Lady Eagles poised for successful season
By Dan Larson, Sauk Prairie Eagle
Given the improvements Abby Diehl has made at state over the last three years, it should come as no surprise that one of her goals this year is to win a state championship.
The surprise, perhaps, is that it's not her primary goal.
"I'm actually more going for records on the (school record) board this year than a better place at state," said Diehl, a senior on the Sauk Prairie girls' swimming team which begins its season Aug. 23 at the DeForest Invitational.
"I've been looking at them since freshman year and working towards them my whole high school career. Getting down to those times would be really phenomenal for me," she added, indicating that her goal is for the record in the 50-, 100- and 200-yard freestyles.
Diehl has qualified for the WIAA Division 2 state swimming and diving meet in two individual events each year of her career — her most notable improvement coming in the 100 freestyle, which she finished eighth in as a freshman in 2005, seventh in 2006 and fourth last year — but said her main focus this year is to lower her times, adding that the rest will fall in place if she can do that.
"Once you improve time, your team backs you up, you get more self confidence and everything starts to build around that," she said.
Besides the 100, Diehl finished fifth in the 200 freestyle last year, 11th in the 50 freestyle in 2005 and eighth in 2006. She was also on the state-qualifying 200 and 400 freestyle relay teams in 2005 and swam anchor on the 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay teams that finished sixth and fifth last year, respectively.
A list of finishes that has instilled her as a leader among her teammates.
"She has so much drive to do good and has so much confidence in her teammates," said sophomore Alison Meng, a Northern Badger Conference champion in the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke last year, as well as a fourth-place finisher in the backstroke and ninth-place finisher in the butterfly at state and member of the 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay teams.
"She pushed us all (last) season. It was unbelievable."
Added fellow sophomore Kelsey Kohlbeck — a 13th-place finisher at state last year in the butterfly who was also on the 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay teams — of the influence Diehl had on her success: "Abby really played a part. She always wants you to do your best (and) she doesn't like to see you slacking, so she'll try to help pick you up."
Diehl realizes that she's become a leader — even more so now that she's a senior — and embraces the role.
"It's really important for girls to have someone (on the team) to look up to," said Diehl, the two-time defending conference champion in the 100 freestyle and the runner-up in the 200 freestyle last year.
"When I was a freshman, I had really good seniors and it was really motivating. I hope I give that motivation to the underclassmen."
Whatever motivated the freshman last year worked. In addition to Kohlbeck and Meng, Lauren Ballweg, Molly McGuine and Jenna Lovell were all key contributors to a team that finished 11th at state, just eight points behind sixth-place Sturgeon Bay/Sevastopol
In fact, Lovell improved so much over the course of the year that Eagles' coach Melani Guentherman credited her for the 200 medley relay team's sixth place finish at state.
"She had a crazy-fast swim in the breaststroke," Guentherman said of Lovell's leg of the medley.
Ballweg (100 and 200 freestyle) and McGuine (100 freestyle) were both top-16 finishers at the conference meet last year, which Sauk Prairie finished third at behind first-place DeForest and runner-up Baraboo.
Guentherman thinks last year's freshman will be even stronger this year.
"I think the freshman ... (saw) the value of all of the hard work that they did last year," she said. "This year, they're coming in with a whole different intensity level and are just kind of stepping right up and going after it."
What Sauk Prairie is going after, according to Guentherman, is to catch Baraboo — the Thunderbirds have finished ahead of the Eagles every year since 2002, the last year Sauk Prairie won the conference meet and the year it won its only state championship — and its first top-10 finish at state since 2005, when the Eagles finished 10th.
Both are goals that Diehl said are well within reach.
"They've got more depth than us, but we've got really good swimmers. We just need to keep our team motivated," she said of her team's chances to catch Baraboo, adding that, "I think we can get top 10 (at state) this year. It's really possible and our girls are looking good."
Returning 2007 state qualifiers
Abby Diehl, sr. — 100-yard freestyle (4th), 200 freestyle (5th), 200 medley relay (6th), 400 freestyle relay (5th)
Alison Meng, so. — 100 backstroke (4th), 100 butterfly (9th), 200 medley relay, 400 freestyle relay
Kelsey Kohlbeck, so. — 100 butterfly (13th), 200 medley relay, 400 freestyle relay
Jenna Lovell, so. — 200 medley relay
Emma Wills, sr. — 400 freestyle relay
Megan Cahill, jr. — 400 freestyle relay alternate
2008 Sauk Prairie GIRLS' swimming schedule
Aug. 23 — @ DeForest Invitational, 1 p.m.
Sept. 2 — Badger North Relays @ Baraboo, 6 p.m.
Sept. 9 — vs. River Valley, 6 p.m.
Sept. 13 — vs. Madison Memorial @ UW Natatorium, 10 a.m.
Sept. 16 — vs. Waunakee, 6 p.m.
Sept. 23 — @ DeForest, 6 p.m.
Sept. 30 — @ Lodi, 6 p.m.
Oct. 7 — vs. McFarland, 6 p.m.
Oct. 14 — vs. Baraboo, 6 p.m.
Oct. 18 — @ Fort Blackhawk Invitational, 10 a.m.
Oct. 21 — @ Portage, 6 p.m.
Oct. 25 — Platteville Invitational @ UW-Platteville, 11 a.m.
Oct. 31 — Badger North Conference meet @ DeForest
Nov. 8 — WIAA Div. 2 Sectionals @ tba
Nov. 14 — WIAA Div. 2 State Swimming and Diving meet @ UW Natatorium