By Laura Humphrey
Sports Correspondent
Nothing beats an exciting finish to the season like a trip to a WIAA state tournament.
The Elkhorn girls swim team got just such a finish Friday, as the team had strong performances – including a medal – at the WIAA Division 2 state swim meet in Madison.
Junior Kady Ruemmele headlined the finishes, taking fifth in the 100 backstroke with a time of 59.52.
“We had a fun state meet,” said coach Jamie Richardson. “The girls really swam well and posted some great times.
“Kady had a great race and it was so exciting to see her up on the podium receiving a medal.”
Ruemmele also competed in the 200 individual medley where she finished 12th overall with a time of 2:15.61.
“Kady has really been a hard worker all season long and leads by her great example,” said Richardson. “She puts in time during the offseason and it shows as she did extremely well at state.”
Also competing individually was junior Anne Blackbourn, who finished ninth in the 100 freestyle in 54.86 second – a .36 drop in time.
“It was awesome to see Anne go 54 seconds off the blocks,” said Richardson. “That is a huge accomplishment. She puts in a lot of time during the off season as well and it showed as she had a great showing at state. She is a hard worker who is really driven to do her best all of the time.”
Ruemmele and Blackbourn were also part of the 400 freestyle relay team, along with senior Emma Glogovsky and sophomore Bethany Buikema who finished 14th with a time of 3:47.07.
“Emma led off with a great split off the blocks,” said Richardson. “I will miss Emma’s sprinting abilities as well as her versatility next year. She can step in and swim wherever I need her to which is an excellent quality to have.
“Bethany dropped .23 seconds off her leg,” the coach added. “She has been a hard worker all season long and very coachable. Kady looked really strong on her leg. Anne dropped .07 seconds on her anchor split. She really finished her race strong and came through like an anchor needs to.”
Also competing at state was the 200 medley relay team of juniors Lilly Remington and Emily Ames, senior Savanna Kreiser and Ruemmele. The team finished 14th overall with a time of 1:56.57.
“Lilly led off with a great start and good distance off her wall,” said Richardson. “Savanna had good turnover during her entire race. She is such a hard worker and good leader in the pool and she will be missed next year.
“Kady really stepped up this year to swim the fly leg for us and she did a nice job swimming consistent splits for this relay the entire season,” Richardson added. “Emily anchored with a .23 second time drop. She had really quick turnover her entire race and did a great job on her 50 leg.”
