Red Devils hold off worn-down Wildcats

It's that time of the year again, when every swim team in Illinois could have Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" as a theme song.

Effort was at a maximum in Saturday's St. Charles North Invitational. But times suffered from teams at their peak training levels.

"Yardage is up, lifting weights is at its peak," St. Charles North coach Rob Rooney said. "We're doing a great job training-wise and attitude-wise. Now all we have to do is get through these next few weeks and then get ready to taper."

Hinsdale Central rolled to the championship, scored 383 points and were well ahead of second-place Neuqua Valley's 266-point total.

"The girls have been swimming real well all year," Hinsdale Central coach Bob Barber said. "We hit a peak about two weeks ago. We've now hit a plateau and we're staying at it. We've been practicing pretty darn hard and they're dragging themselves over to come talk to me."

The Red Devils set a pool record in the 200-yard medley relay, the only swimming record to fall. Meredith Sweeney, Sarah Coady, E.B. Worthington and Sara Shaner swam 1:49.61, breaking the existing mark of 149.97.

"The medley relay more than impressed me," Barber said. "Breaking a pool record - I don't think about that kind of stuff - ever. To have it happen, it's a pretty cool thing. It's really cool for those girls. This is a sectional site, and there have been some very fast times that have come out of this pool."

Hinsdale Central swept all three relays and had an individual champion when Meredith Sweeney won the 100 backstroke.

Neuqua Valley coach Jennifer Heyer-Olsen said she knows her team very well, and she knew the struggles her team had in the water weren't down to a lack of trying. In fact she said the hard work her squad has put in during practice probably had a negative effect on their invitational performance.

"I know these kids have big hearts and so I can only figure that, with the training that we do, that they're exhausted," Heyer-Olsen said. "I know we're better than what we did today. I'm not disappointed in their efforts because I know they tried hard. But they're exhausted and this is the best they could do."

The Wildcats emerged from a three-team fight for second place with Stevenson and St. Charles North. But time drops were hard to find in the team's performances, something that existed across the board.

"I don't think you should come into meets at this time of the year and get best times," Heyer-Olsen said. "That's not what it's all about. I mean, it's nice when it happens."

Still, the competition level at St. Charles North is as good as there is in a midseason invitational. Being competitors, Heyer-Olsen saw her team trying to swim fast - but saw it wasn't possible.

"When your tank is empty, there's not much else you can do," Heyer-Olsen said. "At the end of the races, they lay it all out there, and if they don't have anything left, they don't have anything left."

Neuqua Valley's only event victor was Jeannette Nolte in the 100 butterfly.

The host North Stars had a two-event champion in Angie Chokran, who won the 200 individual medley and the 100 breaststroke.

"Winning the two events today was a great way to start October," Chokran said. "They were kind of flat swims today. We've been starting to train hard. I was expecting it. I put all I had in to it and I'm glad I won."

Chokran seemed to gain time in turns, which goes against her usual form book.

"Usually when I'm tired, my turns suffer," she said. "That's something I have to work on before I get to the championship meets."

West Chicago finished ninth but had an event winner in sophomore Kelly Dunn, who finished first in the 200 freestyle.