Waubonsie Valley speeds through meet

Speed was a key for Waubonsie Valley's girls swim ming team on Saturday. First the Warriors wanted to swim quickly at the St. Charles East College Events meet. Then they wanted to hurry home and get ready for the school's homecoming activities.

"They did a good job today," Waubonsie Valley coach Katie Peterson said. "They were excited to swim events they don't normally get to swim in the high school season and to see how well they'd do compared to last season."

Defending state champion New Trier won the meet, while the host Saints were second. Powerful Lake Forest was third ahead of the Warriors.

"They like this meet because they get to see some teams they don't normally get to see in-season and it's a different format of a meet," Peterson said. "They can see where the competition is and how they compete against it."

Waubonsie Valley's Hannah Hunt won the 200-yard breaststroke. Alexa Steiffl was second in the 100 butterfly and fourth in the 100 free.

"(Steiffl) typically swims the 50 free and the 100 fly for us," Peterson said. "She was excited to swim the 100 free as well because she doesn't normally swim it. She is working very hard and it is paying off in the pool right now. And it's the same with (Hunt) and the rest of the girls as well."

With a young, inexperienced team, Lake Park finished seventh.

"This meet's a tough one for us," Lake Park coach Dan Witteveen said. "It's out of our element. But you still come here because you have one or two kids who need this meet because they will go on to the next level."

Witteveen's teams have been competitive in this meet in the past, and he said it is important to continue to face some of the state's elite teams.

"They need to see what fast swimming's about," Witteveen said. "My girls looked and said, 'Oh my god, they're so fast.' I said, 'We can get there if we work hard.' These girls work hard, and mine do too. But there's always another level you have to reach."