Works pays off as Meadows earns dual win
Swimming is truly an endurance sport. The alarm clock going off before 5 a.m., the countless laps in the pool, the grueling hours of weight training. And for Rolling Meadows, working tirelessly for nearly nine weeks without experiencing a dual meet victory.
That changed Friday night as the Mustangs earned their first win of the season, defeating Elk Grove 118-67 in the Mid-Suburban East.
"We're here almost every day over winter break, and we do dry land program too, which really is an excellent addition to my sets and workouts," said Rolling Meadows coach Monika Chiappetta. "Those two things together really made a difference."
With 13 seniors gone from last season's squad, this year's upperclassman have had to make a difference.
"We're smaller this year, but we have a lot of talent," said Meadows senior Jeff Dykstra, who won the 100 free (52.95) and swam a season-best 2:01.70 as he took first in the 200 free. "A lot of guys are stepping up."
One of those is junior Nick Doyle. The first-year varsity swimmer, who missed his freshman season with appendicitis, recorded a personal best in the 100 back (1:04.75), holding off Elk Grove's Alexander Kraus (1:05.58) for first place.
"(Nick is) the kind of kid I'd like my whole program to be," Chiappetta said. "He's hands down the hardest worker. He is truly seeing the benefits of working hard."
Doyle also took third in the 200 freestyle (2:04.61), behind Dykstra and Elk Grove's Josh Nishida (2:04.19).
"(The win is nice) especially after last week," Doyle said, referring to last Friday's 131-55 home loss to Fremd.
Junior A.J. Adams won the 50 free in 23.30, and swam the anchor leg on the Mustang's first-place 200 and 400 freestyle relays. But his most dominant performance came in the 500 free. After exploding off the blocks, the third-year varsity swimmer won the event (5:21.91) by nearly 45 seconds. Quite a feat for someone who hasn't swam the event in competition since the Mustang's Nov. 30 season-opener at Schaumburg.
"I felt really good, smooth until the last 200 (yards) and that's when it starts kicking in, the lactic acid builds up and I start fighting it," Adams said. "My main goal right now is to get the (school) record (5:07.74)."
Rolling Meadows junior Dan Vockeroth won the diving competition with a 146.60, and took first in the 100 breaststroke (1:07.91), ahead of Elk Grove's Bart Pienkowski (1: 10.01) and Damian Zabielski (1:13.70).
Elk Grove junior Scott Kemp finished third in the 100 free (55.75) and was just 37-hundredths (23.60) off Adams' pace in the 50 free. Nishida added a second-place finish in the 100 free (54.11) for the Grens.
"His times are slowly coming down," said Elk Grove coach Scott Gustafson. "(Josh is) getting better each and every time."
• Schaumburg won two of three relays and held off host Palatine 98-88.
Saxons winners included Kevin Kase in the 200-meter free (2:09.78), Chris Pomagier in the 200 IM (2:33.45), Joe Buckley in diving (149.75) and Mike Kehoe in the 100 free (59.57).
Sebastian Dorszewski was a double winner for Palatine, in the 50 free (26.81) and the 100 back (1:08.09).
• Spencer Sophie won the 50-meter freestyle (26.07) and the 100 free ( 58.93) to help pace Fremd in a 133-52 victory over Hoffman Estates.
• Buffalo Grove won all three relays and had an individual double winner in Mike Hausfeld (50 free, 500 free) as the Bison topped Wheeling 122-64.
Erik Maczko won both the 200-yard IM (2:02.99) and the 100 backstroke (55.57).
• Prospect won the 200 medley and 200 free relays and had a double winner in Charlie Mau (200 IM, 100 fly) in a 105-77 triumph over Hersey.