Nicolet swimmer wins gold, dedicates emotional victory to late teammate
· Yahoo Sports
As Nicolet junior Jude Hill stepped to the top of the podium to receive his gold medal for winning the 100-yard backstroke at the WIAA Division 2 state boys swimming and diving championships at Waukesha South Natatorium on Feb. 20, there was a notable difference in his demeanor from other winners that evening.
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Hill did not flex or flash gestures at his teammates and other supporters while atop the podium for a career-first gold achieved with his win in 50.23 seconds. His enthusiasm was muted by thoughts of what that moment was missing, his late teammate Grant Freeze.
"I'm really sad that he's not with us right now, and I'd just like to give up this entire season for him," Hill said.
The promising rising sophomore Freeze died from injuries sustained in an Oct. 1, 2025, car crash. He was on his way to swim practice to prepare for a season that Nicolet would ultimately have to swim without him. Freeze and Hill had looked like the pillars of a rising Nicolet program at the 2025 state meet, bookending a third place 400 freestyle relay team and finishing second and third, respectively, in the 200 freestyle. It took a pair of WIAA D2 state tournament records by then-Whitnall senior Ethan Schutten to deny Freeze gold medals in the 200 and 500 freestyle events.
Hill swam the 200 freestyle again Feb. 20 at the state meet, ending up in the exact place Freeze earned one year ago. The parallels made what should have been a swelling moment of pride into a somber moment of remembrance of a friend gone too soon.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Nicolet swimmer Jude Hill dedicates win to late teammate Grant Freeze