Scouting Tri-Cities girls swimming
Rosary
Coach: Bill Schalz
Key losses to graduation: None.
Top returning swimmers and divers: Kate Canfield, senior; Erin Hart, senior; Elaina Ricci, senior; Annie Gosselin, junior; Katie Rentz, junior; Georgia Young, junior; Sarah Fergus, junior; Lauryn Streid, junior.
Key newcomers: Emily Ryan, freshman; Jill Bottarini, freshman; Samantha Laurich, freshman; Camryn Streid, freshman; Molly Wehner, freshman; Sarah Woodford, freshman.
Outlook: If you're to come into contact with a talented swimmer during a Rosary swim practice, just turn in a circle with a kickboard in your hands - you're bound to strike someone who's more than just a body in the water. The Beads finished ninth in the state meet last year and are ready to improve on that this year, and they showed it in a season-opening victory over Oswego on Tuesday. "I looked at our team before the season started and felt that with the freshmen we had and the swimmers we had back, our ninth-place team had a shot to win state," Rosary coach Bill Schalz said. "When I look at how we swam at sectionals and state last year and then with the changes in the top three teams from state last year, it could open up the state meet. There's always someone who jumps up and becomes the favorite, but right now, there are some changes." The Beads had a string of narrow misses at the sectional meet followed with some close misses at the state meet - meaning some athletes Schalz hoped would be at state missed and some he felt would swim in finals just missed and still others who had a chance at Top 6 finished in the Top 12. Want some unseen stars? Try Katie Rentz. The junior qualified in the 100-yard butterfly and the 100 breaststroke in last year's state meet. Her time was 15th-best in the butterfly in prelims and she failed to advance and finished further off the pace in the breaststroke. "Nobody knows about her," Schalz said. "She's this quiet, unassuming, funny who's also like a silent assassin." Another athlete in the same mold is Alexis Yager, who was 14th in the 200 IM and 17th in the 100 breaststroke. "In Junior Nationals this summer, her 200 IM time was the fastest short course 200 IM in the state of Illinois," Schalz said. "She comes back as a sophomore this year as a completely different animal." And add that to scoring Beads such as Annie Gosselin, Erin Hart and Kate Canfield, and the Beads have plenty of potential. "We've got a lot of depth and our freshmen have come in and are already helping us," Schalz said. "We're not 100 miles from being ready for the state meet right now. But I am excited for this group. Two years ago, we were embarrassed when we got 30th in the state meet. They spent a lot of time getting ready for last year and that's been the case again this year."
St. Charles East
Coach: Joe Cabel
Key losses to graduation: Izzie Bindseil; Stephanie Garvin; Shea Hoyt; Dana Ritter
Top returning swimmers and divers: Lucy Johnson, junior; Isabel Herb, junior; Jordan Morling, junior; Katie Nagler, junior; Lauren McCormack, senior, Anna O'Malley, sophomore; Dominique Carravetta, sophomore; Amy Pearson, sophomore; Rachel Nagler, sophomore; Sophie Watts, sophomore.
Key newcomers: Kayla Jones, freshman; Alexia Scott, freshman; Sayre Milo, freshman, Courtney Green, freshman.
Outlook: Building from last year's eighth-place finish at the state meet, St. Charles East has an incredible number of athletes from which to choose, despite some key losses. With 65 athletes in the water this year between swimmers and divers, Saints coach Joe Cabel has a number of options from which to choose as he builds the 2014 team. The Saints turnout is even larger than the 63 who formed the 2013 squad. "We're large across the group," Cabel said. "We're doing some incredibly hard stuff in the weight room right now and in the water as well. The work ethic is there and the team size is there. We're just going to have to get ourselves set mentally now and get some holes filled in the lineup." Of the returning swimmers, none made a larger impact in 2013 than junior Jordan Morling, who was ninth in the 200 IM, fourth in the 100 backstroke and helped the Saints on relays. "She had a great summer season and placed really well at nationals," Cabel said. "She's really focused. She's a very focused swimmer, period. That focus was maybe a little interrupted at the end with the hoopla at the state meet. She'll have a better perspective this year and she's physically very talented." State qualifiers who lead the junior class include Lucy Johnson and Isabel Herb while Anna O'Malley leads a sophomore group that includes Rachel Nagler and Dominique Carravetta. "We go pretty deep," Cabel said. Among additions to the team this year is new diving coach Nikki Shropp, a collegiate diver at Toledo who is a math teacher at St. Charles East. "She's solidified our diving program already," Cabel said. "We have five girls out, and that's more than we've had in a while."
