Girls swimming and diving / Sectional scouting, Northwest
Time is of the essence on Saturday as the top girls swimmers and divers compete in sectional meets throughout the state with an opportunity to earn a spot in next weekend's state championship meet, to be held at Evanston Township High School.
Mid-Suburban League schools are spread between three sectional sites on Saturday. Diving begins at 9 a.m. and swimming at 1 p.m. at each meet.
In diving, only the 16 sectional winners are guaranteed a spot in the state field. The remaining berths are awarded to the next-best 32 scores from throughout the state.
In swimming, any entrant equaling or bettering the state qualifying time standard advances.
at StevensonMost of the MSL's top teams, including Fremd and Barrington, will be at Stevenson.
Though there's no team advancement in swimming, each of those three teams have great balance and all will attempt to send three relays and individuals to state in just about every event.
Because Fremd, Barrington and Stevenson each have numerous candidates to swim at state, many of their top swimmers will only partly rested for the sectional in hopes of producing best times in their season-ending efforts at state.
Just as significantly, each of the top teams have plenty of swimmers will be fully rested, or in swimming parlance, "tapered," in an effort to take the needed time drop and get under the state qualifying standards.
Fremd features five standout senior swimmers - Loretta Stelnicki, Erica King, Saki Takumiya, Julia Portmann and Grace Kneller - along with terrific junior Grace Grzybek. In addition to those individuals and their relays, senior divers Sydney Plichta and Sarah McTague have both qualified for state before.
Barrington is another team looking for its best performances of the season at state, and the Fillies have a team suited to that purpose.
Junior Kirsten Jacobsen is the defending state champ in the 200 and 500 freestyle and has plenty of great company on Barrington's freestyle relays - including senior standout Andrea Vega.
Freshman Maggie Emary also excels in the distance freestyles, and with accomplished competitors like Emma Barnett and Sarah Kate Capel in the mix, Barrington will look to safely qualify its core group to state.
Wheeling senior Theresa Godlewski, who recently committed to a collegiate swimming future at South Dakota, attempts a third straight individual qualification to state. A two-time defending MSL champion in the 50 free and 100 backstroke, she's hoping to finish her standout high school days with point-scoring performances at the state meet.
Palatine junior Kristin Anderson is one of the top MSL sprint freestylers, having earned spots at state last year in both the 50 and 100 freestyles. Lily Zahn will attempt to make state in the 200 free and 100 fly; both Anderson and Zahn will have spots on Palatine's freestyle relays, which also have hopes of advancing to state.
Buffalo Grove senior sprinter Sarah Morosan takes aim at a repeat trip to state, and St. Viator junior Jackie Rose has also been closing in on state times.
Wisconsin-bound Prospect senior diver Dana Liva has placed at state in each of her three seasons and is positioned for her best finish yet. The MSL East champ Knights will have all their swimmers fully rested and prepared to better the state cutoff times.
Rolling Meadows's top state candidate looks like Bailey Rowley in the 100 fly, and Hoffman Estates rounds out the MSL's participating teams.
Cary-Grove senior Melissa Rose will shoot for a fourth straight state meet qualification in the 100 breaststroke.
Host Stevenson finished third in the North Suburban Conference meet behind Lake Forest and Libertyville last weekend and brings a quality team to the mix. Ashlyn Ruiz, Shayna Salzman, Casey Kirby and Irune Andres figure to the lead the Patriots, who've had an especially strong medley relay this fall.
at YorkConant, Elk Grove, Schaumburg and Maine West join the action in a meet which figures to have Downers Grove North as the dominant team behind standouts Gabriele Serniute (200 IM) and Lindsay Mathys (200 free), both of whom have delivered the top times in the state so far in their events.
Conant, which finished fifth in the MSL meet, has several individuals and relays with chances to take the next step. Senior Allison Cicero looks to earn a return state trip in the 200 IM and 500 free. The Cougars have had a strong medley relay all year, and Lea Cejvan (breaststroke), Paulina Wolska and Sam Wooley (freestyles) are also within reach of earning themselves another meet. Divers Emily Weingart and Bailey Hornstein of Conant and Caiti Poland of Schaumburg could also advance.
at Niles NorthThere will be plenty of good racing available to Hersey in a star-studded field that includes state meet favorite Loyola along with perennial power New Trier. The Huskies' top swimming individual is freshman Olivia Kusio, while divers Kelly Haines and Madeline Bovino could also earn state meet spots.