The 2024-25 Valley Swim Team, which is a co-op team of boys swimmers from Appleton West, Kimberly, Kaukauna and Hortonville high schools. (Submitted photo)

Valley Swim Team wins three events, places second at FVA Boys Swimming & Diving Championships

February 8, 2025 plecker

AppletonSportsPage.com

APPLETON – Tyler VanGompel and Ethan Pasholk each won an individual event and were part of a winning relay as the Valley Swim Team placed second at the 2025 Fox Valley Association Boys Swimming & Diving Championships.

The diving competition was held at Appleton West High School on Friday with Valley Swim Team’s Tyler Jossie placing second with 364.55 points and Owen Schmitz of Appleton North/East taking third with 359.65 points.

In the swimming competition Saturday at Appleton North, VanGompel set a pair of program records for Valley Swim Team, a co-op of swimmers from Appleton West, Kimberly, Kaukauna and Hortonville high schools, as he placed second in the 100-yard butterfly in 52.46 seconds, and set a new mark in the 50 freestyle in the first leg of the 200 freestyle relay. That team placed fourth.

VanGompel won the 200 individual medley in 2:01.54, Pasholk won the 100 backstroke in 55.70 seconds, and VanGompel, Ethan Bruce, Pasholk and Hayden Hollenbeck won the 400 freestyle relay in 3:21.06 as Valley Swim Team finished with 402 points, finishing only behind FVA champion Neenah, which had 560 points. Appleton North/East was fourth with 370 points.

VST also had runner-up finishes from the 200 medley relay team of Pasholk, Hollenbeck, Bruce and Max Baade (1:42.78), and Hollenbeck in the 100 freestyle (50.92) and the 100 breaststroke (1:01.43).

Appleton North/East had two other third-place finishes from Cash Braun in the 50 freestyle (23.61) and Arthur Skorr in the 100 backstroke (1:00.95).

Two FVA records were broken as Neenah’s Drew Gaerthofner won the 100 breaststoke in 57.78 seconds and Fond du Lac’s Sebastian Aguilar won the 100 butterfly in 51.28.

Both Valley Swim Team and Appleton North/East will compete at a WIAA sectional at Neenah next weekend. Diving is set for Friday, Feb. 14, with swimming events on Saturday, Feb. 15.

2025 Fox Valley Association Boys Swimming & Diving Championships
Diving at Appleton West, Feb. 7; Swimming at Appleton North, Feb. 8
Team scores: 1. Neenah 560; 2. Valley Swim Team (Appleton West/Kimberly/Kaukauna/Hortonville) 402; 3. Oshkosh West 387; 4. Appleton North/East 370; 5. Fond du Lac 280; 6. Oshkosh North/Lourdes 220.
Final overall standings (includes dual meet season): 1. Neenah 575; 2. Valley Swim Team 414; 3. Oshkosh West 396; 4. Appleton North/East 376; 5. Fond du Lac 283; 6. Oshkosh North/Lourdes 220.
Event winners, and Valley Swim Team and Appleton North/East finishers
Diving: 1. River Reeves (ONL) 535.40; 2. Tyler Jossie (VST) 364.55; 3. Owen Schmitz (ANE) 359.65.
200 medley relay: 1. Neenah (Drew Gaerthofner, Taner Trustem, Julian Kuehn, Burke Wendell) 1:38.69; 2. Valley Swim Team (Ethan Pasholk, Hayden Hollenbeck, Ethan Bruce, Max Baade) 1:42.78; 4. Appleton North/East (Arthur Skorr, Cal Worek, Cash Braun, Ryan Campana) 1:48.83; 8. Appleton North/East (Sebastian Brown, Brady Koplitz, Mats Ridlehoover, Ben Smith) 2:02.84; 11. Valley Swim Team (Salvador Ramirez, Eli Rayer, Ethan Shalkhauser, Jossie) 2:17.54.
200 freestyle: 1. Sebastian Aguilar (FDL) 1:45.79; 3. Pasholk (VST) 1:53.83; 7. Ridlehoover (ANE) 2:07.35; 9. Emerson Middendorp (VST) 2:08.11; 13. Hugo Campins (VST) 2:15.81.
200 individual medley: 1. Tyler VanGompel (VST) 2:01.54; 4. Skorr (ANE) 2:17.53; 5. Shalkhauser (ANE) 2:24.77.
50 freestyle: 1. Kuehn (NE) 22.32; 3. Braun (ANE) 23.61; 5. Bruce (VST) 24.13; 8. Baade (VST) 24.55; 16. Esteban Medina (ANE) 26.92; 17. Randy Welch (ANE) 27.09; 20. Ramirez (VST) 28.16; 21. Akhil Maheshwari (ANE) 28.50; 23. Rayer (VST) 29.17.
100 butterfly: 1. Aguilar (FDL) 51.28; 2. VanGompel (VST) 52.46; 4. Bruce (VST) 56.32; 5. Braun (ANE) 57.91; 7. Baade (VST) 1:02.85; 8. Worek (ANE) 1:02.94; 13. Cameron Gabby (ANE) 1:10.47; 14. Welch (ANE) 1:31.08.
100 freestyle: 1. Gaerthofner (NE) 47.58; 2. Hollenbeck (VST) 50.92; 11. Campana (ANE) 58.82; 12. Campins (VST) 1:00.02; 19. Maheshwari (ANE) 1:03.50.
500 freestyle: 1. Caleb Bergin (OW) 4:59.99; 5. Shalkhauser (VST) 5:43.58; 6. Ridlehoover (ANE) 5:48.74; 8. Gabby (ANE) 6:06.12; 9. Medina (ANE) 6:13.48.
200 freestyle relay: 1. Neenah (Gaerthofner, Wendell, Joshua Youngwerth, Trustem) 1:31.17; 4. Valley Swin Team (VanGompel, Middendorp, Shalkhauser, Baade) 1:38.45; 5. Appleton North/East (Braun, Worek, Campana, Skorr) 1:39.77; 9. Appleton North/East (Medina, Gabby, Bernie Kemps, Welch) 1:54.03; 10. Valley Swim Team (Ramirez, Rayer, Campins, Jossie) 1:54.11.
100 backstroke: 1. Pasholk (VST) 55.70; 3. Skorr (ANE) 1:00.95; 4. Middendorp (VST) 1:03.53; 5. Brown (ANE) 1:05.52; 8. Campana (ANE) 1:10.39; 12. Mason Bernhardt (ANE) 1:20.37.
100 breaststroke: 1. Gaerthofner (NE) 57.78; 2. Hollenbeck (VST) 1:01.43; 6. Worek (ANE) 1:05.65; 9. Brady Koplitz (ANE) 1:17.02.
400 freestyle relay: 1. Valley Swim Team (VanGompel, Bruce, Pasholk, Hollenbeck) 3:21.06; 6. Appleton North/East (Medina, Ridlehoover, Gabby, Brown) 4:03.87; 8. Valley Swim Team (Middendorp, Rayer, Ramirez, Campins) 4:10.91; 10. Appleton North/East (Maheshwari, Kemps, Manny Wagener, Sean Clemens) 4:34.67.