Bunton to swim at State one last time for Tridents
The Lake Holcombe-Ladysmith-Flambeau-Bruce-Bloomer Trident Swimmers traveled to Merrill, Nov. 5, to compete at the WIAA Division II Sectional meet. After many personal best swims and multiple trips to the podium, the Tridents finished the day in sixth place out of the 13 teams in attendance and will send senior Madeline Bunton to the WIAA State championship meet.
The relay team of Bunton, senior Michelle Gaddy, junior Madilyn Kempen and sophomore Hannah Minton, were back together for the 200-yard medley relay. All four of the girls swam personal bests, trimming over 3 seconds off their previous time and earning the first trip to the podium, with a fifth place finish.
Next, Bunton and sophomore Sarah Allard competed in the 200-yard freestyle, with Bunton taking fifth in this event, while Allard dropped 10 seconds, to swim a personal best time of 2:15.23. Later in the meet, Allard would drop 2 seconds in the 100-yard butterfly and a personal best in the 4x50-yard relay, with a time of 27.56.
“Sarah has worked very hard throughout this season, so it was awesome to see her have such a great meet,” said coach Matt Bunton.
In the 200-yard individual medley, sophomore Alyxandria Lunemann and Gaddy each swam personal bests, each shedding 5 seconds, to take eighth and 10th place, respectively. The 50-yard freestyle saw Minton, senior Heath and sophomore Lauren Hanson, all swim personal bests in this event, with times of 27.18, 28.04 and 30.12.
Next in the 100 butterfly, Kempen hit the wall in 11th place, while Allard claimed 14th, in a very competitive field. Then, in the 100-yard freestyle, Heath and freshman Abbi Fye each swam personal bests, with Fye dropping 3 seconds.
Hanson, improved her 100 freestyle time, as well, dropping over a second from her conference time just two weeks prior.
“Hannah and Lauren both swam really well today, with PR’s and scoring important points for their team, topping off great individual seasons,” said Bunton.
The 500-yard freestyle featured Minton and Madeline, where Minton dropped 2 seconds to score a new personal best. In the final heat, Madeline hit the water and quickly took the lead. She maintained this lead throughout the race, finishing in first place as the Sectional champ in this event for the third year.
“Maddy has been battling a significant case of bronchitis the last few weeks, and after the 200, we weren’t sure how the 500 was going to go,” said Matt. “But she got out to an early lead and toughed it out for the win. We are all happy for her that she will get to end her senior season at the State meet.”
The Tridents weren’t done yet, though. In the 4x50 relay, Lunemann, Heath, Gaddy and Allard collectively dropped 4.5 seconds, to swim to eighth place, with a personal best time of 1:51.38. In the 100-yard backstroke, Lunemann dropped over 2 seconds, for a seventh place finish and Fye dropped over 7 seconds, to swim a new personal record of 1:12.37.
“Alyxandria had a great meet and really put an exclamation point on a great sophomore year,” said Matt. “And Abbi improved tremendously over this season, to become a very real contributor to our team’s success.”
In the 100-yard breaststroke, Kempen and Gaddy each hit new personal bests, posting times of 1:16.51 and 1:20.58.
“Michelle and Sadie Heath both wrapped up their senior swim season today, with great swims,” said Matt. “They have both been such strong leaders for our team – they will certainly be missed next year. But their teammate, junior Madilyn Kempen, showed some real toughness today, and I know that all of the seniors feel good about handing that leadership role over to Madi next year.”
Finally, the 4x100-yard freestyle relay team of Madeline, Minton, Lunemann and Kempen, dropped over 6 seconds, with a time of 4:00.10, to take sixth place and earn another podium finish.
“For all of the girls, except Maddy, this meet marked the end of a great season,” said Matt. “All the girls had great swims today. As a team and as individuals, the girls hit nearly all their goals, including finishing third in our conference, sixth at Sectionals and marking a stack of personal records today. All of the girls worked hard throughout the season, came together as a team, and I couldn’t be prouder of their effort and commitment.”
Madeline will now swim at the State meet Friday, Nov. 11, at Waukesha South Natatorium.
