the whole meet, everyone was kind of done, but we held it together.”

Zeinert felt there were drawbacks to when events were given, but regardless they were still able to make the most of it.

“I feel like we did a lot better than what we were seeded in everything and we had a lot of good times,” she said.  “I feel like from a whole team’s standpoint we did really well, and also placing 10th out of 40 teams when we only have four people is really impressive, and we haven’t done that good in a while, so I feel like it went really well.”

Van Sistine is impressed with  Zeinert's growth since the previous year at state. 

“She made podium this year, which is huge,” she said. “She did not make it to podium last year and her times have improved overall. I think her confidence has really improved too. She’s always so calm before the meets, but I think this year she’s been really excited, especially with the goal to make the podium, so I think that confidence piece along with her strength as a swimmer.”

Even with the prospects of state capping off their season, Van Sistine was undeterred from looking forward to improvements for next year and thinking about what they can bring to the table.

“Etta and Kiersten are young, it’s very exciting,” she said. “So I think they have some significant goals in the coming years, but the question is if we can get relays to state again. Since Sarah and Samara are leaving we have two spots that are open for people to fill.”

When it comes to technique, freshman Etta Yonke has already established goals. 

“I really need to work on my underwaters,” she said. “I was being dusted on the walls.” 

Even with their great accomplishments, they still see room for growth, according to Van Sistine.

“I know that Kiersten did not swim her best times,” she said. “She was close, but I know that was really frustrating for her. In a perfect scenario she would’ve gone a lifetime best, but she still got second and third in the state, so still very impressive.”

Dietschweiler notices a connection between her work ethic and her teammates.

“I was on a different team last year,” she said. “I noticed a big difference from last year. Everyone is a lot closer and you actually get to know people. It’s easier to work harder when everyone is working hard.”

by Kate Ruby and Evan Parfitt

Published December 2nd, 2024

Oshkosh West Index Volume 121 Issue III