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St. Charles E. swims past St. Charles N.

In his after-meet discussion with his St. Charles East girls swimmers, Saints coach Joe Cabel described how a knife blade can get dull and not cut very well.

And that was how he described his team’s performance, despite a 116-70 victory over crosstown rival St. Charles North. The Saints certainly had a cutting edge, but it didn’t cut quite like it could have.

“We didn’t hit on all cylinders tonight,” Cabel said. “We’re not quite there but it’s a work in-progress and we are progressing.”

From top to bottom, however, the Saints worked toward the victory, gaining not only key wins but also by taking second- and third-placings that padded their lead.

“It was really a team effort,” St. Charles East sophomore Stephanie Garvin said. “It was fun.”

The Saints moved on top early in the meet by winning the 200-yard medley relay and slowly pulled away as the meet progressed. Garvin was second in the 50 freestyle to teammate Nicole Chapko and won the 500 freestyle by nearly 9 seconds.

“We were really pumped the whole day,” Garvin said. “This is such an exciting meet, with both the St. Charles schools. I thought we did really well.”

Cabel said the focus in dual meets at this point of the season is to get a result from the race. Everyone on-deck was tired at Thursday’s meet thanks to the heavy training in which all teams engage in September and October. But finding the desire to win when standing on the starting blocks is another skill altogether.

“I can train their butts off,” Cabel said. “I can make their eyes pop and all that stuff. But the most important thing to learn is how to race. You’ve got to have that sharpness and crispness under pressure. That’s what we’re working on. Physically, we’re awesome. But the mind game is where it’s at.”

The Saints were certainly on the same wave length with their coach in terms of performance in races.

“It’s not really about time right now,” Garvin said. “It’s more about doing your best and trying to win. Later in the season, it’s more about time.”

The one time that will be visibly etched from Thursday’s meet is 2:05.42. That was St. Charles North freshman Meagan Popp’s time in the 200-yard individual medley. The time broke the school record of 2:05.96 set by Angie Chokran in 2007. Chokran is now a swimmer at the University of Michigan.

“(Chokran’s) one of my really good friends,” Popp said. “I really look up to her and how hard she works. We keep in touch and I really admire her as a swimmer.”

Popp was aware of 2009 grad Chokran’s accomplishments at St. Charles North and said it meant much to have her name replace Chokran’s in that portion of the record board. Chokran is still the school record holder in the 100 breaststroke.

“I love (Chokran) to death, but it feels great to have my name on the board,” Popp said. “I couldn’t do it without the support of all my teammates. They always support me, no matter what I do.”

Popp said the goal was not to set a record as she prepared for Thursday’s meet.

“My goal was to try my hardest and to see what the outcome was,” Popp said. She heads to Osaka, Japan next week to compete in a U.S.-Japan dual meet, which she says “should be really fun.”

  The scoreboard is reflected in the goggles of St. Charles North’s Chloe Tykal as she strokes through the final lap of the 500 Yard Freestyle against St. Charles East Thursday. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
  St. Charles East’s Kimmie Scott, swimming the anchor leg of the 200 yard Freestyle Relay, can’t catch St. Charles North’s Meagan Popp Thursday. Their teams finished second and first, respectively. John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.comSt. Charles East's Mary Snyder wins the 100 Yard Freestyle against St. Charles North Thursday.