By Chris Bennett
Correspondent
Paige Murphy of the Elkhorn Area High School girls swimming team capped a splendid season on the sport’s biggest stage.
Murphy finished eighth in the 100-yard backstroke Nov. 13 in the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 2 Girls State Swimming and Diving Meet at the University of Wisconsin Natatorium in Madison. Murphy finished in 59.96 seconds.
“She finished really strong,” Elks coach Jamie Richardson said. “She’s a young freshman and I think that this was a good experience for her. I look for her to, in the future, be even better.
“She’s a competitor.”
Murphy is the only member of the Elks’ squad to advance to state this season. Murphy qualified for state Nov. 7 at a WIAA Division 2 sectional meet at Cudahy High School. Murphy finished third in the backstroke in 59.56 seconds.
Greendale’s Carolyn Jungers won the event (59.09) and New Berlin Eisenhower’s Maddie Guman finished second (59.46).
The winner of each event at each of the four Division 2 sectional meets and the next fastest 12 times statewide advanced from the sectional to the state meet.
Murphy competed in the second of two heats at state. Murphy competed in the heat with the eight-fastest swimmers, and her time ranked seventh-fastest among those eight. A total of sixteen competed in the backstroke at state.
Lauren Bergmann of Edgewood Sacred Heart in Madison entered the race as the top seed, with a qualifying time of 57.76 seconds. Bergmann finished second in the event at last year’s state meet.
Grafton’s Autumn Haebig won the 100 backstroke at state this season and set a record in the process. Haebig won the state title in 54.95 seconds and bested the previous state record by almost a half-second.
Bergmann finished second again this season (56.90) and Jungers finished third (57.45). Richardson said Murphy swam a solid race in her heat.
“Her stroke rate was really good, and I think she had a good race,” Richardson said. “As far her finish, that was phenomenal.”
In team standings, Edgewood won the Division 2 state meet and Arrowhead won the Division 1 state meet.
