Barrington wins Stevenson sectional

Even with the occasional rough spot, Barrington had a day to remember on Saturday.

The Fillies earned a sectional title at Stevenson, edging the host Patriots 268-238.

In the more important scoring category, Barrington also excelled. All three relays advanced to the state meet, and each may be able to eventually score points at Evanston in Saturday's final heats. The Fillies have a total of 13 opportunities to compete in Friday's prelims.

Of those 13, the Elliott sisters Erika, a junior, and Danielle, a sophomore are best poised for individual success at state. Erika won the 50-yard freestyle in 23.96 and the 100 in 51.69; Danielle was second in the 500 free (5:05.71) and fourth in the 200 free (1:54.55). Neither Elliott was fully rested for sectional, so both are hoping for even better performances at state.

“It was a good day,” said Barrington coach Jim Bart. “I can't say it was perfect, but then it never really is. Our kids stepped up, for sure.”

The imperfect part: senior Anne Jacobsen has been battling a back injury, and that was clearly a factor in her day. She'd been well under the state cut in the 100 fly all season but narrowly missed advancing in that race, yet she still gutted out a qualifying effort in the 100 backstroke along with senior teammate Jacqueline Holdsberg.

Danielle Elliott took Jacobsen's spot in the 400 free relay, which won in 3:33.54. The Fillies' 200 free relay of Mekenna Scheitlin, Ashley Kleinjan, Kate Valentine and Erika Elliott won in 1:37.75, and the medley of Jacobsen, Scheitlin, Justine Kaszynski and Holdsberg placed second in 1:50.20.

Scheitlin won the 200 IM in 2:11.09, and Kaszynski was a winner in the 100 fly in 59.57.

The host Patriots continued to swim like an experienced, veteran team which isn't what they are.

Coach Karl Milkereit had two seniors and one junior in his sectional lineup; the rest were freshmen and sophomores.

“I was kinda freaked out, to tell you the truth,” said Stevenson freshman Riley Kirby, who won the 100 backstroke (58.76) and had legs on all three of the Patriots' state-qualifying relays. “But then when it was time to race, everything went really well.”

They might have gone best for Stevenson sophomore Madison Blaydes. She had legs on both freestyle relays and won both the 200 free (1:52.74) and the 500 free, the latter a pool record time of 5:02.55.

“I guess you could say that was a really, really pleasant surprise,” Blaydes said of the pool record. “And we had a great day as a team.”

Other state-qualifying efforts for Stevenson came from Julie Wawer in the 50 and 100 free. Heartbreakingly near-misses came from Michelle Hannon in the 200 IM (2:12.07) and Leah Bloodgood in the 100 breaststroke (1:08.70), but even those were excellent times.

“The group we have this year has a lot of girls who are pretty accomplished swimmers, but they are young and a sectional meet is something they haven't been through before,” said Milkereit. “So it was important for us to have someone like Madison who has been through this before, and who was able to really show everybody else how to go about their business. And she did a great job of that.”

Fremd's day was a rousing success as well. Sophomore Breanna Anderson took huge drops in her individual races, the 50 free (third, 24.62) and the 100 free (third, 53.48). She joined Emily McCarthy, Amy McEllen and Megan Kennedy on a state-qualifying 200 free relay, and the Vikings' 400 free relay just barely missed out on state.

“Breanna certainly was a highlight, but really, if you look at it, our kids were dropping about two seconds per 100, across the board,” said first-year Fremd coach Andrew Kittrell. “That's a testament to their hard work and to how much they believed in themselves.”

Kennedy was a near-miss in her individual races, but Kittrell said Fremd's cumulative success was due to her influence.

“Our 200 free relay, at the start of the year nobody would have given us a chance to make state,” he said. “That relay and everything else that went well today, none of that would have happened without Megan.”

Senior Monica Dorszewski also set a tone for Palatine, by winning the 100 breaststroke (1:06.88) and placing second in the 200 free (1:53.92), both personal bests and way under the state standard. She had a leg on the Pirates' state qualifying medley relay with Nicole Huffman, Laura Mayer and Amy Zahn; the same quartet just missed advancing in the 400 free relay.

