Before her preliminary 500-yard freestyle swim, Blair High School senior Ryleigh Schroeter was able to watch the races before her's and looked around at the Bob Devaney Sports Center pool.
“I was watching the (100-yard butterfly) and it was the first time I actually ever took it in,” she said. “I was like, 'Wow, this is actually really cool and stuff.'”
Washington County's Jacob Hanson, Jane Busboom, Kennedy Zehner and Schroeter all earned state medals for their Fremont Tigers on Friday and Saturday during the NSAA State Swimming & Diving Championships.
It was Busboom and Schroeter's last time in Lincoln for the event. Graduation day is just a few months away.
Busboom said she'd been appreciating her time with the Tigers leading up to the state meet.
“It's just really made me look back and think how grateful and lucky I am to even be on this team,” she said.
Busboom and Schroeter were the first Blair swimmers to join Fremont through their schools' swimming co-op. Arlington senior Dathan Hansen, meanwhile, took advantage of another of the Tigers' co-ops, closing out his own prep career at state.
“It's been a lot of hard work,” he said Friday. “But, with all of the hours you spend together, you really build a lot of bonds.”
FHS girls take 9th
Busboom and Schroeter close their high school swimming careers two of the most prolific medalists in FHS history after four-straight years at state. Both left Lincoln with four more Saturday, helping coach David Struble's squad to a ninth-place finish behind the state championship team — Omaha Marian.
“Everything has been going to plan,” Busboom said after the first day of competition. “I'm just really excited and happy with how everything's turned out in prelims.”
The University of St. Thomas (Minn.) recruit ultimately claimed fifth in the 100 backstroke and eighth in the individual 100 freestyle Saturday afternoon. Her times were 58.88 and 53.56 seconds, respectively.
Schroeter, meanwhile, took seventh in the 200-yard freestyle in 1:56.17 and fifth during the 500 in 5:19.22. She'd previously swam the 500 freestyle at state during her sophomore season.
“That one is one you can focus more in on,” the future Nebraska Wesleyan swimmer said of the long race. “You have so much time to think of all of the little things during your swim.”
It allows an athlete to strategize, too.
“You can fix your mistakes as you go,” Schroeter said.
Both Blair athletes didn't just earn individual top-eight finishes, though. They also secured sixth and seventh in a pair of relays with Zehner and Fremont's Alexis Rasmussen.
“It's been a lot of fun,” Zehner said of her state experience. “I really love our team's atmosphere and energy. We really uplift each other and it's really like a family more than just a team.”
Her relay squad was sixth in the 200-yard medley in 1:50.5 and took seventh in the 200 free relay with a time of 1:40.37.
Zehner also took 15th individually in the 100 breaststroke, stopping the clock in 1:10.77.
Another Blair swimmer, Hannah Huenink, made her state debut Friday, competing alongside Tigers Kami Spilinek, Danna Jamaica and Della Barrett in the 400-yard free relay. The team finished 25th with a time of 4:04.18.
Huenink admitted she was nervous going into her Bob Devaney Sports Center debut.
“Yes I was, but my teammates helped me,” she said.
The overall state experience left an impression on the freshman swimmer.
“It was awesome,” Huenink said. “I love the team interaction.”
Tiger boys earn 5th
The Fremont boys swim team earned one of its best state finishes in school history Saturday in Lincoln.
The Tigers finished fifth as a full lineup behind the champion Lincoln East Spartans and Hanson was a big reason why. The four-event medalist was confident going into the final meet of his junior season.
“I feel like I'm fully prepared,” he said, waiting in line to get into the pool area Friday.
The BHS student-athlete sought top finishes and records during the weekend's festivities.
“Keep my head low,” Hanson said when asked for keys to the day. “Don't let any emotion get to me. Stay strong.”
The Tiger swimmer ultimately earned sixth in the state in the 50-yard freestyle and eighth in the 100 breaststroke. His times were 21.84 seconds and 1:00.5, respectively.
Hanson also swam a leg on a pair of top-four relay teams with FHS' Elliot Vech, Zayne Keslar and Micah Moore. The team earned third in the 200 free team race with a time of 1:27.93, while claiming fourth in the 400 free with a 3:13.66 effort.
Three of Hanson's FHS teammates from Washington County competed during Friday's first preliminary event, too. Dathan Hansen, Mason Lau and Eli Hansen all swam during the 200-yard medley relay with Garrett Nielsen, securing a 28th-place finish with a time of 1:58.35.
“I didn't make the faster relays, but I made it to state,” Dathan Hansen said before the swim. “So, it's exciting.”
Lau and Hansen's brother, Eli, made their state debuts in the event. The freshmen said they were looking forward to it, too.
“I'm excited to go in for a relay,” Lau said, explaining how he sought a new career-best time for his leg of the race. He also looked forward to “just getting the experience of state.”
The same could be said for Hansen.
“I'm looking forward to just being able to experience state swimming,” he said. “Having this experience and then going into next year knowing what I'll be doing.”
NSAA SWIMMING & DIVING STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Thursday-Saturday at Bob Devaney Sports Center, Lincoln
ARLINGTON/BLAIR RESULTS
Swimming Prelims — Friday
Girls
200-yard medley relay: 7, Fremont (Jane Busboom, Kennedy Zehner, Ryleigh Schroeter, Alexis Rasmussen), 1:51.17.
200 freestyle: 7, Schroeter, 1:56.9.
50 freestyle: 18, Zehner, 25.18.
100 freestyle: 8, Busboom, 53.3.
500 freestyle: 5, Schroeter, 5:18.7.
200 free relay: 7, Fremont (Schroeter, Zehner, Rasmussen, Busboom), 1:40.65.
100 backstroke: 5, Busboom, 58.47.
100 breaststroke: 16, Zehner, 1:10.4.
400 free relay: 25, Fremont (Kami Spilinek, Danna Jamaica, Hannah Huenink, Della Barrett), 4:04.18.
Special Olympics NE 50 freestyle: 1, Malory Rollins, 40.12.
Boys
200-yard medley relay: 28, Fremont (Mason Lau, Dathan Hansen, Garrett Nielsen, Eli Hansen), 1:58.35.
50 freestyle: 7, Jacob Hanson, 22.02.
200 free relay: 3, Fremont (Elliot Vech, Hanson, Micah Moore, Zayne Keslar), 1:28.75.
100 breaststroke: 7, Hanson, 59.51.
400 free relay: 4, Fremont (Kelsar, Moore, Elliot Vech, Jacob Hanson), 3:14.
Special Olympics NE 50 freestyle: 14, Boaz Rhea, 1:21.12.
Swimming Finals — Saturday
Girls
200-yard medley relay: 6, Fremont (Busboom, Zehner, Schroeter, Rasmussen), 1:50.5.
200 freestyle: 7, Schroeter, 1:56.17.
100 freestyle: 8, Busboom, 53.56.
500 freestyle: 5, Schroeter, 5:19.22.
200 free relay: 7, Fremont (Busboom, Zehner, Rasmussen, Schroeter), 1:40.37.
100 backstroke: 5, Busboom, 58.88.
100 breaststroke: 15, Zehner, 1:10.77.
Boys
50 freestyle: 6, Hanson, 21.84.
200 free relay: 3, Fremont (Vech, Hanson, Keslar, Moore), 1:27.93.
100 breaststroke: 8, Hanson, 1:00.5.
400 free relay: 4, Fremont (Moore, Keslar, Hanson, Vech), 3:13.66.
