Eight Pirates off to state swim and dive meet

Port Washington High School sophomore Amanda Lotz already has two silver medals from last year’s state swim and dive meet, and she is on track to at least equal that this season.

Lotz on Saturday won two events at the Division 2 Plymouth Sectional and helped the Pirates qualify in a third.

Lotz’s winning time in the 500-yard freestyle of 5 minutes, 8.72 seconds made her the top seed heading into the state meet. The next-fastest times are at least six seconds behind.

Coach Danielle Peiffer said Lotz swam a “very controlled race.”

Lotz won the 200 freestyle by five seconds in 1:54.29, the second-fastest sectional time entering the state meet and one second behind the leader.

Eight Pirates have qualified for the state meet in six events.

“This group of girls has done a great job maintaining composure under pressure and doing their best when it really counts,” Peiffer said. “Working hours to shave off tenths is not easy, and we are proud of the girls for committing to the process and putting in the work day after day, week after week.”

Port’s 400 freestyle relay of senior Lily Kerbel, sophomore Sophia Schicker, junior Anna Nisiewicz and Lotz was fourth in a season-best 3:52.25, punching its ticket to state.

The winner of each sectional event qualifies for state, along with the top 12 non-winning times from all four sectionals combined.

Port’s 200 freestyle relay of Kerbel, sophomore Harper Walber-Yoshioka, Nisiewicz and junior Sophia Panek qualified by finishing in 1:47.24, good for fifth.

Port had two divers qualify. Sophomore Chloe Barber scored 311.15 points and was eighth of 15 competitors. She returns to state after scoring 316.9 points and finishing 10th last season.

Junior Genevieve Styles qualified with 296.75 points, taking ninth.

Port scored 217 points and finished fifth in the 14-team sectional. Nicolet won with 365 points, and Cedarburg had 312.

Port’s 200 medley relay of Schicker, Walber-Yoshioka, Lotz and Panek was sixth in 2:01.75, just tenths of a second from its best time.

Walber-Yoshioka was seventh in the 200 individual medley in 2:33.23, and Gwen Jerome was ninth in a personal-record 2:38.34.

Schicker was eighth in the 100 backstroke in 1:07.7 and eighth in the 200 freestyle in 2:11.05.

Walber-Yoshioka was ninth in the 100 breaststroke in her best time of 1:22.21. Jerome was 13th in 1:25.53.

Panek was 10th in the 100 freestyle in 58.46 seconds, and 16th in the 50 freestyle in 27.1 seconds. Kerbel was 12th in the 50 freestyle in 26.55 seconds.

The state meet is Friday, Nov. 13, at Waukesha South.

At last season’s state meet, Lotz was second in the 100-yard backstroke in 57.09 seconds and in the 200 freestyle in 1:51.95, both school records at the time.

The 200 freestyle squad of Edynn Strube, Kerbel, Nisiewicz and Lotz was eighth and broke the school record set in 2002 by more than a second in 1:43.22.

The 400 freestyle relay of the same quartet was seventh, one spot from the medal stand, and broke the 2008 school record by more than three seconds, finishing in 3:45.7.

The Pirates scored 87 points and finished eighth of 33 teams.

Grafton continues its rebuild

Grafton scored 59 points and finished 11th in the sectional.

The 400 freestyle relay of Grace Nolte, Eden Elmendorf, Laine Walton and Leila Coppersmith was eighth in 4:19.38.

The 200 medley relay of Walton, Ruby Adams, Nolte and Libbie Coleman was 10th in 2:29.38.

The 200 freestyle relay of Coppersmith, Elmendorf, Adams and Coleman was 11th in 2:06.39.

Coleman was 12th in the 100 butterfly in 1:44.65. Adams was 13th in the 200 individual medley in 2:59.72 and was 15th in the 100 backstroke in 1:31.05.