Qualifying leaves Wheaton Warrenville co-op 'unbelievably happy'

The Wheaton Warrenville co-op boys swimming team finished a strong fourth at the St. Charles North sectional and has at least three entries in next week's swim finals at Evanston.

Danny Sivak qualified in the 200-yard IM and the 100 backstroke while Jackson Cooper advanced in the 100 butterfly.

"I am so unbelievably happy for my team and I," Sivak said. "Everybody was tapered so perfectly by (coach Jacob Ayers.) We came out ready to swim fast and we had such great swims."

Both Sivak and Cooper are seniors whose state qualifications are their first.

"I'm feeling pretty set up," Sivak said. "I wasn't fully tapered for today. After seeing the times I could do today, I'm really excited to see what I can do in another week at state."

Cooper just slipped under the 52.59 state cut by .04 to join Sivak at the state meet.

"It doesn't really feel I swam as fast as I did," Cooper said. "This puts us in a good mindset. We have another week of taper and we'll shave again. We have time to practice so we'll be able to fix what we didn't do well in our races. Once we get to state, we'll have everything fixed and we know we can go a little faster."

Ayers said his divers - Luke Cooperman and Isaac Miller - had a good chance to qualify as at-large competitors after finishing second and third, respectively. Cooperman was 10th a year ago; Miller was a state qualifier.

The West Chicago-Batavia co-op was fifth as a team and has six entries qualified for Friday's state prelims. Garrett Clasen and Cooper Hawkins both qualified in both the 200 IM and the 100 breaststroke. Ryan Sego advanced in the 100 butterfly and the co-op added its 200 medley relay to a solid qualifying group.

"As a whole, I think we were very successful," West Chicago-Batavia coach Nicole Cleveland said. "Of the four boys who qualified on the medley relay, three are sophomores."

Hawkins, a senior, and Sego, a sophomore, are first-time qualifiers. Clasen, another of the team's sophomores, qualified last year in the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke and finished 11th in the 200 IM.

"This is a great way for (Hawkins) to go out as a senior, by swimming at the state meet," Cleveland said. "(Clasen), his meet is really next weekend. He struggled a little bit today, but we told him he wasn't fully tapered and we'd get him there, and he got everything we expected him to qualify in."

Wheaton Academy junior Tyler Sesvold qualified for the state meet for the first time when he bettered the state cuts in both his individual races, the 50 freestyle and the 100 freestyle.

"I felt really good in the 50 freestyle, and in the 100 back as well," Sesvold said. "I messed up my turn a little in the 100 back, but I'm not shaved or tapered. I know the competition's going to go up pretty high, but I think it'll be a fun meet."