Palatine's Johns claims MSL victory
Lizzie Johns mostly keeps to herself.
In the moments immediately after winning the Mid-Suburban League girls diving title Friday at Barrington, the Palatine senior was asked for a self-appraisal.
"Pretty happy with it, I guess," she said softly.
Johns finished with 373.70, comfortably ahead of runner-up Madeline Bovino (349.15), a Hersey sophomore, and third-place finisher Carly Goodsite (341.40), a Fremd sophomore. Places 4 through 6 went to Hersey junor Allie Heidrich (329.10), Elk Grove freshman Anna Sprenger (328.45) and Fremd senior Morgan Faulkner (319.40).
While Johns doesn't much fancy talking about herself, Pirates coach Curt Bendell sees plenty of positives in the way she operates.
"She's quiet, no doubt," said Bendell. "But the thing is, she's a very, very good listener - extremely coachable."
All of which fed into an impressive arc of improvement for Johns, who only started diving as a sophomore. By her junior year she was quickly improving and netted a state-qualifying spot last fall.
The main difference this year, according to Bendell, has simply been fewer missteps.
"It's just better consistency," he said. "She came in with a strong gymnastics background, so she already had solid aerial skills, which helps a lot.
"And then it's maturity, and as always, time spent on the board."
Bovino and Heidrich gave Hersey a nice early boost in the overall meet standings with their 2-4 effort. Coach Tom Schwab is pleased to know both will have a chance to improve upon those finishes next year.
"I thought Madeline dove exceptionally well," Schwab said. "She really was solid technically, and then for a sophomore, did an outstanding job of diving under pressure.
"And Allie is a phenomenal athlete. She has so much talent, and I feel like she's just now starting to learn how to switch it on."
Places 7 through 12 went to Prospect's Meghan Schmit (305.15), Conant's Bailey Hornstein (303.20), Rolling Meadows' Victoria Zervos (2097.30), Palatine's Clarissa Domanus (282.15), Wheeling's Anna Emery (270.05) and Prospect's Maddie Marx (267.95).
Diving counts as one event in the MSL championships, which continue with the swimming events at 11 a.m. Saturday at Barrington.
While Johns is a person of few words, she chose them carefully to describe Bendell.
"I'm lucky," she said. "He's a great coach."
• St. Viator senior Elizabeth Drab rose to the top during Friday's Metro Catholic Athletic Conference championships, breaking the school record and winning the diving competition with a score of 404.15.