Ali Hanson wants to get the perfect sweep.
The Shawano/Bonduel senior swimmer was part of a relay team that made it to state her freshman year. Hanson’s sophomore year, she was a part of two state-qualifying relay teams. Her junior year she made it in two individual events and a relay team.
Saturday, Hanson hopes to help her team qualify for state in four events at the WIAA Division 1 sectional in Neenah.
“I’m really excited to see how everything ends up,” Hanson said. “I have two shots at making state and being in the top eight. We have two relays, and each one has a shot at making it to state. I really hope they both make it. It seems like it’s asking a lot, but anything is possible.”
Hanson, the Bay Conference swimmer of the year who will swim for the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay women’s team next year, wants to get down to state by qualifying in her two individual events, the 50- and 100-yard freestyle, as well as the medley relay and the 200 freestyle relay.
“That’d be just really exciting for me,” Hanson said. “It seems like every year I’ve gotten one more swim at state.”
Hanson holds the top seed in the 50 freestyle in the sectional with a time of 24.49 seconds. Her closest competition is Appleton North junior Abbey Greenway, who clocks in 24.53. The No. 3 seed, Corrin VanLanen, of Pulaski, has a seed time of 24.57.
“It’s kind of a three-way tie,” said Sharon Hanson, Shawano/Bonduel coach, and Ali’s mother. “She’s tied for seventh in the state. That’s the 50 free. It’s kind of, ‘Who wants it more?’”
Ali Hanson is fourth in the 100 freestyle with a time of 53.61. Appleton North sophomore Britt Horn is the top seed in that event with a time of 52.55.
Clare Martell, a Bonduel High School junior, has a chance in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:08.12. That is second only to Bay Port senior Tonya Brice, whose seed time is 1:07.37.
“There’s some really fast times posted already,” Sharon Hanson said. “Clare is going to have a good race. That will be a fun a race to watch. Tonya Brice from Bay Port will be big competition for Clare. They’ve raced each other since they were very little.”
Martell is seeded 12th in the 100 butterfly with a time of 1:03.75.
In the 200 medley relay, an event Shawano/Bonduel qualified for state in a year ago, the Hawks are seeded seventh. While Hawks lost Mallory Soper to graduation from that state-qualifying team, it retained both Martell and Ali Hanson. Carlie Hinnefeld and Alyssa Anker round out the team that is seeded seventh at the sectional.
That’s the same team that has a chance in the 200 freestyle relay, which is seeded 10th.
“Those two relay, it’s really going to be what they can do at the meet,” Sharon Hanson said. “Neenah is one of the fastest sectionals.”
State qualifiers will be the winners of each event and up to 24 qualifiers based on time drawn from all six sectionals across Wisconsin.
“We’re not in a position where we’re going to take first place in those relays,” Sharon Hanson said. “We’re in a position where we’re going to have to wait and see once all the times are in.”
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