Hersey repeats as MSL East champion

It all came down to the details on Thursday night at Olympic Pool in Arlington Heights.

Hersey was trying to repeat as Mid-Suburban East champs, but had a formidable opponent in Buffalo Grove.

There are few secrets between Hersey coach Dick Mortensen and Buffalo Grove coach Jamie Klotz — they were once roommates and coached club swimming together — so it really boiled down to specific performances and not lineup strategy.

“I was asking our guys, ‘Who’s going to give us a superstar swim?’ ” said Mortensen. “Well, we found out.”

Fittingly for Hersey’s youth-driven team, freshman Connor Reynolds’ third-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle was key. It completed a 1-2-3 finish in the event started by sophomore Jeff Ruffin and junior Alex Roznai and was the most significant wrinkle in Hersey’s favor.

The Huskies used it to pull out a 95-91 victory for Mortensen’s second victory in as many seasons at Hersey.

Reynold’s time of 2:04.03 was more than a 10-second improvement from his previous best, and he also picked up a point by finishing fifth in the 100 free in another lifetime best effort.

“It was really big for us,” said Mortensen. “Here we are in a dual meet, and he’s giving us taper times.”

Diving was also a key to the outcome; BG standout Julian Vasquez won easily in 247.55 but a failed dive by the Bison’s second competitor allowed Hersey, paced by Mateusz Obstoj (183.70), to finish 2-3-4 in the event.

“What the guys did in the water was great,” Klotz said. “I really couldn’t ask for more from them.”

BG won the medley and 200 free relays, and Hersey prevailed in the 400 free relay.

Ruffin added a victory in the 500 free (5:07.36), and the Huskies also got individual wins from Roznai (100 fly) and Stephen Petro (100 breaststroke).

BG junior Ian Rodriguez won the 100 free and the 100 back; other Bison winners were Jon Mass (50 free) and Matt Schulstad (200 IM).

For Hersey, repeating as division champ is a remarkable feat because the Huskies did it in spite of losing a senior-heavy class after last season. It’s Hersey’s third divisional championship in the program’s history.

“It’s really been our goal all season,” said Roznai, “so it feels great to have finished the job.”

The meet nearly wasn’t the showdown many expected. Three of BG’s varsity swimmers had been suspended for violating team rules following Saturday’s invitational hosted by the Bison; they were reinstated for the meet after plenty of heart-wrenching discussions between Klotz and his swimmers.

“It’s been a very turbulent few days for me and my guys,” said Klotz. “In the pool today, our guys were psyched. I’m glad we could pull together as a team.”