Have yourself a night McFarland.
As one of the top teams in Division 2 entering the WIAA State Swim Championship on Friday, Feb. 17, the Spartans left no doubt by the end of the night that they were the best.
McFarland won seven of 11 events, medaled in 10 events and broke two state records to bring home the Division 2 State Championship, its first state title since 2012.
The Spartans started off the night strong in the 200-yard medley relay. The team of freshman Blake TeBeest, junior Preston Nygaard, junior Shane TeBeest and senior Luke Morrison set a new school record with a first-place finish at 1:33.60.
That would be the first of three relays the Spartans would win on the night. Freshman Cale TeBeest, Nygaard, Morrison and senior Lyon Hall then set a new state record in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a first-place time of 1:25.18. The Spartans broke Monona Grove’s mark of 1:25.80, which had stood since 2016.
In the last event of the night, McFarland took down another state record. All three TeBeests, along with Hall, set a new state record in the 400-yard freestyle at 3:02.50, demolishing the previous mark of 3:07.84 set by McFarland in 2009.
The TeBeests found themselves on the medal stand quite often throughout the night.
In the closest race of the night, Cale won the 50-yard freestyle over Shane by two one hundredths of a second. The freshman scored a season-best time of 20.94 seconds, tying a McFarland school record, while the junior finished second with a season-best time of 20.96 seconds.
“It was really cool, we knew they would shine at this meet and they did,” said McFarland head coach Justin Harrington. “A lot of other kids on our team get nervous about their races, but these guys are pretty stoic about how they prepare for their races.”
In the next event, Cale got the better of Shane again as the brothers took first and second in the 100-yard butterfly. Cale scored a season-best time of 50.23 seconds to take the top spot, while Shane finished second with a season-best time of 50.48 seconds.
Blake TeBeest finished first in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 1:52.88, a near 3.5 second drop from his sectional time. Nygaard also dropped nearly three seconds off his sectional time, taking eighth overall at 1:59.66. Morrison finished 13th at 2:02.25.
For the second straight year, a Spartan brought home the title in the 100-yard backstroke. After Hall won the title last year, Blake TeBeest won the event this year with a time of 49 seconds flat. Sophomore Nick Furst also swam the 100-yard backstroke, taking 10th at 55.22 seconds.
In the 200-yard freestyle, Hall set a new school record with a time of 1:40.16, taking second place. Also in the 200, senior Gavinn Vega swam 15th at 1:50.19.
Hall also set another school record in the 100-yard freestyle, finishing second at 45.34 seconds. Morrison just missed out on the medal stand in the same event, taking seventh at 48.64 seconds.
Nygaard also medaled in the 100-yard breaststroke, taking second at 58.24 seconds. Vega also scored 13th in the 500-yard freestyle at 5:04.71.
McFarland claimed the Division 2 Championship with 325 points, while Rhinelander was runner-up with 243 points. On the way back from Waukesha, the Spartans were given an escort by the McFarland Police and McFarland Fire Department from Highway 51 back to the high school.
The state title win wraps up strong careers for Hall, Morrison and Vega as the three will graduate from the state team. Vega qualified for state in his last two seasons, while Hall and Morrison were four-year state qualifiers.
Hall and Morrison were a part of the 400-yard freestyle relay that took first place at last year’s state meet. Hall also won the 100-yard backstroke title and was a part of the 200-yard medley relay team that took first place last year.
The Spartans also brought Spencer Phillips, a senior, to state as an alternate. Phillips made state twice in his four seasons with McFarland. Phillips, who sang the national anthem at the start of the state meet, plans to attend school to become an opera singer.
“I’m going to miss them next year. Lyon was the face of the team, he was the one helping us drive the bus,” said Harrington. “They were great leaders for the team, being older brothers for the younger guys.”
For the rest of the Spartans that come back, McFarland potentially could go on a championship run like the Spartans did from 2007-2012, claiming the D2 championship in six-straight years.
McFarland will bring back the TeBeest brothers, along with Nygaard and Furst, from this year’s state team. With most of the relay swimmers coming back, along with the TeBeests defending their state titles, McFarland will be one of the early favorites for the Division 2 State Championships.
After winning state in 2012, the Spartans had finished runner-up in 2014, 2015 and 2023 before Friday’s championship win.
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