Valley Swim Team, Appleton North/East snag nine state meet berths at WIAA Division 1 Neenah boys swimming & diving sectional
AppletonSportsPage.com
NEENAH – The Valley Swim Team, a co-op of swimmers and divers from Appleton West, Kimberly, Kaukauna and Hortonville high schools, earned state meet berths in seven different events, and Appleton North/East grabbed one spot after competition at a WIAA Division 1 sectional at Neenah Middle School on Friday and Saturday.
The 2025 WIAA State Boys Swimming & Diving Championships will be held at Waukesha South High School, with Division 2 competition on Friday, Feb. 21, and Division 1 events on Saturday, Feb. 22.
Winners of each event and the next 18 finishers statewide at the five diving and six swimming sectionals qualify for the state meet.
In the diving competition Friday, Valley Swim Team’s Tyler Jossie placed second with a final score of 384.10 and Appleton North/East’s Owen Schiltz took fourth with 368.85 points to advance to the state finals.
The 11 swimming events took place Saturday and Valley Swim Team will be represented at state in six of them.
VST’s Ethan Pasholk earned a sectional title with a victory in the 100-yard backstroke, winning in 53.10 seconds, and Tyler VanGompel was the winner in the 200 individual medley, finishing in a new team record time of 1:54.38 to earn automatic berths at the state meet.
Pasholk finished third in the 200 IM in 1:59.38, VanGompel was second in the 100 butterfly in 51.04 seconds to earn extra qualifying state berths. The pair also teamed on two different relay teams that are moving on as well.
Pasholk, VanGompel, Hayden Hollenbeck and Max Baade placed second in the 200 medley relay in 1:37.79, and VanGompel, Ethan Bruce, Pasholk and Hollenbeck took third in the 400 freestyle relay in 3:16.09 to qualify for state. The 200 medley team broke the program record by two seconds and the 400 team shattered the former record by 3 1/2 seconds.
Hollenbeck also added an individual berth for VST, taking second in the 100 breaststroke in a program record 58.36 seconds.
Appleton North/East’s top individual swimmer was Cash Braun, who placed sixth in the 50 freestyle in 22.84 seconds and seventh in the 100 butterfly in 56.42.
WIAA Division 1 Boys Swimming & Diving Sectional
Diving Feb. 14, Swimming Feb. 15, at Neenah
Winners, and Appleton North/East and Valley Swim Team (Appleton West/Kimberly/Kaukauna/Hortonville Co-op) finishers
Team scores: 1. Bay Port 381; 2. Neenah 305.5; 3. Valley Swim Team 257.5; 4. Sheboygan North/Kohler 213.5; 5. Green Bay Southwest Co-op 199.5; 6. Appleton North/East 159; 7. Sheboygan South/Sheboygan Falls 158; 8. Oshkosh West 133; 9. Fond du Lac 126.5; 10. Oshkosh North/Lourdes 110.5; 11. Manitowoc 108; 12. Shawano/Seymour 43.
Diving: 1. River Reeves (ONL) 515.80; 2. Tyler Jossie (VST) 384.10; 4. Owen Schmitz (ANE) 368.85.
200 medley relay: 1. Neenah (Drew Gaerthofner, Tanner Trustem, Julian Kuehn, Burke Wendell) 1:34.88; 2. Valley Swim Team (Ethan Pasholk, Hayden Hollenbeck, Tyler VanGompel, Max Baade) 1:37.78; 7. Appleton North/East (Arthur Skorr, Cal Woreck, Cash Braun, Ryan Campana) 1:44.21.
200 freestyle: 1. Aadin Terrazas (SNK) 1:41.97; 9. Skorr (ANE) 1:50.70; 12. Mats Ridlehoover (ANE) 2:04.92; 15. Hugo Campins (VST) 2:10.91. 16. Cameron Gabbey (ANE) 2:14.01.
200 individual medley: 1. VanGompel (VST) 1:54.38; 3. Pasholk (VST) 1:59.38; 9. Woreck (ANE) 2:11.91; 13. Emerson Middendorp (VST) 2:17.88; 16. Sebastian Brown (ANE) 2:22.70.
50 freestyle: 1. Gaerthofner (NE) 20.86; 6. Braun (ANE) 22.84; 9. Ethan Bruce (VST) 23.59; 15. Baade (VST) 23.88; 26. Campana (ANE) 25.95; 29. Esteban Medina (ANE) 26.74.
100 butterfly: 1. Sebastian Aguilar (FDL) 50.42; 2. VanGompel (VST) 51.04; 5. Bruce (VST) 55.70; 7. Braun (ANE) 56.42; 12. Baade (VST) 1:02.75.
100 freestyle: 1. Carter Tebon (BP) 47.15; 3. Hollenbeck (VST) 49.69; 13. Campana (ANE) 57.34; 20. Medina (ANE) 59.09; 21. Campins (VST) 59.29.
500 freestyle: 1. Terrazas (SNK) 4:39.65; 13. Ridlehoover (ANE) 5:37.80; 18. Gabbey (ANE) 6:18.95.
200 freestyle relay: 1. Neenah (Kuehn, Trustem, Wendell, Gaerthofner) 1:26.76; 7. Appleton North/East (Braun, Woreck, Campana, Skorr) 1:37.91; 8. Valley Swim Team (Baade, Middendorp, Eli Rayer, Bruce) 1:38.47.
100 backstroke: 1. Pasholk (VST) 53.10; 8. Middendorp (VST) 58.36; 9. Skorr (ANE) 58.99; 13. Brown (ANE) 1:03.67.
100 breaststroke: 1. Gaerthofner (NE) 55.95; 2. Hollenbeck (VST) 58.86; 8. Woreck (ANE) 1:03.53; 18. Brady Koplitz (ANE) 1:15.06.
400 freestyle relay: 1. Bay Port (Luke Azzolina, Griffin Schilz, Andy Barden, Tebon) 3:14.94; 3. Valley Swim Team (VanGompel, Bruce, Pasholk, Hollnebeck) 3:16.09; 10. Appleton North/East (Brown, Ridlehoover, Medina, Gabbey) 3:52.69.