Wawasee’s Zeke Keim and Northridge’s Caleb Kauffman launch into the start of the backstroke Tuesday night during the NLC dual. (Photos by Mike Deak)

SYRACUSE – For a very young swim program like Wawasee, bringing in a perennial juggernaut like Northridge right out of the holiday break was the test it wanted. For Northridge, it was a chance to brush up on what it already knew coming into the night.

NORTHRIDGE GIRLS 141, WAWASEE 44

Wawasee’s Lily Tyler in the 500 freestyle.

OK, so Northridge’s girls team is really, really good. Just how good? Two weeks before the Northern Lakes Conference Championships the Lady Raiders not only sealed up a perfect 7-0 run through the NLC round robin, but nearly skunked an up-and-coming Wawasee side that was 4-1 coming into the night, in its home pool.

Oh, and the Lady Raiders set five, count ’em, five pool records in its onslaught.

“I told the girls that five pool records in any NLC pool is impressive,” said Northridge head coach Kyle Hembree. “The two relays from 2017, that was the year we were state runner-up, and we smoked them. The girls are all buying in, for sure.”

Elsa Fretz, as she has been anywhere she goes, is must watch swimming. The junior had a hand in four of the pool records, two of her own and two with relays. Fretz broke Bre Robinson’s 2012 standard of 1:53.14 with a blistering 1:49.93 in the 200 freestyle, then later came back to post a 51.46 in the 100 free, better than a second faster than Robinson’s 2013 record. Both performances looked effortless.

Fretz, a University of Georgia swim commit and 2018 IHSAA State Champion in the 50 free, opened the 200 free relay that went 1:39.00, teamed with Sydney Nethercutt, Jenna Nethercutt and Kenzie Weber. The old pool record was a Northridge record of 1:40.40 from 2017. The same year, Northridge hung a 3:37.65 in the Wawasee pool in the 400 free relay, but Tuesday Fretz, Sydney Nethercutt, Ingrid Fretz and Americis Ingling posted a 3:34.24, which would have put Ridge 14th using the times from last year’s state finals.

Throw in Jenna Nethercutt’s 1:06.77 win in the breaststroke, which replaces Northridge graduate and current Purdue Boilermaker Sydnee Emerson’s 1:07.34 set in 2016.

“You’re just not going to beat an Elsa Fretz, she’s looking like a state champion again,” stated Wawasee girls head coach Andy Kryder. “She showed she can go to state in any event she’s in, but you’re going to have to get that state cut. That’s just reality. We’re looking at state cuts and how we’ve done against some of the better times in the sectional, where can we make some moves. Northridge was just impressive with how fast they swam coming off of break.”

Sydnee Nethercutt added wins in the IM (2:12.72) and 500 free (5:07.71) and Weber led the backstroke (1:00.36). Americis Ingling won the 50 (25.67), Alaina Yeater the fly (1:01.60), Kaitlin Simons in diving (256.75) and Ridge opened with the medley relay win at 1:53.01.

Wawasee found solace in solid swims from Alexis Mishler in runner-up times of 54.97 in the 100 free and 1:01.31 in the backstroke. Cammy Kryder also had a runner-up time of 1:04.90 in the butterfly.

NORTHRIDGE BOYS 92, WAWASEE 88

Wawasee’s Keagan Hurst in the breaststroke.

It was literally all hands on deck for both boys teams, and Wawasee gave Northridge everything it could handle in the closest meet between the teams in over 20 years.

An uncharacteristically thin Raider roster, which listed on the program with just 11 swimmers and nary a diver, took on a Wawasee side listed with just 14 members. While Ridge won 10 of the 12 events, Wawasee’s runner-up posts as well as a slight advantage in depth made the meet air tight, ultimately coming down to fourth and fifth place swims.

Northridge taking six points in each of eight individual events as well as the lead in two of the three relays was key. While Wawasee opened the night with a 10-0 lead after diving, led by Devon Kuhn’s 148.65, Ridge came back with a medley relay win (1:45.95), then Turner Koch in the 200 free (1:53.18), Tristin Bratt in the IM (2:03.76) and Joey Garberick in the 50 (22.43).

All three would go on to win another event, Koch the fly (54.50), Bratt the 500 (5:00.93) and Garberick the breast (59.39). Luke Dibley also did his part by winning the 100 free (50.39) and backstroke (58.03), and the Raiders also grabbed the 200 free relay (1:36.52).

Wawasee got one back in the final round with the 400 free relay at 3:31.52, won by Nathan Kryder, Bryce Knepp, Karlson Hand and Daegan Kingrey. The eight points had Wawasee down 88-86 for three seconds until Ridge came home at 3:34.02, securing the four points, second place in the relay, and ultimately the team win.

“I think our boys are handling this really well,” Hembree said. “With only 11 guys, you have to perform every night. In year’s past with the numbers and the quality, we were able to shift around people from our bench in certain meets. The boys haven’t been able to do that, they have to be ready every night. Our younger guys are really being forced to realize quickly that they matter.”

Hembree noted places like the 500 free, where Reid Haney outhustled Blake Roose home for second place, or Jacob Sullivan holding off Roose in the IM for third. Dibley’s win over Kingery by a quarter-second in the 100 free was a four-point swing, in what could set up another battle later at the NLC Championships.

Wawasee boys coach Jason Scott, still new to the NLC game in his first year with the Warriors, wasn’t caught up in the Northridge buzz. Maintaining time over opponent, Scott admitted Northridge brings a pedigree of standard, but didn’t change the outlook of his meet expectations.

“We are going to hit the grind again tomorrow, like every other day,” offered Scott. “We don’t talk about the team we’re swimming against, it’s about us and our times. The boys have bought into what we’re trying to do. The grit they showed tonight proves they believe in themselves. I’m super excited to see what we look like tapered. We’re posting lifetime bests swimming dead after break. This was a great meet for us.”

Wawasee concludes its NLC season Saturday at Goshen.