Port swimmers cruise to second invite victory

The Port Washington High School girls’ swim team already proved it could win an invite at home.

Last Saturday, the Pirates showed they can win on the road as well.

Port scored 612 points and easily won the six-team Plymouth Invite. Pulaski was second with 454.5 points. Plymouth was third with 421.

“This was a tremendous team effort across all events, showing both depth and consistency,” Port coach Danielle Peiffer said.

Star Amanda Lotz won the 200-yard freestyle in 2 minutes, 2.97 seconds, and the 500 freestyle by 20 seconds in 5:26.38. She anchored the 400 relay to a win in 3:58.8. Other members were Lily Kerbel, Sophia Schicker and Anna Nisiewicz.

“The 400 free A relay did an amazing job, dropping five seconds. This performance matched the energy and determination we saw at Small School State (meet) last year where they dropped below 4:00 for the first time,” Peiffer said.

Port’s two other relays took second. The 200 medley of Schicker, Harper Walber-Yoshioka, Lotz and Sophia Panek finished in 2:04.58 — Port’s fastest time in 15 years — and the 200 freestyle of Kerbel, Walber-Yoshioka, Nisiewicz and Panek finished in 1:50.84.

Port’s best event was the 200 individual medley. The Pirates went 2-3-4-5. Walber-Yoshioka was second in 2:37.95, followed by Nisiewicz in 2:39.15, Jerome in 2:42.98 and Crass in 2:50.21.

Port went 2-3-4 in the 100 butterfly. Nisiewicz was second in 1:12.97, followed by Crass in 1:15.75 and Jerome in 1:16.79. Margaret Himsl was sixth in 1:25.66.

“I don’t think we’ve gone up against a team that has more depth in the 100 fly,” Peiffer said.

Kerbel was third in the 50 freestyle in 27.37 seconds, and Panek was fourth in 28.02. Edynn Strube was eighth in 29.61, and Colbie Goetz was 12th in 31.31.

Panek was third in the 100 freestyle in 1:01.56. Strube was sixth in 1:05.03. Claudia Gaskell was seventh in 1:11.19. McKenna Mesenbourg was 11th in 1:14.14.

Schicker was fourth in the 200 freestyle in 2:14.21. Brynn Bridget was sixth in 2:26.01, and Himsl was 10th in 2:36.58.

Walber-Yoshioka was fourth in the 100 breaststroke in 1:25.01. Gaskell was seventh in 1:33.61. Adalyn Muehleis was eighth in 1:35.29 and Courtney Backhaus was 10th in 1:42.37.

Schicker was third in the 100 backstroke in 1:09.21. Kerbel was fifth in 1:12.30. Josephine Ryder was 11th in 1:28.58 and Ryann Schroeder was 12th in 1:29.02.

Port’s second 200 freestyle relay of Jerome, Crass, Srube and Bryan was fourth in 1:58.97. The second 400 relay of Strube, Crass, Muehleis and Bryan was fourth in 4:31.86.

Bryan was third in the 500 freestyle in 6:28.61. Goetz was sevneth in 6:58.26 and Muehleis was eighth in 7:04.08.

Port lost at Homestead, 108-78, on Sept. 22.

Chloe Barber won diving with 196.8 points. Lotz won the 200 freestyle in 2:00.5 and the 500 freestyle by more than a minute in 5:24.09. Kerbel won the 50 freestyle in 27.26 seconds.

At the North Shore Conference Relays in Cedarburg last Thursday, Port scored 49 points and finished sixth of nine teams. Hartford/Slinger won with 83, followed by Whitefish Bay, 80; Nicolet, 72; Cedarburg, 56; Homestead, 50. West Bend Co-op was seventh with 40 points, followed by Plymouth with 35 and Grafton with seven points.

Port’s 500 freestyle crescendo relay of Kerbel, Strube, Bryan and Lotz was second in 5:19.88. The 300 butterfly relay of Nisiewicz, Crass, Jerome and Lotz was third in 3:16.68, and the 200 individual medley relay of Schicker, Walber-Yoshioka, Lotz and Panek was third in 2:04.69.

The only event Grafton didn’t finish last in was the 500 freestyle relay. Ruby Adams, Laine Walton, Eden Elmendorf and Leila Coppersmith finished eighth in 6:01.44.

Port was to host Grafton on Tuesday, Sept. 29. Port swims at Hartford/Slinger on Tuesday, Oct. 6. Grafton hosts West Bend Co-op on Oct. 6.

“This can be a tough part of the season with six meets in less than two weeks.  The girls are handling it well, both mentally and physically,” Peiffer said.