Boys swimming: Scouting Northwest

BarringtonCoach John Valentine's team placed a close second in last year's Mid-Suburban League meet and brings back many of the participants central to that effort. Especially helpful will be three seniors - Mitch Gavars, John Lagoni and Colin O'Leary - who have had plenty of state-level experience and success. Gavars, recently committed to Bucknell, is a standout distance freestyler and a three-time state qualifier. O'Leary has twiced placed at the state meet, most recently taking 11th in the 100 fly; he's also a first-rate backstroker and will help elevate the relays. Lagoni excelled in the 100 and 200 freestyles last season, earning his first individual trips to state in both events. Among the other key competitors are senior Andrew Fish, who had a leg on last year's state-qualifying medley relay, along with Max Gersten, Sam Burrell and Jack Hoppe. Junior diver Steven Latimer qualified to state as a sophomore, so dual-meet foes of the Broncos won't be picking up easy points there. It sure looks like the kind of team which will have Barrington in the thick of the hunt in the MSL, with plenty of opportunities for big swims in the last meet of the high school season.

Buffalo GroveCoach Jeff Skalon's group has several key competitors back from last season, including senior Mark Poirier (sprints, fly), sophomore Dan Verdico (IM, distance), junior Korie Morris (sprints, breast) and standout senior diver Jack Delattre, a two-time state qualifier. Among the promising new faces are Andy Gontko (soph., free/breast), Kevin Carr (jr., distance), Kenny Velu (jr., 200 IM, back) and Matt Misch (jr., diving). All of them figure to benefit from a commitment to the Life of an Athlete program called Elevate - one which encourages healthy life choices and the willingness to put teammates' interests before selfish ones. On that selfless note, the Bison aim to raise money toward the Soldier's Journey Home organization and a specific vet in need of support. They'll be using next week's dual with Hersey to do what they can for Tony Chobanov.

ConantThe Cougars graduated the majority of their swimmers from last year's sectional lineup, so in general coach Brian Drenth is putting an emphasis on development. But in diving, senior Cole Aykroid is well past that phase. Last year's MSL champ went undefeated in dual meets, broke four school records and earned another state meet appearance, finishing 19th. This year, according to Drenth, Aykroid is "determined to do even better." Back to the swimmers: Senior Yuriy Yatskiv (freestyles, IM), versatile junior Malhar Kate and sophomore Justin Lim (fly, sprints) are among the top returners. Among the varsity newcomers expected to contribute are junior Harris Dibek (sprint freestyle) and sophomores Yousef Ahmed (breast, sprints), Bryan Cho (breast), Alex Hirjoi (sprints, fly) and Christian Snopek (breast, sprints). Numbers aren't a problem as Drenth is looking at a group of more than 70 athletes. He expects that to see plenty of healthy competition for lineup spots. "It should be an exciting season to be a part of, with some great results at the end," Drenth said.

Elk GroveCoach Keith Kura's top athletes back in action are junior Nick Rosenorn (fly, sprints) and sophomore Adrian Wlodarz (breast, IM, sprints). He's also eager to new what junior Mike Kulpa (backstroke, sprints) can bring to the varsity lineup. Beyond that, the Grens are long on numbers but lacking in experience. Kura hopes to focus on the processes that will lead to the desired results over the long haul. "Our team goals are to make every day better than the previous," he said. "Show up each day with a positive attitude and the drive to work hard."

FremdThe Vikings are looking forward to a season with plenty of seniors, along with a junior class that's had plenty of great experience already. Seniors Nick Nevins, Joe Mayer and Tony Lee and juniors Alex Schillinger and Danny Konishi will captain a group whose inclusive motto is, "All In." The Vikes have a well-rounded assortment of athletes back from last year's Mid-Suburban League championship effort. Nick Seroni is the school record-holder in the 100 fly and a returning state meet qualifier, and Newby plans to harness his considerable versatility in duals. Nick Nevins gives Fremd a drop-dead sprint specialist who's improved enough in his butterfly to contribute in a big way there as well; he also has state-meet experience. Senior Arnas Maciunas will focus on the 200 and 500 freestyles and will also take key relay legs, while Schillinger excels in the breaststroke and IM. Other key contributors figure to be Pranith Bottu (sprints), Lee (back/sprints), Konishi (sprints), divers Zach Mega and Ben Sammons and sophomores Paul Ponte (distance, backstroke) and Nick Flowers (IM, fly). "Our focus will be to see what we can do as a collective force," said Newby. "We are definitely a program that is much tougher together than we are individually."

HerseyIt looks like an exciting season for the Huskies, even if it has started with some challenges. Issues with Prospect's pool have temporarily had Hersey practicing at Wheeling. But as soon as next week, the Huskies figure to be back where they belong for training at Prospect, and among the competitors in the water will be junior Michael Petro. He excels in the 100 fly and 200 IM, qualifying for the state meet in both as a freshman before opting not to swim the high school season as a sophomore. He'll rejoin a team which made big developmental gains last season but still, on balance, is young. Josh Irvine (distance) and Nick Pauwels (back, distance) are among the top juniors, and Hersey will also count on sophs Jack Blumenfeld (free), Stephen Han (back), Ethan Huene (breast) and Nick Nocita (diving). Coach Dick Mortensen counts Danny Pollina (fly) and Spencer Burkhalter (breast) among his promising freshmen. Numbers aren't a problem, but with 35 frosh-soph swimmers, it may take some time for Hersey to hit its stride. "With only three seniors and eight juniors, this team is young," Mortensen said. "But they have the right attitude to become something special toward the end of the year. Michael gives us a legit shot to score at state, and there are a few others that are on the brink of the next level. I am excited to see what the year brings."

