Middleton swimmers notch four-peat
"I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days, before you've actually left them.”
WAUKESHA — In the final episode of the hit TV show “The Office”, Andy Bernard delivered that memorable line.
Bernard’s point was that he wished he had cherished the present during his years at Dunder Mifflin instead of waiting until he was gone.
Middleton’s boys swimming team didn’t have that problem.
As the Cardinals and their sensational senior class took aim at their fourth straight WIAA Division 1 state championship this season, they soaked in every moment possible.
The daily practices. The meets. The camaraderie. And the success.
So when the Cardinals captured their fourth straight WIAA Division 1 state title at Waukesha South High School last Saturday, they knew they had made the most of every moment. And they celebrated accordingly, with an endless stream of pictures, hugs and smiles.
“I think the last couple of weeks, it was a lot of reflecting for me, especially, like making sure I was having fun and doing this with my guys again,” said Middleton star senior Caden Van Buren, who also won two state volleyball championships and leaves MHS as one of the most accomplished athletes in school history.
“I knew this was it. It was going to be over. So I wanted to have fun here, obviously do my best and hope to win it again. So it's amazing, and it's super cool for all the guys to experience again.”
The Cardinals needed a terrific showing, too, as Brookfield Central/East was a real threat to Middleton’s throne. Based on sectional times and seeds at state, Brookfield was a 23-point favorite over the Cardinals.
Instead, Middleton moved up in several races throughout the day and finished with an eye-popping 306 points, the most in school history and the most by any team at state since Madison West in 2019 (314).
Brookfield Central/East was a distant second with 248 points, while Badger (173), Verona (168) and Madison West (147) rounded out the top five.
“I mean, these are guys I've been with my whole life,” said Middleton senior Sam Wolf, who finished his brilliant career with 13 gold medals, including eight in the last two years.
“It's like, it's our last time going at it together in a really serious format. So, yeah, we're all really happy that we were able to pull this one off.”
Senior Max Carter, who notched three first place finishes and a second, agreed with Wolf.
“It was exciting, probably the most exciting one I've ever been a part of,” Carter said. “I feel like with the point seeding going into the meet being super close, it just like added to the excitement. And being a senior, knowing that it's my last one, it's really motivating. You want to go out in the best way possible.”
Wolf enjoys a gold rush
The Cardinals certainly went out in style, thanks to their star power and depth throughout the lineup.
Wolf, an Indiana recruit, battled sickness all week and missed some school along the way. Wolf admittedly wasn’t 100% Saturday, but you wouldn’t have known that watching him fly through the pool.
Wolf began his day by winning the 200-yard freestyle in 1:37.33, edging top-seeded Ryan Wanner of Waukesha West/Mukwonago (1:38.66).
As the swimmers were set to begin, Mötley Crüe’s ‘Kickstart My Heart’ blared through the pool, then Wolf did just that.
Wolf didn’t swim the 200-freestyle at state last year, but led from start to finish and captured gold.
“That was my first go at the 200-free in high school swimming,” Wolf said. “I think I was going to try to target the (state) record in that one. And then I kind of got to this week and I started battling with a lot of illness, which I think affected me towards the end of my races.”
Wolf was part of a senior group that included Espen Morner, Ben Cutler Heiderscheit and Van Buren that won the 200-yard freestyle relay in 1:22.52. The Cardinals also won the 200-yard freestyle last season in 1:21.93.
“We had to move that around a little bit, but I mean, the guys got up and raced, and so I'm really, really proud of that one, too,” Van Buren said. “We were trying to win all three relays. We didn't know if we could and there were so many ‘What ifs?’ with all three, but we stacked them in a certain way to have a chance to win all three and then we did it. So that was super cool.”
Wolf then repeated as champion in the 100-yard breaststroke in 54.16 seconds. Sophomore Henry Zanton showed he could be the favorite in that event the next two years, finishing second in 55.62.
“That one hurt pretty bad, I'm not going to lie,” Wolf said. “I usually take that race back a lot faster, but still super happy just getting the win and then to see Henry finish second was a lot of fun. So super pleased. You know, couldn't ask for more.”
Wolf then capped his tremendous day — and career — when he teamed with Cutler Heiderscheit, Carter and Morner to win the 400-yard freestyle relay. Middleton came from lane two and posted a winning time of 3:02.47, easily outdistancing runner-up Brookfield Central/East (3:04.69).
“That one was great,” Carter said. “It felt good, kind of being in those like wonky lanes, like lane seven and two and winning those races. Yeah, that was a fun one.
“We all split that one really well, and everybody was doing good, and it just felt great. I just like dove in, and I had a bit more emotion on that one. I feel like everyone did too. We were all feeling like it was our last swim ever at Middleton. Got to give it everything.”
Van Buren shines again
Van Buren — a Loyola University volleyball recruit — certainly gave it his all in a memorable state swan song.
Wolf helped the Cardinals get their day off to a terrific start when he teamed with Carter, Zanton, and Cutler Heiderscheit to set a new state record in the 200-yard medley relay in 1:29.81. The Cardinals had set the state record last year in 1:30.60, but beat that time by 0.79 seconds.
“We put together a good little plan,” Van Buren said of how Middleton attacked the relays. “I think it worked out.”
Van Buren then shined in the 50-yard freestyle, where he captured gold for the second straight year. Van Buren finished in 20.08 seconds, besting his championship time of 20:24 from 2025.
