Krakens at the Merrill Invitational, Set 43 PRs with 17 Club Records

WISCONSIN RAPIDS – The Wisconsin Rapids Swim Club (WRSC) traveled to Merrill on Jan. 11 to attend the first invitational of the new year. The swim meet was held at the Prairie Park Middle School Community Pool. The Krakens sent 35 swimmers to compete against other clubs from the Wisconsin Central Swim Conference. Overall, WRSC captured fifteen first place honors with seventeen club records and forty-three personal records.
“On this day, we competed against the two top teams in the conference in Rhinelander and Minocqua. The Krakens captured fifteen first places,” said Head Coach Dave Kontz. “The Rapids swimmers competed like champions, setting seventeen new club records and 43 personal records PR. This is what personal and club growth looks like.”
Travis McMahon started the morning with wins in the 50yd Butterfly and 200yd Freestyle, and a second in the 50yd Freestyle. Travis set new club records in the 50yd Fly and Free. Mason Ironside placed second in the 50yd Backstroke, third in the 100yd Freestyle, and fifth in the 50yd Freestyle. Mason set a new club record in the 50yd Back. Noah Grosskopf had a tenth-place finish in the 100yd Freestyle and PRs in the 50yd Free and Back. Gavin Bernette set PRs in the 50yd Free and Back. Finally, these Krakens combined to place first in the 200yd Medley Relay and third in the 200yd Freestyle Relay.
Anna Gumz placed second in the 50yd Backstroke, third in the 25yd Backstroke, sixth in the 50yd Freestyle and seventh in the 25yd Freestyle. All events for Anna are PRs and new club records. Aubrey Knoll placed fourth in the 50yd Backstroke and set PRs in the 25yd and 50yd Free and the 25yd Back.
Cole Graumann finished in seventh place in the 50yd Backstroke, eighth in the 25yd Freestyle and had PRs in the 50yd Free and 25yd Back. Brody Slabosheski swam in his very first meet as a Kraken. Brody placed eighth in the 25yd Backstroke and tenth in the 25yd Freestyle. Cody Graumann placed eighth in the 50yd Backstroke and PRs in the 25yd Free and Back.

Annabelle Grumann placed second in the 100yd Backstroke. Janessa Rucinski swam to a pair of third places in the 50yd Butterfly and 100yd Individual Medley PR. Emma Kay swam to an eighth place in the 50yd Breaststroke, and PRs in the 50yd Free and Back. Kensington Lercher, in her first meet as a Kraken, finished ninth in the 50yd Breaststroke and nineteenth in the 50yd Freestyle. Finally, to end the morning session, the girls combined to swim to a seventh place in the 200yd Freestyle Relay.
The afternoon started with a big bang as the Senior Krakens had a “one-two” finish in the 50yd Freestyle by Tretton Delaney and AJ Plummer, respectively. In the next event, Tretton and Joey Doeberiner went “one-two” in the 100yd freestyle. Finally, for the third time of the afternoon, another “one-two” finish by Joey and Gavin Knoll in the 50yd Backstroke. Tretton went on to win the 50yd Butterfly, and set a new club record in the 50yd Free. AJ won the 100yd Butterfly and Individual Medley. Joey placed fourth in the 50yd Freestyle. Gavin finished second in the 100yd Backstroke and fifth in the 50yd Freestyle. The four boys combined to win both the 200yd Medley and Freestyle Relays. Maddie Graumann was the only member of the Senior women’s team to compete. Maddie finished with a fourth in the 200yd freestyle and eighth in the 50yd Freestyle.
Mya Marqard finished in fifth and had a PR in the 50yd Freestyle. She also had a seventh in the 100yd Breaststroke and ninth in the 100yd Backstroke. Mackenzie Miloch finished fifth and set a new club record in the 50yd Backstroke, sixth in the 50yd Freestyle, and eleventh, with PR and a new club record in the 100yd Individual Medley. Reeyce Mathews finished tenth in the 50yd Backstroke and a PR in the 50yd Freestyle. McKenna Anderson set PR in the 50yd Freestyle and 100yd Individual Medley. Payton Kraklow finished sixth in the 50yd Backstroke. Nola Woller finished eighth with PR in the 50yd Butterfly, and finished in the top 20 in the 100yd Freestyle and 50yd Breaststroke. The Krakens finished fourth in the 200yd Individual Medley Relay with Payton Kraklow, Reeyce Mathews, Nola Woller, and McKenna Anderson. They had a third in the 200yd Freestyle Relay with Nola Woller, Payton Kraklow, Reeyce Mathews, and Mya Marquard. Chris Carlson was the only boy in this age group and he placed fourth in the 100yd Freestyle, fifth in the 100yd Backstroke, ninth in the 50 yd Freestyle, and swam the 50yd Freestyle for the first time.
The afternoon session ended with Addison Borek placing fourth and setting new club records in the 100yd Butterfly and in the 50yd Breaststroke. Addison also finished fifth in the 50yd Freestyle. Vivian Zacher finished fifth in the 100yd Breaststroke, eighth in the 50yd Freestyle, and seventh, with a new club record in the 100yd Individual Medley. Willow Devine had the best finish of the group with a third in the 50yd Backstroke. She also PRs in the 50yd and 100yd Freestyle. Allyson Coates got fourth place in the 50yd Backstroke, tenth in the 100yd Breaststroke, and thirteenth in the 100yd Individual Medley. The 200yd Medley Relay finished fourth and the 200yd Freestyle Relay finished second. Swimming for Rapids was Mackenzie Miloch, Vivian Zacher, Addison Borek and Willow Divine.
Jameson Bernette and Casten Delaney were the only boys in this age group. Jameson placed second in the 100yd Breaststroke, third in the 50yd Freestyle, and had a pair of fourths in the 100yd Freestyle and Individual Medley. Chasten had a pair of fourth places in the 50yd Freestyle and Breaststroke, and sixth in the 100yd Freestyle. These are all PRs for Chasten.
The Krakens will be hosting their first Home Meet at Lincoln High School on Jan. 25, starting at 9 a.m. Six teams will be coming to compete against our Kraken swimmers. There will be 50/50 raffles, raffle baskets and concessions available.
Remaining meets for the Kraken are Jan. 25 (home), Feb. 1-2 (Divisional Meet in Minocqua), and Feb. 8-9 Conference Championships in Tomahawk.