On Nov. 16, 2024, the Middleton girls’ swim and dive team traveled to Waukesha, WI to compete in the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) Division 1 State Championship Meet. The stands were packed with enthusiastic fans, parents and athletes alike anxiously waiting to see who would take the title of state champions. After nine top-three finishes, including winning all three relays, Middleton took the first-place title by over 100 points.
Following the team’s first-place win in 2023, the athletes had mixed feelings going into the season.
Sulia Miller (11), a captain of the team, said that at first the swimmers wondered if they could “pull off” another win this year, “but as the season unfolded [their] confidence grew.”
Going into the state championship, the team was seeded first in all three relays: the 200 Medley relay, the 200 Freestyle relay, and the 400 Freestyle relay– “by five seconds in some of them,” team captain Isabell Frommelt (12) said.
This contributed to a strong sense of confidence and excitement for the athletes as they went into their last competition. Even the state team apparel sported this message, with “Back 4 More” boldly written on the back.
Last year, the win came down to the final relay, in which the team surpassed its competitors, the Verona Area High School Wildcats, by four places and secured the State Title. This year, the team sent athletes to compete in every event–unlike the year prior–with the goal of placing even higher and scoring more points.
Miller mentioned that “the expectations placed on us after winning last year … made us want to prove what we’re capable of.“
The swim team consisted of five freshman–Abigail Frommelt, Jane Garlock, Taetem Martin, Helen Machleidt and Poppy Sickler; along with sophomores Rian Jost and Brynn Sundell; junior Sulia Miller and seniors Audrey Alexander and Isabell Frommelt. Middleton also sent two divers, seniors Olivia Davis and Avery Potrzebowski, who put the team in the lead going into the swimming part of the competition.
For the first time in team history, the team won all three relays: the 200 Medley Relay, the 200 Freestyle relay and the 400 Freestyle relay.
The 200 Medley relay consisted of Taetum Martin swimming backstroke, Helen Machleidt swimming breaststroke, Brynn Sundell swimming butterfly and Sulia Miller swimming freestyle. The group went a time of 1:42.72 to secure their first place seed.
In the 200 freestyle relay was Sulia Miller, Audrey Alexander, Abigail Frommelt, and Jane Garlock–each swimming a 50 freestyle leg. The team went a time of 1:33.90
Finally, the 400 freestyle relay consisted of Abigail Frommelt, her sister Isabell Frommelt, Jane Garlock, and Brynn Sundell, who went a time of 3:26.24 to earn themselves the first place title.
Frommelt commented that everyone swam very fast times, and it contributed to a sense of “fun energy that kept [the swimmers] going” during the meet.
Miller also mentioned that “the crowd and our cheering section” was the best part of the state meet, and agreed that it contributed to a high energy overall.
Sarah Larsen, a senior captain on the swim team, witnessed the meet from the stands, and said that being surrounded by supportive teammates was “super exhilarating.”
Because the team was in the lead going into the last relay, there was not as much pressure on the final race.
“This year we were definitely able to have more fun,” Miller said regarding the differences between the 2023 and 2024 meets.
The team’s incredible back-to-back win shows how much hard work they have put in over the course of their season.
