Girls swimming: Downers Grove North repeats at sectional
Downers Grove North was a sectional team champion last year and scored 293 points. So what did the Trojans do for an encore Saturday at the York sectional?
A nearly identical showing - they won it with 294 points and qualified four individuals and all three relays to next weekend's state meet at New Trier.
Junior Amelia Carlson led Downers Grove North with four qualifiers. She won the 50-yard freestyle in 24.26 and took second in the 100 freestyle in 52.86. She also led off the winning 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle relays.
"You know, our team has been working so hard since the beginning of August, every day, we had doubles three times a week, we just worked so collectively as a group together," Carlson said. "It's just amazing what we can do just being a team and being on key with each other."
Senior Libby Benge set a pool record while winning the 100 breaststroke in 1:04.47. Sophomore Olivia Asay qualified by taking second in the 100 butterfly in 57.12, slightly behind Conant junior Megumi Komoto.
"Nice job," Trojans coach Judy Busse said, adding that getting a large group to state is "the goal coming in, and you don't know how that's going to play out, but they swam very well today."
The Glenbard West-South co-op team took second with 208 points but only qualified one swimmer to state - senior Madi Field, who made it in the 100 backstroke, one of four to make it to state in that event. It will be her first trip to state as an individual.
"That was a personal goal I had and it was just good to swim for myself and to achieve that," Field said.
Coach Miles Ritchie saw his team just miss the cut in a whopping five events. Field missed in the 50 freestyle, finishing second to Carlson. Sophomore Katelyn White did likewise in the 100 breaststroke, taking second behind Berge. The 200 freestyle relay consisting of Field, sophomores Abby Rosenthal and Ellie Gasperko and freshman Lillian Nesson, also took second behind Downers Grove North in 1:39.41.
The host team, York, was similar to Glenbard West-South in that it finished third as a team with 184 points but qualified just two swimmers - freshman diver Marlena Modica, who won with 385.75 points, and senior Amanda Polach who took the 200 freestyle in 1:54.94. Polach nearly qualified in the 500 freestyle, taking second to Schaumburg sophomore Nina Mollin in 5:11.75.
Polach, who went to state as a freshman in the 400 freestyle relay, will make her return for the last time as an individual.
"I was more focused on the 500," Polach said of the 200 freestyle. "This event, I was like, I have to get through it, and then I'll worry about the next event. This one, I was kind of like, I'm going to give it all I've got because it might be the last time I'm ever swimming it."
Schaumburg had an interesting day, equaling Downers North with number of qualifiers with seven. Mollin and her senior sister, Hana, spent a lot of time on the podium. Nina won the 500 freestyle and the 200 individual medley, just ahead of her sister. Hana took third in the 100 backstroke in 57.54. They joined forces with sophomore Madison Dohrn and senior Lynda Steen to post second-place finishes in the 400 freestyle relay and 200 medley relay.
"Today was probably the best day ever, because both of our relays got into state, so we're going to have a good team going to state," Nina Mollin said. "It's crazy how fast it was today."
Maine West was led by a freshman, Michelle Kaner, who won two events - the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke.
Kaner - like Conant's Komoto, York's Modica and several others - will be a first-timer at state. What's her perception of that event?
"I've watched sectionals, and I know the crowd is crazy," Kaner said. "I think it's going to be 10 times like this. The nerves are going to be crazy."