NEENAH – Kristilee McCadden is heading back to state.

The Fond du Lac junior earned a spot at the WIAA Division 1 state girls swimming meet by winning the 200-yard freestyle at Saturday’s D1 sectional meet, hosted by Neenah.

McCadden finished the 200 with a time of 1 minute, 53.16 seconds — just edging Appleton North’s Britt Horn (1:53.19).

McCadden also qualified for state last year as a sophomore.

 

Fond du Lac girls swimming quartet heading to state

FOND DU LAC – The Fond du Lac girls swimming team will be well-represented at this weekend’s WIAA Division 1 state meet.

The Cardinals are sending four swimmers to the University of Wisconsin Natatorium in Madison on Saturday, including junior Kristilee McCadden, who is competing in three events.

McCadden qualified for the state girls swimming meet in the 200-yard freestyle, 500-yard freestyle and is also part of the 400-yard freestyle relay team that is heading to Madison as well.

Along with McCadden, Kalli Behling, Grace Sphatt and Isabella Jones are also in the 400 relay.

McCadden won the 200-yard freestyle (1 minute, 53.16 seconds) at last Saturday’s WIAA Division 1 sectional meet at Neenah and was second in the 500-yard freestyle (5:12.65). The 400-yard freestyle relay was fifth at sectionals with a time of 3:39.46.

Finishing 17th in the 200-yard freestyle last year at state, McCadden is back in that event along with two more and is pretty excited about the prospect of returning to Madison.

“I’m very excited to get back,” McCadden said. “I’m seeded ninth (in the 200), so hopefully I can take eighth. Top eight is my goal.”

With relatively high goals at state, especially in the 200, Fond du Lac coach Lauren Zivkovich said McCadden simply needs to be herself if she hopes to live up to her own expectations.

“She needs to be Kristi,” Zivkovich said. “Unless you can be inside Kristi’s brain and body, you’re not entirely sure what direction to always push her in. … She’s got the goal in her head and if she’s got the goal, she’s going to do it. That’s something Kristi, not only at sectionals has done, she’s always done that. It’s been easy for her.”

Having qualified for state last season as a sophomore, McCadden believes the experience she gained at the Nat will work to her benefit on Saturday.

“I know the sound, I know what the pool’s going to look like, I know the blocks,” she said. “I know how everything’s going to go.”

Meanwhile, McCadden’s teammates in the 400 relay — Behling, a senior, and Sphatt and Jones, both freshmen — are competing at state for the first time.

Behling, in her last chance to qualify for state, is elated to finally be making the trip to the Natatorium.

“I’ve been looking forward to going to state for the past four years,” Behling said. “That’s been my goal and I’m really excited to be going as a relay. It would have been nice to qualify individually, but I think it’s even better to qualify as a relay.”

“I’m beyond excited (for Kalli),” Zivkovich added. “She’s worked so hard to get there. She originally thought she didn’t make it, but then we got to say ‘Just kidding, you get to go.’ I think that just floored her in general. I think it will be an amazing experience.

As only freshmen, Sphatt and Jones obviously have no experience on this stage, but are looking forward to the moment and think the fact that it’s a relay will keep them more relaxed.

“I’m pretty excited,” Jones said. “It’s my first year and it will be great experience.”

“I’m not really nervous,” Sphatt added. “Because it’s a relay, I don’t think I’ll be really nervous. If it was individual, I guess, but a relay is more fun and light-hearted. … I just think it’s going to be fun and I’m looking forward to it.”

Saturday’s WIAA Division 1 state girls swimming meet begins at 10 a.m. with the diving competition. The swimming portion of the meet starts at 3 p.m.

 

McCadden takes 12th in 500 at state swimming

 

MADISON – Competing in three events at Saturday’s WIAA Division 1 state girls swimming meet at the University of Wisconsin Natatorium in Madison, Fond du Lac’s Kristilee McCadden highlighted her day with a 12th-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle.

In taking 12th in the 500, McCadden finished in 5 minutes, 10.04 seconds, scoring five points for the Cardinals as a team.

McCadden finished 18th in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:55.59.

Finally, the 400-yard freestyle relay team of Isabella Jones, Grace Sphatt, Kalli Behling and McCadden took 15th with a time of 3:38.96 to score four points for Fond du Lac.

The Cardinals took 35th as a team with nine total points. Middleton won the Division 1 state title with 265 points.