Rumbaugh and Charles earn WIAA state swim berths for Nicolet

Glendale - School records and state meet berths for Christa Rumbaugh in the 50- and 100-yard freestyles and Kim Charles in diving, highlighted a great day for the Nicolet girls swim team in the WIAA Division 1 sectional meet at Cedarburg on Saturday.

"It all goes back to a few different things we did with our training at the beginning of the year," Knights coach Dwight Davis said. "We tried something different in that we hit the weights and the dry-land training a lot harder than usual.

"And I think it paid off. Every single one of our swims scored and only about one was not a personal or season best."

Charles competes at 10 a.m. Saturday at the UW-Madison Natatorium, while Rumbaugh is part of the swimming timed finals that start at 3 p.m. Rumbaugh is in the middle heat of each of her races.

"She's still having a little problem with her starts," Davis said of Rumbaugh, "but I still think it will be a good state meet for her. She's very strong in her 100 right now, and she's doing great in the 50 considering that we really didn't try it on her until right about now."

Those qualifying efforts led the Knights to a fifth-place showing in the 13-school sectional field with 232 points as Menomonee Falls/Sussex Hamilton won with 352.

Off to a good start

Diver Charles got the meet off to a good start by earning her slot with a fifth-place score of 324.7 points. That score was a 10-point season best.

The Nicolet group then began their day in the pool on an extremely positive note, as the 200 medley relay team of Grace Wilke, Sophia Jokumsen, Sarah Zelazoski and Rumbaugh scorched a school record time of 1:54.98, good for fifth.

Davis and the swimmers thought that would easily qualify for state as the time needed for last year's meet was 1:56. But they turned out disappointed as it was a much faster field this year in the state. The team needed to reach 1:53.9 to make it to Madison.

"It was a great race by them," Davis said. "It was just too bad, as they came so far this year. They actually started out the fall at 2:08. It's pretty nuts that they didn't make it."

But Rumbaugh did, taking second in the 50 free with a 24.76 while then turning around and doing the same in the 100 free (53.54). In both instances, she lost to Falls' Amanda Siehs.

As noted, Davis thought the entire team did well, but especially cited Wilke for her work.

"She had just an amazing meet," he said.

Results for scoring events

Other scoring efforts for Nicolet by event included the following; diving: Laura Lebrun, 11th (255.25); Sara Shi, 13th (227.7); 200 free: Elizabeth Carlton, 15th (2:12.78); 200 individual medley: Jokumsen, sixth (2:22.33); Claire Kopetsky, 11th (2:29.38); 50 free: Zelazoski, eighth (26.05); Emily Zuelzke, 15th (27.93); 100 butterfly: Zelazoski, seventh (1:04.21); Wilke, ninth (1:05.66); 100 free: Zuelzke, 16th (1:00.94); 500 free: Carlton, 11th (6:03.73); Sophia Carlton, 13th (6:08.32); 200 free relay: Zuelzke, Rumbaugh, Jokumsen and Zelazoski, fifth (season best 1:44.97); 100 backstroke: Wilke, eighth (1:03.96); 100 breaststroke: Jokumsen, seventh (1:13.11); Kopetsky, 12th (1:16.36); and 400 free relay: Zuelzke, Elizabeth Carlton, Sophia Carlton and Wilke, seventh (season best 4:03.18).