Filipek leads Bartlett-Streamwood sectional surge

On a day filled with team and individual accomplishments, Bartlett-Streamwood sophomore Kayla Filipek was one of a number of proud Sabrehawks swimmers.

Filipek qualified in the 50-yard freestyle and the 100 freestyle at Saturday's St. Charles North sectional by finishing second, and finishing faster than the state qualifying standard in both events.

"I'm just really excited and happy for the whole team," Filipek said. "These girls work so hard and they're amazing and awesome and it feels really good to qualify."

Filipek had qualified in both the 50 freestyle and the 100 freestyle a year ago. Additionally on Saturday, she qualified as part of Bartlett's qualifying 200 freestyle relay and 400 freestyle relay.

"The relays are really fun and you get to share things with your teammates on the relays," Filipek said. "I guess I kind of wanted to do a little better. But I'm not rested, so I can drop some more time next week and do better."

Filipek narrowly missed qualifying for the finals in the 50 freestyle as a freshman. That experience will help her next weekend.

"I'll know how crowded it will be," she said. "That will help. I think I was a little unprepared last year. I want to drop time. I would like to place, but we'll see how it goes."

Bartlett-Streamwood also qualified Kelsey Ostrowski when she won in the 100 butterfly in 57.36. A senior who did not swim in high school prior to this year, Ostrowski also featured on the Sabrehawks' qualifying freestyle relays.

"She came in and wanted to develop a little speed," Bartlett-Streamwood coach Jeremy Meserole said of Ostrowski. "She did that and the plan all along has been to get to the state meet and to swim fast. She said she never saw herself as a sprint freestyler, and she's on two freestyle relays going to the state meet."

Joining Filipek and Ostrowski on the freestyle relays were Meagan Cummins and Brianna Cichon, who both swam on last season's state qualifying 400 freestyle relay. On Saturday, that meet-ending 400 free relay set a St. Charles North pool record when it finished in 3:33.92.

"It's very exciting," Meserole said. "They had a great meet overall and to finish up like that was great to see. We've got three individual swims and two relay swims next week. It's a little bit better than last season and we've got a little more experience going into the meet. It should be good."

With experienced swimmers and a solid sectional time, Bartlett-Streamwood wants to do more than just make a bus ride to Evanston on Friday. The finals are Saturday and the only Bartlett or Streamwood girl to place at the state meet was Streamwood's Stacy Helvey, who was ninth in the 200 IM in 1995.

"We've been talking about that since we had that relay go to state last year, the plan this year is to go and swim fast," Meserole said. "(Filipek's) plan is to go there and be successful. They had a taste of it last year and they go into it this year knowing what to expect."

Building from a strong fifth-place finish at the Upstate Eight Conference meet two weeks ago, the Sabrehawks finished third in Saturday's sectional behind meet-winner St. Charles North and St. Charles East.

"Every meet has built on itself," Meserole said. "We've getting better and gelling as a group. Conference kind of served to excite us a bit and to fine-tune that focus."

When Jacobs' Izzy Bavaro finished her 100 backstroke, all eyes turned to the timing board. Bavaro needed to swim faster than 59.29, and she knew her time was going to be close. When the board flashed 58.80, Jacobs' team members started jumping up and down on-deck, starting a 15-minute celebration. This continued as Bavaro received her fifth-place medal in the event and then as she hugged coach Emily Susmarski and as many teammates as she passed as she re-entered her team area of the bleachers.

"I worked so hard for this," Bavaro said. "I did weekend practices and everything for this. It feels amazing."

A freshman, Bavaro is her school's first state qualifier since 2010 when senior Kristin Horney advanced in the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle.

"I was aiming for a 50-low because I want to go to Junior Nationals," Bavaro said. "But this is pretty good too. A couple of the seniors said they'd never seen anyone make state, so it was good to do that."

Just making the state meet is an accomplishment - and but now Bavaro gets to join the state's elite on-deck on Friday in Evanston.