Warriors coast to Southeast Conference swim crown

Muskego - A clean sweep of Southeast Conference meets was finished off by the Muskego boys swimming team on Saturday at Kenosha Tremper.

The Warriors racked up 479½ points to easily beat second-place Racine Case's 404. Tremper was a distant third with 324½.

Dualing in conference

Muskego had also won all of its SEC dual meets this season, most by large margins, including 112-65 over Oak Creek on Jan. 24.

"We started out flat," head coach Larry Milton said of the conference meet, "but we held on. Our kids also finished undefeated in dual meets, both the varsity and junior varsity."

Joe Szczupakiewicz captured individual crowns in both the 500 freestyle with a pool-record 4 minutes, 45.56 seconds and the 200 freestyle at 1:48.45.

Jon Roberts claimed the 50 freestyle with 22.48 seconds and Tom Stigler took the 100 breaststroke at 1:03.33. Szczupakiewicz, Joe Paquette, Matt Gilson and Patrick Walsh prevailed in the 400 freestyle relay at 3:24.65.

Taking second in individual events were Walsh in the 200 individual medley (2:00.5) and the 500 freestyle (4:53.74), Paquette in the 100 butterfly (56.5), Roberts in the 100 freestyle (49.42) and Gilson in the 100 backstroke (58.65).

Relays finish strong

Relay teams finishing second were the 200 medley unit of Tyler Schrank, Stigler, Walsh and Roberts (1:43.87); and the 200 freestyle group of Paquette, Szczupakiewicz, Stigler and Roberts (1:34.02).

Coming in fourth were Gilson in the 200 freestyle (1:55.91), Allan Prichard in the 100 backstroke (59.58) and Nick Spoerk in the 100 breaststroke (1:07.1).

Paquette took fifth in the 200 IM (2:06.35), while sixths were snared by Schrank in the 100 backstroke (1:01.82) and Clayton Cesarz in the 100 breaststroke (1:11.55).

Posting seventh were Stigler in the 200 IM (2:09.81) and Prichard in the 100 butterfly (59.79), and eighths went to Schrank in the 200 IM (2:11.93) and the 400 free relay B team of William Sharp, Schrank, Cesarz and Prichard (3:44.6).

Muskego had four in the top eight of the 200 IM and three in the top eight of the 100 backstroke and 100 breaststroke.

Milton also praised divers Brian Bullard, Liam Klotzbach and Nick Tretow for earning valuable points by finishing in the top 16.

The Warriors now enter WIAA Division 1 sectional competition at 2 p.m. Feb. 11 at Waukesha South. The winner of each event, plus those with the top 18 non-winning times across the state, qualify for the state meet on Feb. 18 at Madison.

SEC meet standings

Muskego Warriors 479½

Racine Case Eagles 404

Kenosha Tremper Trojans 324½

Kenosha Bradford Red Devils 282

Franklin Sabers 234

Racine Park Panthers 227½

Oak Creek Knights 205½

Racine Horlick Rebels 143