Shawano Community High School junior Zach Soper earned a third trip to the state swim meet with first-place finishes in the 100-yard butterfly and 100 backstroke Saturday at the WIAA Division 2 sectional in Stevens Point.
Soper swam away from the competition in the backstroke, finishing in 51:05, more than six seconds better than runner-up Aaron Stange (57.47) of Ashwaubenon.
Soper took the butterfly in 52.23 seconds. Wausau East senior Garrett Richetto (53.69) finished second.
Soper also was a member of the 200-yard medley relay team with freshman Griffin Rades, junior Rolando Colon and junior Jake Klister that placed second, finishing in 1:44.89, behind Ashwaubenon (1:42.56). The Hawks’ time was good enough to earn them a trip to Madison.
Ashwaubenon won the sectional with 389 points, followed by Rice Lake (224) and River Falls (206). Shawano finished fifth (197).
Other Shawano results: 400 freestyle relay (Klister, Rades, Colon, Soper), fourth; Klister, sixth, 100 freestyle, and seventh, 50 freestyle; Rades, sixth, 500 freestyle, and eighth, 100 backstroke; Colon, ninth, 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle; Christian Kane, ninth, 100 breaststroke; 200 freestyle relay (Craig Kraning, Easter Kyle, Nathan Kane, Christian Kane), 1oth; Alex Retzlaff, 14th, 100 butterfly, and 17th, 100 breaststroke; Nathan Kane, 18th, 500 freestyle, and 19th, 200 freestyle; Kraning, 22nd, 50 free; and Cayman Kunschke, 22nd, 100 breaststroke.
Finals for the Division 2 state meet are scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. Saturday at the University of Wisconsin Natatorium in Madison.