True to form, Mundelein's Falconer returns to finals
False starts can be a little unnerving.
Unless you're Mundelein senior Erin Falconer.
After four false starts in her heat of the 200-yard freestyle Friday due to malfunctioning equipment for the starter, Falconer shook off the distraction and wound up victorious with a time of 1:48.83. That was good enough for the top spot heading into Saturday's finale of the state swimming and diving finals at Evanston, which begins at noon.
"I was hesitant after that first false start. It was hard to keep coming off the anxiousness and then try to swim fast," said Falconer, who is headed to Auburn next fall and finished second in both the 100 and 200 freestyles in last year's finals. "I had to go pretty hard but I think I have a little left for (today)."
Falconer later made it four straight years qualifying for the finals in not only the 200 but the 100, as well. In the preliminaries, she earned a trip to the championship heat after finishing second with a time of 50.63.
Falconer also joined fellow seniors Rachel Robb, Aijan Urmat and Jennifer Kordik on the 200 freestyle relay that swam a 1:36.94 to just make the top-12 and the consolation finals. Robb, Kordik, Falconer and senior Lauren Blake also earned a trip to the consolation finals after finishing 10th in the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 3:32.06.
Kordik also made it to the championship heat after taking second in the 100 breaststroke preliminaries with a time of 1:04.
She just signed with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
"Last year the Monday before sectionals I was in the emergency room with a kidney infection and I couldn't compete," Kordik said. "So this is amazing to be able to qualify. I've practiced really hard and drink a lot of cranberry juice. I feel a lot stronger this year, and our coach (Rahul Sethna) and my teammates have been so supportive. I'm just trying to go out with a bang!"
Kordik will also compete in the consolation finals of the 200 individual medley, where she finished ninth in the prelims with a time of 2:05.36.
Libertyville qualified for the consolation finals in the 200 medley relay after the team of Anne Barnett, Harriet Davies, Staci Herchenbach and Macey Neubauer swam a school-record time of 1:46.42, good for 11th in the preliminaries.
"It was an awesome way to start the meet today," coach Erik Rogers said. "We were tapered, and everyone swam a little faster."
Neubauer also made it to today's consolation heat in the 100 breaststroke after finishing 12th with a time of 1:05.06.
Sophomore Anhelina Kutsko made Grant Township proud after she qualified for the consolation finals in the 100 butterfly. Her time of 55.93 was good for seventh in the preliminaries.
"It's fantastic. She's excited because she didn't know how big this (the state meet) is. She's so used to swimming in clubs," said Tim Vischioni, who sponsors Kutsko as a coach. Kutsko just missed making Saturday's top-12 in the 50 freestyle, where she finished 14th after swimming a 24.04.
Speaking of the 50 freestyle, Warren sophomore Courtney Barker made it to the championship finals heat after clocking a 23.73, good for sixth.
Lakes senior Madison Rinaldi made it through to Saturday's consolation finals in the 100 backstroke, where she finished eighth in the preliminaries with a time of 56.45.
Vernon Hills' top finish came in the 400 free relay, where Lisa Cheng, Summer Hemesath, Lilly Hemesath and Nicole Pinter placed 28th in 3:38.40.