PantherHawks Shine at State Swim Meet

Sophomore Rick Perez and junior Ross Rybakowicz put turned in shining performances in the high school swimming season finale Saturday.

The tandem combined for four top-nine individual swims at the WIAA State Swimming and Diving Championship in Madison, and also powered the Greendale-Greenfield PantherHawks to a pair of top relay finishes, including a sparkling showing in the 200-yard medley relay.

In that race, Perez and Rybakowicz teamed with Andrew Staszak and Adam Fleischhacker for second in 1 minute, 35.6 seconds, just off the pace set by Madison Memorial’s 1:35.17.

Perez also swam third in the 100 backstroke in 50.84, behind only Homestead junior Nicholas Petersen’s state record-breaking time of 49.34 and West Bend senior Matt McHugh’s 50.17.

The sophomore added a ninth-place swim in the 200 individual medley in 1:57.13.

Rybakowicz, meanwhile, added a third of his own, his coming in the 100 butterfly in 51.47. He was also fourth in the 100 breaststroke in 58.36.

Those two also teamed with Shaun Lucchesi and Fleischhacker for eighth in the 400 freestyle relay in 3:14.03, helping the PantherHawks finish eighth in the team standings.

Other Greendale-Greenfield efforts included Liam Duffy taking 13th in diving;

Lucchesi taking 19th in both the 100 and 200 frees; Staszak placing 19th in the 500 free; Lucchesi, Fleischhacker, Staszak and Niko Mendelin swimming 20th in the 200 free relay and Fleischhacker finishing 22nd in the 50 free.

Whitnall solid as well

In the Division 2 meet on Friday, the Falcons turned in two top-six efforts, led by junior Jake Hodel fifth-place time of 1:01.28 in the 100 breaststroke.

Junior Nick Bell was sixth in diving with 350.10 points.

Also for the Falcons, the 200 medley of Ben Hinson, Hodel, Jack Larson and David Monteilh swam ninth in 1:43.31. The same four swimmers were 14th in the 200 free relay in 1:32.57 and 16th in the 400 free relay in 3:26.33.

Whitnall finished with 53 points, good for 16th in the team standings.