Prospect has fun while bringing home a title
The Prospect girls swimming team could have used Saturday's Hersey Jamboree as a chance to gain some revenge after the host Huskies defeated the Knights on Thursday to all but clinch the Mid-Suburban League East Division -- a title the Knights had held for the past two years.
Hersey could have rubbed it in, shown Prospect that it belongs at the top of the division standings.
But unlike Thursday's dual, this meeting at Olympic Pool in Arlington Heights was more for fun than full-out competition.
Hersey led with three events to go, but only had one scorer in the 100-yard breaststroke and dropped from first to third place after that event.
The Huskies stayed there the rest of the meet.
Prospect took the title with 216 points. Warren placed second with 209.5 points, and Hersey ended up third with 203.5 points in the closest finish in the last five years.
"We just wanted to prove that we still belong at the top," said Prospect coach Dick Mortensen. "We knew Hersey would put up a great fight and that Warren would put up a great fight."
The star of the meet for the Knights was senior Sarah Sohn, who won the 200 free (2:03.30) and the 500 free (5:33.44).
Sohn was part of the winning 200 free relay (1:46.21), along with Molly Nordyke, Greta Pietraszek and Kelly Wilson; and the 400 free relay (3:50.62), with the help of Nordyke, Michelle Schueler and Wilson.
"We don't really come out to get one team. We wanted to do our best," said Sohn, who swam Thursday and Saturday despite a painful oblique injury. "It's definitely better. It's still there, though. This wasn't my best meet time-wise. I'm always trying to win, but this wasn't my best."
Hersey coach Rob Lindgren also wasn't too concerned with beating what has become his team's closest competition in the division.
"I think it was the impact of the intensity of the last couple of weeks," Lindgren said. "We've been going slower the last few weeks.
"We tried a few things matchup-wise. There are a lot of things going on like homecoming."
Was this meet more for fun or being competitive for the Huskies?
"We always want to be competitive, but given the effect the girls have had the last few weeks working so hard, mentally it's been a tough three weeks," Lindgren said.
Hersey's Caroline Stoklosa placed third in the 200 free (2:08.92) and second in the 500 free (5:33.44).
"I felt good coming into this meet," Stoklosa said. "I wanted to go from the 5:30s in the 500 because I've been in the 5:40s."