Schraufnagel takes 16th at state meet
A trip to the state championships in Waukesha capped off a successful season for the Colby-Abby swim team. After taking third in conference, freshman Madisyn Schraufnagel swam her fastest race of the year in the 100-yard backstroke at sectionals. The PR performance was enough for Schraufnagel to claim the victory, bumping her up two spots to the top of the podium. The victory earned her a place at the state meet as the co-op’s sole representative.
Schraufnagel went on to finish 16th in a highly competitive event, finishing with her second-best time of the year with a time of 1:04.15. That time would have still been good enough to tie for first at the sectional meet, a testament to the talent present across the state.
There was only one familiar face among Schraufnagel’s competitors in Waukesha. Only second-place finisher Aiden Denzer from Medford had advanced on to the final from their sectional. Schraufnagel was also one of the youngest athletes in her event, with Whitefish Bay’s Anne Dickison the only other freshman to qualify. Schraufnagel swam in the 100yard backstroke’s first heat, taking up residence on the far lane one, which can be a little more difficult to judge pace given the lack of visibility that inner lanes enjoy. Still, Schraufnagel put together a solid time over the first 50 yards, beating her split from the sectional meet by three-tenths of a second. While she couldn’t quite match her faster pace over the second 50 yards, the freshman still finished just four-tenths of a second slower than her previous personal best.
Senior Anna Balfanz of Baraboo narrowly defeated Sauk Prairie’s Savannah Acker for the state title in the event, with Balfanz finishing with a time of 56.23 and Acker coming in just six-hundredths of a second later with a final time of 56.29.
Schraufnagel was the first Colby- Abby swimmer to advance past the sectional meet since 2010. This achievement, while impressive in its own right, also harbors excitement for the future as well.
“State was a great experience for Madisyn,” head coach Monica Tesmer stated following the meet. “To advance as a freshman is impressive, and allows her to set goals for the future.”
This also extends to the rest of the team, which saw a lot of growth as the season progressed.
“We had a great swim and dive season,” Tesmer reflected. “ Working with such a young team and small numbers, the girls really stepped up to reach individual and team goals. It will be fun to watch them continue to work hard, and see the results.”
“This [trip to state] will help the team set goals both individually and as a team to work hard to achieve success,” she added. “I am very excited to see the girls’ hard work pay off in the coming years.”
The co-op ended their year in the middle of the Great Northern conference with a 3-4 dual record and a fifth place finish at the conference meet to end fifth overall in the standings.
