Nicolet's Rumbaugh earns sixth in 50 freestyle at state

Glendale - The only problem with Nicolet swimmer Christa Rumbaugh earning a sixth medal in the 50 freestyle in the WIAA Division 1 state meet last Saturday was that she took off her swim cap for the award's ceremony.

"She has quite a head of hair," said Nicolet coach Dwight Davis, "so it takes a little while for her to tuck that all back in but she had to do that right away (after the awards) because she had to get ready for the 100.

"It would have been better if she had left the cap on for the awards (laughs)."

But that was a small problem for the junior sprinter, who turned in a time of 24.4 seconds in the 50, which was .36 of a second faster than she swam in the sectional meet the week before.

She then turned around and had a solid race in the 100, taking 13th (53.64) which was just .1 of a second off her sectional time.

Davis was very happy for Rumbaugh, who had suffered through health issues in the past and battled some shoulder problems, but got through the season largely intact.

"She had some issues with her shoulders early on, but we changed some things around (in training) and it worked out pretty well for her," Davis said.

Rumbaugh's efforts gave the Knights 17 team points, good for 26th in the Division 1 field. Waukesha South/Mukwonago won with 293.

The Knights had one other qualifier as senior Kim Charles finished 24th in diving with 114.45 points. Charles had also qualified in state track in the pole vault last spring.

"You don't see that very often," said Davis. "That's really something."

The meet finished a solid year for the Knights.

Davis was very happy with the team in general and noted that the senior leaders Claire Kopetsky, Charles, Laura LeBrun and Hannah Harlow did a great job throughout the fall. AFS student for Denmark Sophie Jokumsen was also cited for her contributions.