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Barson raises the bar at Rolling Meadows

Jake Barson is the best swimmer Monika Chiappetta has coached in her 17 years on the job at Rolling Meadows.

A state point-scorer last year in the 100-yard breaststroke, a two-time Mid-Suburban League champion in the same event and now, after a victory last weekend at Glenbrook North, a sectional champ as well.

He's a team record holder in two individual events and is also represented on the team record board on a pair of relays. As a team captain this year, Barson led Rolling Meadows to its first MSL divisional championship in 45 years.

But what Chiappetta appreciates most about her standout senior has nothing whatsoever to do with his ability in the swimming pool.

"His character is irreplaceable," she said. "What's so different about Jake is the way he truly values people. It's very important to him that he earns the respect of the people around him, and I think he offers that same thing so freely to others - and people react to that."

Which helps explain why even as a sophomore, Barson was selected as a team captain. He was a near miss to qualify for the state meet in that season but clearly showed promise.

Chiappetta said even in his freshman year, Barson exhibited traits that suggested a sharp improvement arc might be on the way, "because of the way he would accept coaching and put it into practice," she said. "We'd talk about something involving swimming - and, I mean really talk about it, not just, 'Do it this way.' He'd want to know why were doing specific things, the actual science and principles behind it.

"I knew then this could become something pretty incredible."

And it time, it did.

A year-round commitment to swimming in his junior season yielded another big jump, as Barson won the 100 breaststroke at the conference meet. He followed that another big time drop in his first state meet and ended up placing 11th.

Heading into Friday's boys swimming state preliminaries at New Trier, Barson is in a different, loftier, bracket. Having qualified fifth in the 100 breast with a lifetime-best 57.90 at Glenbrook North, he's among the few who have a realistic chance to race in the championship heat of Saturday's state finals.

Even within the current season, Barson's progress has been dramatic. It started with a dual meet at Barrington, where the Mustangs, knowing they had a chance at a best-ever season, were giving the host Broncos a strong challenge in their first MSL dual meet.

Heading into the 100 breast, Meadows was hoping for a good showing from Barson - but he'd not been feeling well during the meet. Just how poorly he felt became clear right before the breaststroke, as Barson purged some of that illness into a garbage can, right on the pool deck.

Not once, but three times.

And then Barson hopped up on the block and, to the best of his ability, competed.

"There's just no way he was going to miss that race," Chiappetta said.

Barrington junior Colin Cross won it, and the Broncos went on to win the meet. Cross has followed through with a great season, finishing second to Barson in the breaststroke at the conference meet, winning a couple of individual sectional titles for himself last weekend at Barrington and also qualifying in great position to the state prelims in the same races Barson swims.

Yet even a fierce, high-achieving rival like Cross recognizes the unique kind of competitor Barson is.

"It seems like he's everybody's best friend," Cross said during the MSL meet. "He knows everybody, he's talking to everybody and he's obviously having a great time. That's good for swimming - good for everybody here."

Chiappetta thinks Barson's improvement will only continue after high school. He's committed to swim at Milwaukee, which should benefit from the constant improvement he's shown.

As an example, Barson's best time in the 200 IM as a freshman was in the 2:30's. Now, as a senior, he was a conference runner-up in the event in a time more than a half-minute faster than three years ago and hopes to score points in that race at state, too. In addition, Barson will handle the breaststroke leg of Rolling Meadows' medley relay, joining Filip Pancerz, Tony Sarussi and sprint standout Kuba Debkowski.

The future is so bright for the Rolling Meadows program partly due to Barson's complete buy-in on what Chiappetta has been teaching. An extremely capable and young team has learned a lot from their senior leader.

But there's no getting around the fact that the Barson era is about to end, which has Chiappetta toting around a few extra tissues these days, just in case she encounters the odd crying jag.

"He's made me a better coach, because he was so interested in what we were doing," she said. "He forced me to come up with different, better ways to communicate all the things I need to get across.

"I mean, one of the best swimmers in the state, and he was the manager of my girls team in the fall. How great is that?"

Barson, meanwhile, seems focused on the moment at hand. He's talked about "soaking up every moment" at his most recent meets.

The last one of the high school variety awaits. To honor the occasion, Barson will trade his dyed-blonde look for the more traditional shaved head.

He's looking forward to it, naturally - a New Trier pool deck crowded with elite swimmers, all of them Jake Barson's best friends.

"Last year, getting to the state meet kind of seemed like a bonus," Barson said. "This year, it's different, I think because I really know what I'm capable of now."

The swimming world has certainly noticed Rolling Meadows' collective improvement. Chiappetta was named sectional co-coach of the year, alongside Glenbrook North's Kirk Ziemke.

As for the respect Barson has earned from his coach? Well, it turns out that was mutual.

"Monika puts her heart and soul into this, for all of us," Barson said. "It only seems right to do the same for her."

Rolling Meadows senior Jake Barson has the fifth-fastest state-qualifying time in his best event, the 100-yard breaststroke. Photo by Paul Reeff
Rolling Meadows' Jake Barson grabs a breath during one of his final high school swimming workouts in advance of Friday's state meet preliminaries at New Trier. Photo by Paul Reeff
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