Muskego star, Waukesha team poised for state swim meet
GREENFIELD – Ben Gabbey looks like the same guy we’ve seen at the state meet the past three seasons.
The Muskego senior, however, is a different animal.
Stronger and faster, Gabbey is ahead of the pace he set last season in the 200yard individual medley and 100 breaststroke. Saturday he was one of two athletes who won three events at the Division 1 sectional at Greenfield.
After opening the day by swimming the third leg of the Warriors' 200 medley relay, Gabbey won the 200 individual medley in a school record time of 1 minute 56.23 seconds and bettered his season best in the 100 breaststroke, finishing in 57.33, down from the Greater 8 meet record of 57.60 he set two weeks ago.
The Illinois-Chicago recruit made a change in club teams and the switch has paid off.
“I’m taken aback by everything I’ve been able to do,” he said. “I’m not getting caught up in the moment and am still pushing for that next level. … I’m hoping I don’t stop anywhere soon.”
The next stop is the WIAA state meet Friday and Saturday at the UW Natatorium in Madison. Division 2 athletes will compete Friday. Gabbey and the rest of the Division 1 performers will go Saturday.
He will be one of the swimmers to watch in the 100 breast. His sectional time is the best in the state this season, offering hope that he’ll be able to unseat defending champion Henry Miller of Madison West, who won in 56.59 last year.
Gabbey took second last second last season in 57.45, a time he was able to beat Saturday without the benefit of tapering his workouts.
"I’m excited to see what I can do once I’m rested,” he said. “Basically want to make sure I leave everything in the pool for my last high school event.”
Gabbey’s was one of a handful of standout performances at the sectional.
Waukesha South/Catholic Memorial junior Caleb Blischke was also a threeevent champion, taking the 200 free (1:43.56) and 500 free (4:41.46) before swimming the opening leg of the 400 free relay that won in 3:11.68.
Greenfield Co-op sophomore Emilio Perez set school and pool records in winning the 50 free in 20.79. He also took 100 free in 47.12.
Blischke’s performance led South/ Memorial to the team title and set the stage for another run at a podium finish in Madison.
South won the state title in 2017 and came within 21⁄2 points short of second place last season. This year the Blackshirts are ranked third in the Wisconsin Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association state ranking.
Besides Blischke, the team’s only other automatic qualifiers were junior Jacob Carlson, who won the 100 back in 50.58 and 400 relay. Only the first-place finisher in each event automatically qualified.
The Blackshirts, however, are expected to have a number of qualifiers based on sectional time. The team finished second in the 200 medley relay (1:37.78) and third in the 200 free relay (1:30.01). It also took three of the top four spots in the 200 free and two of the top three spots in the 500 free and 100 backstroke.
The Blackshirts know from experience that every point could count.
“Our focus wasn’t this (meet) with those five or six guys,” South/Memorial coach Blaine Carlson said of his top swimmers. “Hopefully they’ll be better next weekend. … It will come to our horses having to score a lot of points and our relays have to be solid.”