Five more records fall on banner day at state swimming finals

Another day, another quantum leap forward for swimming in Illinois.

Five more state records fell at New Trier on Saturday, raising the meet's grand total to seven and cementing it as the fastest on record, by far.

Neuqua Valley senior Kevin Overholt started the onslaught by winning the 200-yard freestyle in 1:37.24, breaking the mark set by Lake Forest's Erik Maurer in 1989.

Next was Downers Grove North senior Burke Sims, who finished in 4:24.74 to break Brian Gunn's mark, also from 1989.

Two records that had been established in Friday's prelims were quickly updated - Overholt broke his own record in the 100 free by winning in 44.06, and Glenbrook South's 200 free relay improved upon the national record it had set Friday by winning in 1:22.15.

And finally, New Trier, to punctuate its state title, won the 400 free relay in 3:02.24, more than 11/2 seconds ahead of Lake Forest's time in 2003.

The host Trevians finished with 165.5 points to top second-place Neuqua Valley (127) and third-place Glenbrook South (115).

And in keeping with the general theme of achievement, the area's best swimmers saved their best for last.

Fremd senior Sam Childs had been battling to regain the finishing form he'd shown last year, a task made much tougher by a respiratory illness that had forced him to visit the doctor just three weeks ago.

"They gave me an inhaler and everything," said Childs. "It was pretty bad. I was kind of thinking the worst, that I wouldn't even make top 12."

Those fears proved unfounded. Competing in the consolation heat of the 100 freestyle, Childs finished second in 46.94. That put him eighth overall, his highest finish in an individual race at the state meet and a nice finishing point to a standout career.

"To be honest, I'd hoped my time might be a little faster," said Childs, "but considering everything that happened, I'll definitely take it."

The finish was equally sweet for Schaumburg senior Chris Corbett in the 100 backstroke. He continued to drop big chunks of time all the way through the season's final weeks, culminating with his final high school race.

Corbett finished in 51.67, about seven-tenths of a second faster than his qualifying time on Friday, and a full two seconds faster than his best time prior to the start of this season.

"When I got in for warm-ups, I just felt different - in a good way," said Corbett. "I just had a feeling I'd be faster."

His performance in the pool isn't the only thing coming together for Corbett. On Monday he received his letter of appointment to West Point, where he plans to swim.

"I think his confidence now is finally where it needs to be," said veteran Saxons coach Tom Gallagher, who saw Corbett break the team record set by Kevin Barrow and gain an automatic All-America time. "He has been a great leader for us. He gave us an awful lot. I just hope he got as much back."

And then there was Fremd senior Varun Shivakumar. A mandatory IHSA drug screen after Friday night's preliminaries contributed to a departure that was much later than he'd been hoping for, and the Northwestern-bound standout said he still wasn't feeling right early in Saturday's finals.

"It was just such a roller-coaster of a weekend," he said. "Some things didn't go the way we planned."

But when it was time for him to race, the mood had changed drastically.

"You know, I'm getting ready for my race, and suddenly I'm just relaxed and thinking, 'There's no reason to hold back, just go out and race.' So that's what I did, and it turned out fine."

Shivakumar placed 12th but had his best time of the season, 51.96.

"Getting top 12 in this meet - hey, I'll take it. This is the best state meet in history.

"I'm proud of my swims. I'm proud of my whole team, and I'm proud of the guys I raced, especially other guys from the MSL."

Cary-Grove had a finish to remember, too. The District 155 co-op team led by coach Jim Andriakos finished with 13 points, tied for 27th place. That's the program's highest finish, and it came as the result of two swims by senior Brent Curtis and one from senior Michael Kinross.

Curtis started his day with a time of 45.66 in the 100 free, almost seventh-tenths of a second faster than his qualifying effort Friday and good for fourth place in a heat that featured a state record by Kevin Overholt. The fourth-place individual finish is the best Cary-Grove has attained at a swimming state meet.

"I still don't think he really knows how good he is," said Andriakos. "We really thought he could get into the 45s, that was always the goal."

Mission accomplished.

"It feels great," said Curtis, who attends Crystal Lake South. "All the way around, it was a better swim than Friday."

The Indiana-bound senior later finished his career with a 12th-place finish in the 100 breaststroke.

Though Curtis is frequently dwarfed by his sprinting competitors, Andriakos long ago learned to ignore such trivial considerations.

"It's like that saying, 'It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.' I'd put my money on Brent every time."

Kinross produced his finest high school effort in his final race, the 100 fly. He finished in 50.91, a liftetime best and just a couple of tenths of a second away from automatic All-American status.

Bound for Eastern Michigan, Kinross can look back on a high school career that helped Cary-Grove to its best-ever season.

"For me, the goal was always to get into the top 12," Kinross said. "It feels amazing."

And Andriakos is grateful to have had both Curtis and Kinross as competitors who have made a difference, both this year and probably beyond.

"When I decided to take this job, I knew I was going to have to have leaders for the program to be successful," the coach said. "I talked to Brent and Michael and told them, 'I'm counting on you.' They came through."