Van Buren was seeded second, but blazed through the water to capture gold. When Van Buren reached the wall, he looked up at the scoreboard, smacked the water and yelled, “Let’s Go!”
Carter was right behind Van Buren finishing second in 20:30, and edging top-seeded Logan Loppnow of Brookfield Central/East (20:33).
“I hit the wall, so I beat Logan and won the race, which I was really happy about,” Van Buren said. “And I turned back and looked up and saw Max got second, which, I mean, that's exactly what we wanted. We were talking about that before the race, like, one-two, that's all we were thinking. So it was really cool to do that with him.”
After a brief break, Van Buren turned around and won the 100-yard butterfly after finishing second in that event in 2025. Not only did Van Buren win this season, he dominated with a winning-time of 47.46 seconds, 1.79 seconds ahead of runner-up Dean Amble of Arrowhead.
Van Buren then capped his memorable MHS career by swimming the anchor leg on Middleton’s state championship 200-yard freestyle relay. The Cardinals were seeded second in that race behind Brookfield Central/East, but won by 0.88 seconds.
“We were beat up at sectionals, and we did what was needed to get to this meet,” Middleton coach Wes Lagerhausen said. “But obviously this was the caliber that I knew and needed us to swim at. So I'm just really happy with the results.
“There wasn't a single race that didn't drop time or move up places from sectionals. So it really doesn't get much better than that.”
Mad Max
Carter had a memorable day himself, despite battling through a back injury.
Carter sat out the Big Eight Conference meet on Feb. 7 and scaled things back at sectionals, saying: “I tore something in my back.”
Carter was ready to go at state, though, and began his day by swimming the first leg of Middleton’s record-setting 200-yard medley relay.
Carter finished second to Van Buren in the 50-yard freestyle, a monumental achievement for the MHS teammates.
“Yeah, I'm super stoked about that,” Carter said. “Like, one-two is crazy.”
Carter then stunned many in the field by winning the 100-yard freestyle in a sizzling 45.05 seconds. Carter was seeded sixth after posting a time of 46.85 at sectionals, but he improved his time by 1.80 seconds to claim gold.
Carter edged runner-up Logan Loppnow of Brookfield (45.24) and third place Andrew Gundrum of West Bend East/West (45.27).
“No one's really looking at you. You're kind of just watching lane four,” said Carter, who came from Lane 7 to prevail. “But yeah, I'm super stoked about that, too. I just kind of jumped in, basically sprinted my first 50. I was like, I just want to know that I gave it my all and it worked.”
Carter then swam the second leg of Middleton’s state championship 400-yard freestyle relay team that included Cutler Heiderscheit, Morner and Wolf.
“To finish that way with four seniors winning that race was special,” Lagerhausen said. “This year posed a lot of different challenges, but nothing that we couldn't overcome.
“And overcoming those things and talking it through with those guys as a team and individually was a very welcome challenge. Just to reap the rewards of everything going right when it needed to is extremely satisfying.”
Others excel
Middleton had several others shine, as well.
• Zanton notched a third place finish in the 200-yard IM in 1:52.01.
• Cutler Heiderscheit had an eighth place finish in the 50-yard freestyle (21.49), giving the Cardinals a whopping 47 points in that event.
• Freshman Freddie Cupelli was 10th in the 100-yard backstroke in 52.68 seconds.
• Junior Lucas Vargas was 11th in the 500-yard freestyle (4:47.58).
• Middleton’s Espen Morner added a 12th place finish in the 100-yard freestyle (47.25).
• Junior Benya Vavilov was 15th in the 100-yard butterfly ( 52.04).
• Junior Evan Myers was 16th in the 200-yard freestyle (1:45.44).
“It was definitely our hardest year that I've been a part of because of how strong that Brookfield team is,” Wolf said. “That only made it so much more fun.
“We were really motivated to get it done. We show up today, and I don't think anybody dropped any points. I think, if anything, everybody moved up, and that's how you win the meet.”
Historic group
Middleton joined Shorewood (1935-’39), Wauwatosa (1944-’47), Waukesha (1964-’70), Madison West (1982-’85, 1987-’91), Homestead (1998-2001) and Madison Memorial (2011-’16) as the only programs in state history to win at least four consecutive state titles.
And while the Cardinals were dynamic in the water, Lagerhausen was just as proud of how they performed outside the pool.
“We really push and harp things like ethics and understanding how things should be done the right way,” Lagerhausen said. “As much as I coach them about swimming, I also try to make sure they leave here as fine, upstanding citizens, and I've got a boatload of them right now.
“I have been coaching for 13 years, and there really hasn't been a group like this. I know it'll be missed dearly.”
That’s why the Cardinals savored their championship moment as long as possible, fully aware that these most certainly were the “good old days.”
“It was obviously a great four years,” Wolf said. “Like, I can't really ask for a better four years.”
Van Buren agreed.
“The guys we had on the team, that's what I'm going to miss the most,” Van Buren said. “Some of my favorite people and my favorite coaches in the world really helping me fall back in love with the sport. That's what's I'm going to miss about it.
“There's nothing like the nerves here. The pressure, the nerves, the excitement, is not like you get in a volleyball game. You need to rely on a lot of other people here. It's really just you and the water, and you gotta get it done for the collective, so there's nothing like it. I’m retired now, but I’ll remember this forever.”
