Girls swimming: St. Charles North in good shape heading to state
All season, St. Charles North's girls swimming team has been the class team of teams against which it has competed and one of the top teams in the state.
Saturday, the North Stars did their best to qualify enough athletes for next weekend's state meet so they could see where they stack up against the best from all areas of Illinois. They qualified all three relays and 13 of a possible 16 individual entries - so at that, the mission was accomplished.
The North Stars won the sectional 302-240.5 over crosstown rival St. Charles East. Next up is next weekend's state meet in New Trier, where two-time defending champion Rosary and powers such as New Trier and Oswego East await.
"We are in very good shape for next week. We need a lot of rest now. Quiet confidence is something that we talked about all week long," St. Charles North coach Rob Rooney said.
The North Stars' rundown of qualifiers includes Audrey Guyett (200 freestyle, 500 freestyle), Megan Armstrong (200 freestyle, 100 backstroke), Mallory Jump (200 IM, 100 butterfly), Rachel Ponte (200 IM, 100 breaststroke), Julianna Engesser (50 freestyle), Kayleigh Lewis (50 freestyle, 100 freestyle), Mary Kate Phillips (500 freestyle) and Hayley Olsen (100 backstroke.)
St. Charles East qualified the medley relay, the 200 free relay and six individual entries for the state meet. Madison Supple (200 freestyle, 500 freestyle), Mary Jania (200 IM, 100 breaststroke) and Kayla Jones (200 IM and 100 breaststroke) head to New Trier next week.
"None of our girls wore fast suits today, but I don't want them to lose, no doubt about that. They kept that quiet confidence that they were fine," Rooney said.
The Saints have been building through youth this season. Supple is a freshman and Jania a sophomore while Jones is one of the team's few seniors. Molly Yetter, who swam on both the school's qualifying relays, is also a freshman.
"It's huge being able to take two freshmen to the state meet and letting them experience it. Knowing their personalities, they're going to go faster next week. They're so hungry to get that medley back top 12," St. Charles East coach Julia Oelslager said.
Bartlett-Streamwood finished solidly in third place and had one of its best sectional performances in school history. The Sabrehawks qualified all three relays and added individual entries from sophomore Sydney Kelly (200 freestyle, 500 freestyle) and sophomore Kellsie Krisch (100 breaststroke.)
"We started off and broke three school records in the first three races and qualified in the medley relay, which our school's never done. Every single event, we did exactly what we came here to do," Bartlett-Streamwood coach Jeremy Meserole said.
West Chicago-Batavias co-op qualified Kelly Sego in the 200 IM and the 100 backstroke. As a sophomore who qualified as a freshman, Sego is well-prepared for her second trip to the state meet.
"Today was all about making the cut," West Chicago-Batavia coach Nick Parry said. "She's a hardworking kid who, when the lights get brighter, she gets brighter with them."
Likewise, Crystal Lake co-op senior Valerie Tarazi is ready for her final trip to state. She set a pool record while winning the 200 IM and followed later with a win in the 100 breaststroke. She heads to New Trier as one of the top athletes in both events.
"I thought I would have gone a little faster, but I'm tired. I haven't tapered at all for this meet," Tarazi said.
For Jacobs, a two-year gap without a qualifier ended when freshman Jennifer Tokarz qualified in the 500 freestyle.
"We have such a strong team and most of them are freshmen," Jacobs coach Emily Susmarski said. "They're excited and already talking about getting ready for next year."
Glenbard North sophomore Amber Finke qualified for the state meet in the 100 backstroke.