Williams, Barson and Bartosik take top MSL swimming honors

The Mid-Suburban League boys swimmers of the year have been announced, and the result is a nice blend of familiar, high-achieving faces.

Seniors Colin Williams of Elk Grove and Jake Barson of Rolling Meadows have repeated as co-swimmers of the year from the East Division, while Palatine sophomore Alex Bartosik has earned his first such honor in the West Division.

All three competitors recently raced in the state meet for a second straight year to conclude their high school seasons.

Williams and Barson have enjoyed remarkably similar results while sharing the pool at Elk Grove as their home water.

Williams finished fifth in the 100-yard butterfly at the state meet after taking top honors in the event at both the conference and Glenbrook North sectional meets. He also competed in the 200 freestyle at state.

Barson finished fifth in the 100 breaststroke in the state meet after winning at both the conference and sectional meets. He also competed in the 200 IM.

In their junior years, both Williams and Barson finished 11th in their best events at the state meet. And both Williams and Barson claimed numerous individual team records while helping set program standards on relays.

Elk Grove coach Keith Kura says he admires the way Williams continued to develop in his senior year after a breakthrough junior season.

"He definitely matured as a senior - not just as a swimmer, but also as a person," Kura said. "He became more sure of himself and really understood that he belonged among the very best. He wasn't looking up to the other top swimmers anymore. Instead, he was asking himself, 'What do I need to compete with these guys?' "

More impressive than sheer results was the way Williams' perspective on the bigger picture seemed to change. As the Grenadiers tried to qualify their 400 free relay to the state meet, Williams wanted detailed information on how fast he'd need to swim in order to help accomplish that feat.

"He came to me and said, 'What do I need to do to give us a shot?' " said Kura, "and I told him, high 46, low 47. That meant so much to me, and his teammates. He wanted to do everything he could to help his team."

The same could be said for Barson, whose improved freestyle was a big key in Rolling Meadows' run to the MSL East title. He excelled in the breaststroke as expected, but his gains in the IM and freestyles were key to the Mustangs' third-place finish in the MSL meet.

"He is an incredible example of being a well-rounded coach's dream," said Rolling Meadows coach Monika Chiappetta. "Incredible work ethic, selfless team leader, role model to teammates and his competition, respectful to all he meets and tirelessly worked to achieve his dreams."

Especially impressive in Barson's case was the overall high school performance arc. He was able to drop more than 30 seconds in his 200 IM time over four seasons, ultimately just missing out on a point-scoring finish at state. Barson will continue his aquatic endeavors next fall at Milwaukee.

"What a journey from freshman year," Chiappetta said. "As a true student of the sport while having an excellent partnership with me, he was able to be the best swimmer he could be - a definite honor to coach. And to share the honor with Colin Williams again seems fitting, seeing as once again they finished in the same exact places at the state meet this year."

Bartosik made his second straight trip to the state meet. A versatile performer, Bartosik's top event so far has been the 200 IM; he finished second in that race at the Barrington sectional in a team record time of 1:55.85, erasing a mark by Anthony Attiah that had stood for some 20 years.

Veteran coach John Schauble was in his first year in charge at Palatine, and it turns out it took some time for both swimmer and coach to hit their stride.

"It was a little bit of a battle at first, with Alex but also with just about everybody," said Schauble. "But eventually Alex and the whole team really started buying in."

The end result was a terrific sectional performance that earned the Pirates multiple competitors at the state meet. Bartosik had the best state finish among them, placing 22nd in the IM. Key for Palatine was qualifying its 400 free relay; Bartosik anchored a winning effort at the Barrington sectional as the Pirates missed a team record by a fraction of a second.

Palatine returns three of the competitors from that relay effort for next year, with Bartosik back as anchor and plenty of still-improving candidates available for the vacated relay spot.

"Alex told me early in the season that he'd like to anchor the relay, and sure enough, he was a relay monster," said Schauble. "You're always looking for that swimmer who gives 120 percent on relays, and that was Alex.

"He was an excellent captain who really did a lot to encourage everybody else on the team. And he might have worked harder than anyone I've ever coached."

All three MSL award winners will compete with the Palatine Park District team this summer.