Port nips West Bend again, this time for history

The Port Washington High School girls’ swim and dive team already got over one hump by beating West Bend Co-op in a dual meet this season. On Saturday, Port nipped the same larger squad to win the Pirate Invite, possibly for the first time in program history.

Port won three events and scored in 25 entries, racking up 388 points to beat out nine other teams on Saturday at the Thomas Jefferson Middle School pool.

They needed nearly every one of them. West Bend Co-op came in second with 385.5 points, and it came down to the last race, the 400-yard freestyle relay.

“Our ‘A’ relay stepped up to the blocks not fully aware that West Bend had the potential to outscore us by almost 20 points in this event. It was only after the heat started that we realized that both West Bend teams were in the final heat, putting our lead in jeopardy,” coach Danielle Peiffer said.

But Port’s Bridget Brynn, Sophia Schicker, Anna Nisiewicz and Amanda Lotz came through in the clutch.

“The girls swam very close to their season best time, finishing fourth with a time of 4 minutes, 5.03 seconds, beating both West Bend teams, which helped us secure the win by 2.5 points,” Peiffer said.

“This was a historic and outstanding meet with tremendous performances across all events. The girls showed grit, depth and teamwork, and this victory gives us a powerful foundation to build on for the rest of the season.”

Lotz, Port’s record-holder in multiple events, won the 200 freestyle in 1:56.83.

“Lotz won the race convincingly, pulling away from the field early and closing with excellent back‑half speed,” Peiffer said.

Lotz also won the 500 freestyle in 5:16.97.

Schicker won the 100 backstroke in a season-best 1:08.03.

The 200 medley relay of Schicker, Harper Walber-Yoshioka, Lotz and Sophia Panek was third in 2:05.23.

Panek was third in the 100 freestyle in 1:01.65. Edynn Strube was fifth in 1:04.27 and Adalyn Muehleis was eighth in 1:05.74.

The 200 freestyle relay of Gwen Jerome, Walber-Yoshioka, Nisiewicz and Panek was fourth in 1:54.14. Port’s second relay of Muehleis, Amanda Crass, Stube and Bryan was eighth in 2:01.32.

Walber-Yoshioka was fifth in the 200 individual medley in 2:37.46. Jerome was seventh in 2:39.31, and Nisiewicz was ninth in 2:40.56.

Port went 6-7-8 in the 100 butterfly. Nisiewicz finished in 1:13.83, followed by Jerome in 1:14.86 and Crass in 1:15.86. Margaret Himsl added three points, taking 14th in 1:12.8. The Pirates scored more points than any other team in the event.

Schicker was sixth in the 200 freestyle in 2;12.51. Bryan was 12th in 2:26.78.

Panek was sixth in the 50 freestyle in 28.28 seconds. Strube was 12th in 29.44.

Walber-Yoshioka was eighth in the 100 breaststroke in 1:26.12. Claudia Gaskell was 13th in 1:34.07 and Muehleis scored one point by taking 16th in 1:36.42.

Bryan was 11th in the 500 freestyle in 6:31.51. Port’s second 400 freestyle relay of Josephine Ryder, Himsl, Violet Nelson and Muehleis was 12th in 4:52.32.

Chloe Barber was eighth of 15 divers, scoring 281.3 points.

“It was a strong performance in a large and competitive field,” Peiffer said.

Genevieve Styles was 11th in diving with 247.45 points.

Port lost at Nicolet last Thursday, 123-63. Lotz won the 200 freestyle in 2:01.11 and the 500 freestyle in 5:25.62. The 200 medley relay of Schicker, Walber-Yoshioka, Lotz and Panek won in 2:05.09. Barber was second in diving with 202.25 points.

Port swims at Cedarburg on Thursday, Sept. 24, and at Plymouth on Saturday, Sept. 26. Port hosts Grafton on Tuesday, Sept. 29.