Swimmers notch first win of year

If it makes any sense, the Port Washington High School girls’ swim team won its first meet of the season by not focusing on winning.
The Pirates knew they could beat nonconference opponent Plymouth, but that wasn’t on their minds last Thursday at the Thomas Jefferson Middle School pool.
“Everyone just focused on swimming one event at a time and doing their best for each swim. That is all we can control,” co-coach Danielle Peiffer said.
Port won, 100 to 86. Abbey Lotz and Josie Tetzlaff each scored 12 points and won two races.
Lotz won the 200-yard freestyle in a personal-record 2 minutes, 12.21 seconds, and the 500 freestyle in a PR 5:59.27. Breaking the six-minute mark, Peiffer said, “is a big milestone in this event.”
Tetzlaff won the 200 individual medley in a PR 2:38.43 and the 100 fly in 1:10.56.
Emma Huber won the 50 freestyle in a PR 27.94.
Taylor Peiffer won the 100 backstroke in a PR 1:17.33.
The 200 freestyle was Port’s best event. Behind Lotz, Audyn Setzer was second in 2:18.57 and Leah Sheriff was third in a PR 2:33.94.
Setzer also finished behind Lotz in the 500 freestyle in a PR 6:15.84. Huber was second in the 100 freestyle in a PR 1:02.2. Emily Grisar was second in the 100 butterfly in 1:20.94. Caroline Hadacek was second in the 100 breaststroke in 1:28.44.
The 200 medley relay of Tetzlaff, Hadacek, Grisar and Huber was second in 2:16.88.
The 200 freestyle relay of Maddi Klein, Tetzlaff, Huber and Lotz was second in a PR by two seconds, 1:53.51.
The 400 freestyle relay of Grisar, Klein, Setzer and Lotz was second in a PR 4:12.86, eight seconds faster than their previous best.
“To say we are happy with these performances is an understatement,” co-coach Peiffer said.
This is Port’s second win in the past six years. The other was over Kohler last season.
The team in the last three years has grown from nine to 35 swimmers and divers.
“It takes numbers and time to get a team in contention to win, and we are starting to see results,” Peiffer said.
“We don’t need a win to tell us we are improving, but it sure is fun and adds even more excitement and motivation for us going forward.”
On Sept. 29, Port lost to powerful Cedarburg, 126 to 56.
Lotz won the 500 freestyle in 6:02.71, and the Pirates took second in four individual events and two relays.
Klein was second in the 50 freestyle in 28.53 and in the 100 freestyle in 1:03.04. Tetzlaff was second in the 100 butterfly in 1:10.37. Stephanie Schlessinger was second in diving with 160.4 points.
The 200 relay of Lotz, Grisar, Klein and Huber was second in 1:57.56, and the 400 relay of Grisar, Klein, Tetzlaff and Lotz was second in 4:22.73.
Port was to host the West Bend Co-op on Tuesday and swim at the Hartford-Slinger Co-op on Tuesday, Oct. 13.