The Valley Swim Team, comprised of swimmers from Appleton West, Kimberly, Kaukauna and Hortonville high schools, placed second at the Fox Valley Association Boys Swimming & Diving Meet on Friday and Saturday. (Submitted photo)

Valley Swim Team wins five events, places second at Fox Valley Association Boys Swimming & Diving Meet

February 4, 2024 plecker

AppletonSportsPage.com

NEENAH – The Valley Swim Team, comprised of a co-op with athletes from Appleton West, Kimberly, Kaukauna and Hortonville high schools, won five events, including two by Tyler VanGompel, and placed second at the 2024 Fox Valley Association Boys Swimming & Diving Meet over the weekend at Neenah High School.

Valley’s Tyler Jossie (Appleton West) had a third-place finish in the diving competition held Friday, finishing with a score of 303.65.

In the swim meet on Saturday, Van Gompel (Kimberly) won the 200-yard individual medley in 2:03.51 and the 100 backstroke in 56.62 seconds to lead the way for Valley, which placed second in the team standings behind FVA champion Neenah.

“This was a huge step for the program as we finished in last place last year and have made our way up to second overall,” Valley Swim Team coach Joe Heiser said. “With only 21 individual entries – teams are allowed 27, but we didn’t have enough boys to fill out the lineup – the boys put together some great races resulting in multiple individual conference champions, and a relay conference champion.”

Van Gompel also teamed with Ethan Bruce (Hortonville), Ethan Pasholk (West) and Hayden Hollenbeck (Kimberly) to win the 400 freestyle relay in 3:26.16.

Hollenbeck added a victory in the 100 freestyle (51.44 seconds) and Cole Mursau (Kaukauna) was first in the 100 butterfly in 51.44 for Valley.

Pasholk took second in both the 200 freestyle (1:54.77) and the 500 freestyle (5:06.65), and the Valley swim team’s 200 medley relay team of VanGompel, Hollenbeck, Mursau and Max Baade took second in 1:42.43.

Appleton North/East placed fourth in the team standings and had six fourth-place finishes – the 200 medley relay team of Mark Weed, Cal Woreck, Cash Braun and Abram Hansen (1:48.33); the 200 freestyle relay team of Hansen, Braun, Weed and Jason Hindman (1:37.67); Woreck in the 200 IM (2:15.97) and 100 breaststroke (1:05.38); Braun in the 50 freestyle (24.14) and Weed in the 100 backstroke (1:05.86).

Both Appleton West/Kimberly and Appleton North/East will compete at a WIAA Division 1 sectional on Saturday, Feb. 10, at Neenah. Diving will be held Friday.

2024 Fox Valley Association Boys Swimming & Diving Meet
Feb. 2-3, at Neenah High School
Team scores: 1. Neenah 556.5; 2. Valley Swim Team (Appleton West/Kimberly/Kaukauna/Hortonville) 379; 3. Oshkosh West 346.5; 4. Appleton North/East 331; 5. Fond du Lac 289; 6. Oshkosh North/Lourdes 233.
Event winners, and Valley and Appleton North/East finishers
Diving: 1. River Reeves (ONL) 452.25; 3. Tyler Jossie (V) 303.65.
200 medley relay: 1. Neenah (Drew Gaerthofner, Tanner Trustem, Braden Louden, Julian Kuehn) 1:38.53; 2. Valley (Tyler VanGompel, Hayden Hollenbeck, Cole Mursau, Max Baade) 1:42.43; 4. Appleton North/East (Mark Weed, Cal Woreck, Cash Braun, Abram Hansen) 1:48.33; 7. Appleton North/East (Ryan Campana, Jason Hindman, Sebastian Brown, Caleb Hardy) 1:58.41; 10. Valley (Ian Bruce, Camden Erickson, Ethan Shalkhauser, Nathaniel McCollum) 2:06.76.
200 freestyle: 1. Caleb Bergin (OW) 1:50.76; 2. Ethan Pasholk (V) 1:54.77; 5. Ethan Bruce (V) 1:59.30; 10. Mats Ridlehoover (ANE) 2:12.56; 13. Hardy (ANE) 2:13.97; 14. Campana (ANE) 2:15.29; 15. Brown (ANE) 2:18.81; 18. Riley Matz (V) 2:22.94.
200 individual medley: 1. VanGompel (V) 2:03.51; 4. Cal Woreck (ANE) 2:15.97; 8. Weed (ANE) 2:22.07; 10. Baade (V) 2:28.21; 12. Akhil Maheshwari (ANE) 2:46.63.
50 freestyle: 1. Gaerthofner (NE) 21.89; 4. Braun (ANE) 24.14; 6. Mursau (V) 24.52; 11. Hindman (ANE) 25.88; 15. Ancel Kelbert (ANE) 26.80; 18. Erickson (V) 28.04; 20. McCollum (V) 28.65; 22. Lukas Nahm (ANE) 29.12.
100 butterfly: 1. Mursau (V) 55.36; 3. Bruce (V) 58.23; 6. Braun (ANE) 1:02.26; 9. Baade (V) 1:07.04; 11. Cameron Gabbey (ANE) 1:19.73; 12. Maheshwari (ANE) 1:20.61.
100 freestyle: 1. Hollenbeck (V) 51.44; 6. Hansen (ANE) 53.80; 11. Bruce (V) 55.63; 14. Campana (ANE) 59.32; 18. Kelbert (ANE) 1:01.39; 20. Esteban Medina (ANE) 1:03.39.
500 freestyle: 1. Bergin (OW) 5:04.47; 2. Pasholk (V) 5:06.65; 5. Ridlehoover (ANE) 5:49.36; 7. Hardy (ANE) 6:05.00; 9. Ethan Shalkhauser (V) 6:09.86; 10. Brown (ANE) 6:13.32; 14. Matz (V) 6:37.59.
200 freestyle relay: 1. Neenah (Gaerthofner, Trustem, Joshua Youngwerth, Kuehn) 1:30.61; 3. Valley (Mursau, Baade, E. Bruce, Pasholk) 1:36.82; 4. Appleton North/East (Hansen, Braun, Weed, Hindman) 1:37.67; 10. Valley (I. Bruce, Erickson, McCollum, Matz) 1:49.14; 11. Appleton North/East (Fintan McGovern, Kelbert, Ridlehoover, Hardy) 1:52.76.
100 backstroke: 1. VanGompel (V) 56.62; 4. Weed (ANE) 1:05.86; 6. I. Bruce (V) 1:06.51; 9. Shalkhauser (V) 1:08.29; 16. Nahn (ANE) 1:19.87; 17. McGovern (ANE) 1:21.70.
100 breaststroke: 1. Gaerthofner (NE) 57.88; 3. Hollenbeck (V) 1:02.22; 4. Woreck (ANE) 1:05.38; 6. Hansen (ANE) 1:05.93; 11. Hindman (ANE) 1:12.83.
400 freestyle relay: 1. Valley (VanGompel, E. Bruce, Pasholk, Hollenbeck) 3:26.16; 7. Appleton North/East (Campana, Ridlehoover, Gabbey, Woreck) 4:01.53; 9. Appleton North/East (Medina, Nahm, McGovern, Kelbert) 4:16.64.