Rosary ready to battle New Trier for 3rd straight title
On the eve of the girls swimming and diving state meet, the "psych sheet" is out, and if you're a Rosary fan, this might mean good news.
That's because, according to the psych sheet - in which swimmers are scored solely on qualification times, the Beads are 143-115 winners over New Trier for the state title.
While the psych sheet does accurately predict that Rosary and New Trier will duke it out this weekend in Evanston, anything else is just conjecture. State points aren't scored officially until Saturday.
Although official points are only scored during Saturday's finals, the prelims thin the field to 12 per event and lock swimmers to a top six championship heat and the next six to a consolation heat.
"Some kids are going to go faster and some are going to go slower, and you don't know who will do either until you get there," Rosary coach Bill Schalz said. "If you're worried about Girl A, B or C, then you're forgetting about Girl D, E or F who may be in there kicking your butt. All you can concentrate on is your own 7 1/2 (seven and one-half) foot wide lane of water."
In a state meet that could be closer than any since Naperville Central defeated Neuqua Valley 131-130 in 2005, every event could be important. Here are just a few things to watch this weekend:
Relays: Relays score twice as many points as any individual race. This year, they are all-important because of the relay strength of the two contending teams. Rosary is seeded third in the 200-yard medley and first in the 200 freestyle relay and the 400 freestyle relay. New Trier is seeded 10th in the medley relay and is second to Rosary in the freestyle relays.
"You've got to get your relays into bigs (top six finals)," Schalz said. "The bottom line is that they're worth double points and you've got to be ready to go."
The 100-yard butterfly: If relays are worth twice as many points as individual races, then scoring two swimmers in the championship finals is like having a fourth relay.
Rosary has that chance in the butterfly, where Olivia Scott is seeded first and Mackenzie Powers is seeded third. Should both hold their spots in the top six, the Beads will pick up some crucial points in the middle portion of the meet.
New Trier freshman Samantha James enters the finals seeded fifth and exists as a threat to take points in the race if Rosary's tandem slip.
"(Scott) is a great racer," Schalz said. "She loves to race and is a great competitor."
Diving: What the 100 butterfly is for Rosary, diving is for New Trier. Sisters Paige and Caroline Grant both have a shot of finishing in the top 12. Rosary does not have a diver qualified for the state meet, so any points the Trevians add here come without reply by the Beads.
"It's another relay for them - it's a fourth relay for them," Schalz said. "But we've got some other areas where we can be a lot stronger."
Kate Shumway: New Trier senior Shumway is one of the state's star swimmers. She is seeded eighth in the 200 freestyle and seventh in the 100 freestyle. A year ago, she won the 200 free and was second in the 100 free. Expect her to move up, and to power the Trevians two freestyle relays.
"She's a great girl, I really like Katie," Schalz said of Shumway. "I love her out of the water and hate her in the water. She's a very tough competitor for them."
The 200 individual medley: The 200 IM field is as competitive as there is in the state. Barrington's Emily Fogle is having a great season and top-seeded Adrienne Bicek finished second in the race last year. Rosary's Scott is seeded third.
"It's going to be an important race for us, although they're all important," Schalz said. "Winning that race is an early test for us."
This race has tremendous area implications as well. St. Charles North's. Angie Chokran is seeded sixth and has hopes of finishing higher. St. Charles East freshman Emma Smith is seeded ninth and is sure to drop time on Friday.
500 freestyle: This could be the most intriguing race of the day for the title contenders. Rosary's Kally Fayhee is the defending champion in this event and is seeded 10th and will definitely drop time. Beads freshman Emily Launer is also strong bet to score in finals.
"We knew all along with the way some other girls in the state are swimming that this would be a huge challenge," Schalz said. "We knew that (Fayhee) would not be going into the state meet favored. Those other girls have got to get up and race and (Fayhee's) got a different pressure."
This is another race with large local interest. St. Charles East's Smith is seeded third in her first state meet. St. Charles North's Jessica England is seeded seventh. Strong prelim swims by both will see them each swim for the state title on Saturday.
100 backstroke: Rosary's Elisabeth Tavierne is seeded 13th, the spot no one wants to hold at the end of prelims, as only the top 12 advance to the finals. Tavierne, in her final state meet with the Beads has an excellent chance to score some points in this race.
"I thought she was a little bit off in the state meet the last couple of years," Schalz said of Tavierne. "This year, she's got it dialed in. She's got the capability of making finals."
100 breaststroke: This race is one of the few that won't do much to decide the destination of the state title. But it's going to be an incredible race. Barrington's Fogle and St. Charles North's Chokran are the only swimmers under 1:05 entering prelims. Just .30 separate the swimmers seeded seventh through 12th. Don't count out St. Charles East junior Kayla Scott, who is seeded 15th and is sure to drop some time.