Hoffman EstatesCoach Jenny Toler brings back several key performers from last year. Senior Andy Hobar's best event is the breaststroke, but he's versatile and thus can be helpful in just about any dual meet. Junior Mark Heitkotter made big gains last high school season and will lead the sprints, and junior Greg Baranov can be effective in the freestyles as well. Senior John Ray Cuartero is back to dive for the Hawks, who are expecting varsity contributions from freshman EJ Merza in the breaststroke.

PalatineIf the Pirates seem a little out of their element at the start of this season, well, that's because they are. Palatine is getting its pool time at Fremd until the Pirates' own pool rehab is finished, and it looks like that will happen just before the holidays. The roster, too, is under construction. Many of the top performers from last year's third-place conference finisher are competing in college now - but there are several high-achievers back in action, too. Team captain Alex Bartosik is the school record-holder in the 200 IM and will be seeking a fourth straight trip to the state meet. Junior Jake Klein is another with state experience, and according to coach John Schauble, enters this year having added considerably more muscle mass. Junior Sean O'Brien became a key contributor last season in backstroke, breaststroke and relays. Diving coach Curt Bendell again will work with standout Joseph Zhao (another school record-holder), while the Pirates will look for depth from Dylan White, TJ May, Jerome Gabriel, Ashton Barontini, Zack Gray, Noah Chon, Mohammad Shahin and Samuel Spaletto. Schauble is also hoping for contributions from a handful of his top freshmen: Sam Adame, Stefan Filip, Christian Snyder and Brandon Vega.

ProspectThe outlook is certainly promising for the defending MSL East champs. Like every team, Prospect is looking to replace graduated seniors. Unlike most teams, the Knights have plenty of answers in place, which at the very least will make them a terrific dual-meet team. Start with diver Anthony Liva and breaststroke specialist Jacob Kosinski, both state qualifiers a year ago. Coach Alfonso Lopez feels the sprints may be the team's greatest strength, as Matt Inserra and Nick Partipilo lead a group which will include Reidar Erbe, Alex Jarosz, Kosinski and Dan Macina. In distance, it will be Jarosz, Nick Lagowski and Josh Nam. The brothers Rodriguez - Ethan (senior), Cam (junior) and Aidan (freshman) - will all compete in fly. Asher Ginnodo and Ethan Rodriguez head the backstroke effort with Sam Truppa, and breaststroke will be a plus event with Kosinski, Partipilo, Abe Elfar, Alex Karlovitz and Nick Truppa. There are plenty of capable IMers, too, with Peadar McGrath in that group. Lopez wants the program's goals to remain the same: Win as many duals as possible, place high at invites and be ready for big late-season swims, ideally with some state meet individuals and relays. "I do think we have a good group to do that, and perhaps take some school records down in the process," he said. "Great group of kids that I'm excited to see compete."

Rolling MeadowsThe Mustangs are looking forward to a competitive year in the MSL East. Senior Filip Pancerz (fly and back) and versatile junior Josh Dellorto figure to lead the way. Dellorto is a two-time individual state qualifier in the 200 free who continues to make gains in other events. Junior Jake Pors (free, breaststroke) and senior Nate Pardini are also proven varsity performers. Others who will have a varsity impact include Andrew Tavares (200 IM, fly), Jack Keeley (backstroke) and Jack Mallek (free, breast). There's enough on the roster to assemble some terrific relays, and coach Monika Chiappetta is hoping the progress shows in terms of dual meet victories and perhaps some team records. Harder to quantify is the effect the younger swimmers may have. Junior Mark Helminski and sophomores Lloyd Quadros and Chinappa Malteria have moved up to varsity, and freshmen Brian Behrens, Alex Espino, Noah St. John, Vladimir Molin and Nathan and Matt Helminiski have shown great promise. Of this year's group, Chiappetta says, "They know what it takes to be successful and are willing to put in the work to make it happen. That is a great combination."

SchaumburgCoach Tim O'Grady heads into a first season coaching the Saxons' boys team with five key returners from the previous season: Matt Soltau (freestyle), Matt Kelland (IM/fly/free), Tyler Reynolds (distance), Andrew Jun (breaststroke) and Mike Burke (back/free). While the Saxons' pool is still in mid-facelift, some actual new faces should help the program make the transition: Matteas Arostegui (IM/fly/free/breast) and divers Matthew Schmaus and Brandon Nyborg.

WheelingIt would be tough for any team to replace the kind of record-setting seniors the Wildcats depended on last year. But coach Tod Schwager does have several familiar faces back from that group, including versatile sophomore Jacob Gorenyuk (fly, 200 IM, 200 free, 50 free), senior Ricky Reeve (distance) and Nick Konstantos (50 free, 200 IM). Schwagers says Wheeling hopes to extend its streak of sending qualifiers to the state meet, to improve on its finish in the MSL East and to remain as an upper-division finisher at the conference meet.