Huffman will also get to race individually at state; she placed second in the 100 backstroke (59.25).

It all led to a third-place team finish for Palatine, which has improved throughout the season and shows no sign of letting up now.

“I'd say our highlight was just the way everybody got the best out of themselves today,” said Palatine coach Brittany Perleman. “We had a total team effort, total team success.”

Hersey started the day on a terrific note. The Huskies won the medley relay as Erin Horne, Christine Rovani, Kelsey O'Donnell and Amanda Petro prevailed in 1:49.86.

“You have a race like to start the meet, and it really carries over the rest of the way for everybody,” said Hersey coach Dick Mortensen.

Petro, a sophomore, continued the momentum with qualifying efforts in the 200 free (1:54.36) and 100 free (52.85). In fact, every race in which she competed, including the 400 freestyle relay that narrowly missed the state cut, set a team record.

“I'm definitely, surprised, happy with my times,” she said. “I'd say I'm a lot more confident this year. I know what I can do.”

Huskies senior Christine Rovani also advanced as an individual for the second straight year after placing second in the 100 breaststroke in 1:08.11.

Buffalo Grove sophomore Veronika Jedryka delivered a personal-best time of 5:08.84 in the 500 free to earn a state meet spot in that event for the second straight year.

Maine West senior Ailish O'Connell earned a repeat trip to state in the 50 free with a second-place time of 24.21.

“She's absolutely a great kid,” said Maine West coach Ryan Claus of O'Connell. “She can be very focused, very goal-oriented, and the 50 was definitely her focus.”

It turned out O'Connell kept her focus through the 100 free, where she advanced to state again by making the cut by one one-hundredth of a second.

“That was a such a bonus,” said O'Connell. “I really didn't even think I had a chance, but after the 50, I started to think, ‘Maybe I can.' ”

In diving, Mid-Suburban League champion Mallory Fisher (432.70) edge Maine West's Jen Rey (429.7) for the automatic state qualifying spot. As many as seven more divers figure to have a chance to move on with at-large qualifying spots, including Prospect's Christina Pekar (40.730), Fremd's Stephanie (383.6) and Elizabeth Uhrich (382.50), Palatine's Stephanie Hamer (382.05), Prospect's Sarah Pekar (379.60), Stevenson's Madison Douglas (376.65) and Hersey's Katie Dewar (368.85).

St. Charles North sectional: Schaumburg senior Sammy Schuckles won the 100 backstroke in 58.07, and she also advanced to state in the 100 free, beating the qualifying standard by two one-hundredths of a second in 53.97. It will be her fourth straight state meet.

Schuckles thought the Schaumburg medley relay team had made the state cut in the meet's opening event. But the Saxons' time-earning bid was later denied by a false start.

In the backstroke, Schuckles turned back a solid effort from St. Charles North junior Lauren Reynolds by 18 one-hundredths of a second.

“I saw (Reynolds) on the (last) turn and I knew I had to kick it up a gear and go faster,” Schuckles said. “I'm so happy. My backstroke was a personal-best (time in 58.07 seconds).”

Lake Forest sectional: The host Scouts won the team title with 284.5 points; Libertyville placed third at 169.50, Warren was fourth (154) and Mundelein placed fifth (112).

Libertyville's state meet qualifiers were the 200 medley relay and 400 free relay, sophomore Morgan Dickson in the 200 and 500 free, and senior Whitney Mitchell in the 200 IM and 100 fly (which she won in 59.02).

Warren freshman Paige Wells won the 50 free and placed fourth in the 100 free and also had legs on the Blue Devils' state-qualifying freestyle relays.

Vernon Hills junior Zoe Eldridge advanced in both the 100 and 200 freestyles, and junior Dana Andrea made state in the 50 free.

Other area competitors moving on in the 50 freeestyle included Antioch senior Dominique Bessette, Mundelein junior Amy Kling and Grayslake Central sophomore Claire Haggerty. Grayslake Central junior Marissa Engel also advanced to state in the 200 IM.