Girls swimming: Dix, state swimmers dig deep at Evanston
Gracie Dix entered the girls swimming state meet preliminaries with a rallying cry that might sound a big negative to anyone who didn't understand her somewhat unique set of circumstances.
"I had a goal," she said, "of not finishing last."
After her performance Friday at Evanston in the 50-yard freestyle, perhaps the Prospect senior could have aimed a bit higher.
Dix finished tied for 35th, which means she placed ahead of not merely one but 14 others. And that's actually a huge gain, as she'd entered the meet with the slowest qualifying time in the event.
Yet she produced a time almost as fast as the one that qualified her to the meet, meaning the last two clockings of her career were her two fastest. That's quite an achievement considering how difficult it is to repeat best times in the cauldron of pathos at Evanston.
"My coaches walked me through the whole thing beforehard, tried to get me ready for how the fans are right on top of you," said Dix. "They did a good job with that and I thought I was ready, but the reality is it's still a big adjustment."
The top 12 finishers in each event return for Saturday's noon championship session. The top six will race in finals, while places 7 through 12 battle it out in consolation heats.
Barrington junior Maggie Emary will get a taste of both, as she qualified sixth in the 500 free (4:58.74) and 12th in the 200 free (1:53.01).
"I can't say I was real pleased with my times, but there's nothing I can do about that now," she said. "The goal was to be in the A-final in the 500, and to get to swim again in the 200 on Saturday - and I got both of those goals. So now it's just, let's come back tomorrow and see if I can go a little faster."
The Fillies will also have the 400 free relay of Becca Galovich, Emary, Ally Penrod and Bridget O'Leary racing on the meet's second day. They advanced by finishing 11th in 3:31.98 on Friday.
"It was kind of a struggle for us today," said Barrington coach Jim Bart.
Likewise for Hersey junior Olivia Kusio. The three-time state qualifier was hoping to earn a second day of competition in the 100 breaststroke. That didn't happen, as she finished 23rd in 1:06.25. But that time nearly matched her qualifying effort and was a significant improvement over her 30th seed.
"I think now it's a matter of looking back and figuring out what to change," she said. "I think it's working harder - but also maybe working smarter."
Palatine freshman Jane Smith had no trouble adapting to the crowded conditions and general turmoil in her first state meet experience.
She started her day with a lifetime best of 1:54.30 in the 200 free and followed up with a 5:04.30 i in the 500 free.
In the latter, Smith was a near-miss to qualify for the consolation heat, as she finished 14th.
"Before the last two weekends, my best in the 500 was 5:07, so I'll take it," she said.
With a broad smile, Smith described why she'd enjoyed her chance to perform on the state stage.
"You look up there in the stands, and there's all these different colors, representing all the different swimming schools in the state," she said. "I just think it's really cool."
Another cool frosh? Schaumburg's Hana Mollin. In her first state trip, she placed 26th in the 200 IM (2:09.80).
Fremd's experience started a bit rough - a bad exchange disqualified the medley relay - but it got steadily smoother the rest of the way for the Vikes.
While coach Andrew Kittrell's team won't have competitors in Saturday's session, the vibe was resolutely positive following a meet-ending 400 free relay which nearly equalled its seed time. Junior Emily Bolger, freshman Sophia Kuehn, senior Emily Kini and junior Lauren Savage got the team its top placement of the day by taking 15th in 3:32.91.
Junior Rebecca Ballo also had a terrific effort late in the meet in the 100 breaststroke, finishing 19th in 1:05.84.
Most of Fremd's lineup returns intact next year, the very notable exception being Kini. She wrapped up her swimming career by noting how far the Vikings had come in the course of one season.
"It's like a family - maybe something more than a family," Kini said. "You come to this meet wanting to do well just because you don't want to let anybody down.
"Our freshmen and sophomores especially, they were asked to do things I never had to do when I was in their shoes. They gave it their all and I'm so proud of everyone."
In her second state meet appearance, St. Viator senior Elizabeth Drab earned the right to compete in Saturday's session. After eight dives, she's in seventh place with a score of 304.00 - not at all far from the lead position of 317.90.
Among the highlights for fans was a state record performance by Urbana junior Ema Rajic in the 100 breaststroke. She finished in 1:01.26, besting the 2007 mark of 1:01.83 by Stevenson's Ashley Wanland.
Rajic also came close to a state record in the 200 IM as well, clocking 2:00.70. That's just three one-hundredths of a second slower than the mark set by Freeport's Emily Pisula in 1999.
Oswego East has the top seed in both the 200 and 400 freestyle relays entering finals, and junior Georgia White has the top seed in both the 100 and 200 freestyles.
In the 200 free, White set a state record in 1:46.69. That replaces the mark set by Barrington's Kirsten Jacobsen in 2013.
Rosary is seeded second in both freestyle relays and also got its medley into the top six as it attempts to win the team championship for a second straight year.