Middleton won the State Division 1 girls swimming & diving team championship for the second straight year Saturday at the UW Natatorium in Madison, Wis.
The Cardinals accumulated 313.5 points, and Cedarburg was runner-up with 242 points. Arrowhead came in third place with 189 points.
Middleton’s scoring received a boost from one individual champion and a pair of relay champions. Gabriela Pierobon Mays successfully defended the title she won last season in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 55.04. Pierobon Mays was also a champion as a member of the 200 medley relay that included teammates Chiara Pierobon Mays, Ally Silvestri and Berkley Smith. The foursome finished with a time of 1:42.92. The Cardinals’ 200 free relay team won the event for the second straight season. The squad of Smith, Cora Mack, Hannah Aegerter and Caroline Hippen finished in a time of 1:34.65.
Lillie Hosack of Cedarburg won a pair of events and turned in a record-shattering performance in the 200 individual medley. Her time of 1:58.13 eclipsed the Division 1 mark she set last season by more than a second. In addition, she combined with teammates Maya Novack, Erika Remington and Bridget Gwidt to win the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 3:24.46.
Grace Bennin of Verona/Mount Horeb won two events. She won the 100 breaststroke for the second year in a row, clocking in at 1:02.17, and she captured the crown in the 50 freestyle, edging last year’s champion Gwen Gustafson of Brookfield Central by .01 in a time of 23.27.
Cassie Stegner of Menomonee Falls/Hamilton cut significant time off her qualifying times to win both the 100 and 200 freestyles. She won from the second heat of the 100 freestyle with a time of 51.03 after placing ninth a year ago, and she won the 200 freestyle by .01 with a time of 1:49.77 after a fourth-place finish last season.
Katrina Marty of Madison West claimed the title in the 100 backstroke for the second straight season. She swam to gold this season in a time of 53.88.
Av Osero of Neenah repeated as champion in the diving competition. She successfully defended her title with a score of 511.50. McKenzie Sanchez of Racine Case placed runner-up for the second straight season, scoring 494.45.
Sophie Henshue of Verona/Mount Horeb came into the State Meet as the top seed in the 500 freestyle, and she made that distinction stand up by winning the event in the time of 4:58.29.
Edgewood won the 2017 State Division 2 girls swimming & diving championship, winning four individual events and two relays Friday at the UW Natatorium in Madison, Wis.
The Crusaders own their third straight team championship by amassing 346 points. New Berlin Eisenhower finished a distant second with 202 points, and McFarland was third with 194.5 points.
Kelly Rodriquez swam to four State titles. She established a new State Meet record in winning her third straight 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:48.39, and she covered the distance in the 500 freestyle to win the event with a time of 4:53.64. Rodriguez also set a record with teammates Maeve O’Driscoll, Kaitlyn Barth and DeeDee Walker in winning the 200 freestyle relay with a time of 1:35.26. It’s the third year in a row the Crusaders have won the gold in the relay. She also claimed the title in the 400 freestyle relay with the Walker, Izzy Peterson and Jenna Silvestri.
Silvestri won four titles for the Crusaders as well. In addition to the 400 freestyle, she was a member of the record-setting 200 medley relay with Barth, Izzy Petersen and O’Driscoll with a time of 1:44.59.
She also was the champion in the 100 breaststroke for the second straight year with a time of 1:04.13, and she captured the crown in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:04.03 after finishing runner-up in the event last season.
Alexandra Moderski of McFarland won her third straight 50 freestyle with a time of 22.91 and her second 100 freestyle title in the last three seasons with a time of 50.69. She finished runner-up last season after capturing gold in 2015.
Bella Passamani of New Berlin Eisenhower won her second consecutive championship in the 100 butterfly. She completed the race in a time of 55.77.
Mekenzie Hammer of Monroe/New Glarus won her second 100 backstroke title in a row, recording a time of 58.22.
Nikki Benedict of Monona Grove won the diving competition with a score of 481.20 Her title comes after finishing runner-up last year, third in 2015 and seventh in 2014. Dailey Albino of New Berlin was second with a score of 436.40, which gives her four top six finishes at State in her career.
Complete Division 2 Results
The State Girls Swimming & Diving Championships continue Saturday with the Division 1 events. The diving competition begins at 10 a.m. with the swimming events to follow at 3 p.m.