Coverage of Appleton East, Appleton North, Appleton West, Fox Valley Lutheran and Xavier high school sports.

The Valley Swim Team, a co-op of boys swimmers from Appleton West, Kimberly, Kaukauna and Hortonville high schools, placed third at the Oshkosh West Wildcat Invitational on Friday and Saturday. (Submitted photo)
Appleton West

Valley Swim Team wins three events, places third at Oshkosh West Wildcat Invitational

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AppletonSportsPage.com

OSHKOSH – The Valley Swim Team, a co-op of Appleton West, Kimberly, Kaukauna and Hortonville boys swimmers and divers, opened its 2024-25 season with a third-place finish at the Oshkosh West Wildcat Invitational on Friday and Saturday.

Tyler Jossie got things started for the Valley Boyz, taking second in the diving competition with a career-best score of 362.95 on Friday.

In the swimming competition, the 200-yard medley relay team of Ethan Pasholk, Hayden Hollenbeck, Tyler VanGompel and Max Baade started off the meet with a victory in 1:41.77, and ended the meet with a second-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay in 3:23.94.

VanGompel followed that up with individual wins in the 200 individual medley in 2:00.88 and the 100 butterfly in 53.55 seconds. The time in the 100 butterfly is a new co-op program record.

Pasholk also had a pair of runner-up finishes, taking second in the 200 IM behind VanGompel in 2:02.49, and in the 500 freestyle in 5:02.18.

Hollenbeck added a third-place finish in the 100 freestyle in 51.37 seconds for VST, which placed third with 261 points behind Bay Port (592) and Neenah (401).

“We really had a great all-around day, with lifetime best times from guys like Ethan Shalkhauser and first-ever high school races from Hugo, Salvador, Eli and Emerson,” Valley Swim Team coach Joe Heiser said. “Our top end guys are going to be fun to watch this year, but it was really great to see our whole team get the chance to compete together for the first time.”

VST will compete at Fond du Lac for its Fox Valley Association dual opener on Tuesday before hosting the Terror Relays on Saturday, Dec. 14, at Appleton West High School.

Oshkosh West Wildcat Boys Swimming Invitational
Winners and Valley Swim Team results
Team scores: 1. Bay Port 592; 2. Neenah 401; 3. Valley Swim Team (Appleton West/Kimberly/Kaukauna/Hortonville) 261; 4. Brillion/Valders/Chilton 252; 5. Pulaski 235; 6. Sheboygan South 190; 7. Oshkosh West 186; 8. Oshkosh North/Lourdes 113; 9. Two Rivers/Roncalli 18.
Diving (held Dec. 6): 1. River Reeves (ONL) 482.00; 2. Tyler Jossie (VST) 362.95.
200 medley relay: 1. Valley Swim Team (Ethan Pasholk, Hayden Hollenbeck, Tyler VanGompel, Max Baade) 1:41.77.
200 freestyle: 1. Carter Tebon (BP) 1:45.97; 12. Emerson Middendorp (VST) 2:06.30.
200 individual medley: 1. VanGompel (VST) 2:00.88; 2. Pasholk (VST) 2:02.49.
50 freestyle: 1. Carter Crowe (OW) 23.45; 22. Nathaniel McCollum (VST) 28.20; 28. Salvador Ramirez (VST) 29.44; 32. Eli Rayer (VST) 30.30; 33. Hugo Campins (VST) 30.73.
100 butterfly: 1. VanGompel (VST) 53.55.
100 freestyle: 1. Drew Gaerthofner (NE) 47.38; 3. Hollenbeck (VST) 51.37; 7. Baade (VST) 54.53; 14. Ethan Shalkhauser (VST) 59.76; 34. Campins (VST) 1:11.75.
500 freestyle: 1. Andy Barden (BP) 5:01.41; 2. Pasholk (VST) 5:02.18.
200 freestyle relay: 1. Neenah (Julian Kuehn, Burke Wendell, Joshua Youngwerth, Gaerthofner) 1:32.20; 8. Valley Swim Team (Baade, Middendorp, Shalkhauser, Ramirez) 1:45.38.
100 backstroke: 1. Tyler Tuttle (BP) 57.83; 5. Middendorp (VST) 1:02.59; 9. Shalkhauser (VST) 1:08.55.
100 breaststroke: 1. Gaerthofner (NE) 58.17; 4. Hollenbeck (VST) 1:02.45; 18. McCollum (VST) 1:25.96.
400 freestyle relay: 1. Bay Port (Tebon, Caleb Bartolazzi, Owen Weyenberg, Griffin Schilz) 3:23.46; 2. Valley Swim Team (VanGompel, Baade, Pasholk, Hollenbeck) 3:23.94.