MEDFORD GIRLS SWIMMING - Swimmers glide to an easy win at Colby, host Hatchets today

Sophie Sperl was part of four wins, including two individually, and the Medford Raiders won nine of 11 events overall in a 113-57 Great Northern Conference girls swim win at Colby-Abbotsford Thursday.

The Raiders won all three relays and had two of the top three scorers in every varsity event to easily outscore the home team and improve to 4-2 in GNC dual meets. Medford is 6-2 overall in duals this fall.

Sperl, a sophomore, won the 200-yard individual medley in a solid time of 2:27.81, which was her high-school best by 5.19 seconds. She beat Colby-Abbotsford’s Brezlyn Boyer by 7.91 seconds. Raider senior Adalyn Dittrich was third in 2:46.94, improving by 3.52 seconds over her one previous entry in the event this year, and freshman Saige Fettes was fourth at 2:55.96 while swimming the IM for the first time this year.

Late in the meet, Sperl lowered her time to a season-best 1:14.08 in the 100yard breaststroke and won by 5.25 seconds over Boyer. Medford’s Olivia Emmerich was third in a season-best 1:22.17 and Eva Strebig was fourth in 1:25.83.

Dittrich was the winner in the 500-yard freestyle with a season-best time of 6:10.99, well ahead of Colby-Abbotsford’s Ella Baumann (6:26.27). Raider Jayda Fryklund swam the 500 for the first time this season and took third in 6:27.32 and Fettes was fourth at 7:04.17.

Mylah Hamland, Sperl, Layla Petersen and Kodi Rappe teamed up to produce Medford’s best 200-yard medley relay time so far in 2025 at 2:01.85. They won the race by 4.02 seconds. Medford’s team of Fryklund, Strebig, Emily Leao and Dittrich was third in 2:19.06, while Chloe Pipkorn, Autumn Venzke, Fettes and Savannah Hebert took fourth in 2:30.97.

Sperl, Tori Nicks, Hamland and Rappe set the fastest Medford time of the year in the 200-yard freestyle relay as well at 1:51.83, which won by 2.25 seconds. Leao, Aliyah Galan, Strebig and Emmerich got the third-place points in 2:05.73 and the team of Mata Decker, Pipkorn, Venzke and Hebert was fifth in 2:11.94.

Fryklund, Petersen, Emmerich and Nicks comfortably won the 400-yard freestyle relay in 4:20.39, 18.76 seconds ahead of Colby-Abbotsford’s team. Hebert, Fettes, Galan and Dittrich placed third in 4:45.87, while Venzke, Elizabeth Bartnik, Decker and Pipkorn were fourth in 5:27.91.

Rappe won the 50-yard freestyle in a season-best 27.33 seconds, while Petersen was right behind her in a season-best 28.1 seconds. Emmerich was fourth in 29.19 seconds. Rappe then swam the 100-yard butterfly for the first time this season and took second in that at 1:14.94. Colby-Abbotsford’s Jordan Jakel won in 1:10.66. Nicks (1:15.78) and Strebig (1:30.02) were third and fourth.

Nicks won a tight race between teammates in the 200-yard freestyle, finishing first in 2:18.91, 0.03 seconds ahead of Hamland. Galan got the fifthplace point at 2:37.04. Hamland lowered her time to 1:07.6 in the 100-yard backstroke and won another close race. She was 0.09 seconds ahead of Colby-Abbotsford’s Madisyn Schraufnagel. Leao took third in 1:17.71 and Fryklund was fourth at 1:19.85.

Petersen was second in the 100-yard freestyle at 1:03.38 and Hebert was third at 1:12.64. Schraufnagel won it in 1:00.75.

Decker won the JV 50-yard freestyle in 35.48, three seconds ahead of Bartnik. Galan won the JV 100-yard freestyle in 1:13.57, followed by Venzke (1:16.28) and Bartnik (1:31.32). Pipkorn won the JV 100-yard backstroke at 1:24.36.

Medford closes out GNC dual-meet competition with two home meets. The first is today, Thursday, against Tomahawk. On Oct. 9, the Ladysmith Coop will visit the MASH pool. Those meets will start at 5:30 p.m.