St. Charles North
Coach: Rob Rooney
Key losses to graduation: Hannah Zimmer; Loriel Hutchinson.
Top returning swimmers and divers: Sam Sauer, junior; Monica Guyett, junior; Abby Ponte, senior; Grace Samuelson, junior; Katie Schutz, junior.
Key newcomers: Hannah Olsen, senior; Jillian Waslawski, freshman; Audra Guyett, freshman.
Outlook: If numbers are down a bit at St. Charles North, there's no drop-off in excitement and certainly no dip in expectation for a team that has become used to competing at a high level in just over a decade of varsity competition. "I am pretty excited about this team," St. Charles North coach Rob Rooney said. "We have 36 swimmers and 10 divers, and those numbers are definitely a little lower. But I remember when we were starting out at North, we had smaller numbers and the teams we had were tight. I think, this year, we have a really unique group of girls who are tight with each other." Rooney says his team lacks "household names" - but there is one household where the North Stars are very strong, and that's the home of junior Monica Guyett and her freshman sister Audra. Monica Guyett was the team's lone swimmer in Saturday's state finals in 2013, where she finished eighth in the 500 freestyle. A strong distance swimmer, she will be pushed by Audra, who is equally strong in distance races. "They've got a unique bond," Rooney said. "They love racing each other and training with each other. It's one of the most cool relationships I've seen." Other returning North Stars with experience at the state meet include junior Katie Schutz, senior Abby Ponte and junior Sam Sauer, junior Kristen Kowaleski and junior Grace Samuelson. "What we have are two or three relays we can get to score with and three kids who can score in two races each," Rooney said. "The Guyett sisters and Sauer can score and we have some strong support cast." Rooney said the building process of the regular season will provide athletes with a chance to display their talents in the water. "I think there's a lot of good things that can happen," he said. "You have kids who aren't rock stars as freshmen who grow up to be rock stars their senior year. We have had a number of those kids, and I feel those are ones who go on to be successful swimmers when they go to college."
West Aurora
Coach: Chris Ranallo
Losses to graduation: Miranda Ambre; Shannon Sullivan; Grace Lee; Kerri Olson; Emily Nagy.
Top returnees: Annika Ness, junior; Rachel Heiss, sophomore; Melissa Hill, senior; Lily Ochsenschlager, senior; Natalie Soriano, senior; Marin Munos, sophomore.
Key newcomers: Tina Lirot, junior, Isabelle Barriball, freshman, Erin Iglesias, freshman; Jillian Laurx, freshman; Jordan Majersky, freshman.
Outlook: A year ago, West Aurora had 29 girls on its swimming and diving team, and that turnout created tremendous excitement. Think then what the vibe is around the team this year, when 40 girls have turned out to compete with the Blackhawks squad. "For us, that's a huge aspect," West Aurora coach Chris Ranallo said. "That's a huge turnout and it's awesome for us. With only five seniors on the team, we will keep a lot moving forward, so we can continue to build on that." Junior Annika Ness is the individual focal point of the team, and the swimmer best-poised to become the first Blackhawks swimmer to score at the state meet since Jackie Iglesias finished eighth in the 100 backstroke and 11th in the 200 IM in 2009. "(Ness) and that junior class have come a long way as far as development goes," Ranallo said. "(Ness) still has her sight set on the state met." Ranallo said an improvement was the year-round swimming put in by most of his team. "Some of the girls weren't sure where to go in order to swim, and we just pointed them in the direction of where to go," Ranallo said. "A lot of them had pool time this summer and that has worked in their favor because they are ready to go." A number of West Aurora's freshmen start their year with club team experience as well. "That's awesome," Ranallo said. "That helps us continue to build the team. There's definitely a buzz around the school about the team. It's now a matter of developing them into continuing to enjoy the sport." Among newcomers on the team is transfer Tina Lirot, who joins the diving portion of the team, which has always been one of West Aurora's strengths.