Neuqua Valley wins 5th straight Upstate Eight crown

With sectionals looming in two weeks and the state meet in three, teams and individuals who competed at Saturday's Upstate Eight Conference meet at St. Charles North are understandably turning their focus to what lies ahead - Neuqua Valley being one of those squads.

But the Wildcats made sure they took care of the task at hand, winning two of three relays and six individual events en route to capturing their fifth consecutive UEC crown with 418 points - easily outdistancing runner-up Waubonsie Valley, which compiled 353 points.

St. Charles East (319), Lake Park (282) and the host North Stars (233) finished second, third and fourth, respectively.

"It was our fifth in a row, and before that, I don't think we had won a conference championship so it's a nice little streak we've got going," said Wildcats coach Chad Allen. "Some of these teams are very young - St. Charles North and Waubonsie Valley. I think they'll be tough in the next couple of years, but we're on a nice roll."

Seniors Hans Peters and Grant Betulius certainly were on a nice roll Saturday. Peters won the 200- and 500-yard freestyle races and teamed up with Brien Gerber, Andrew Quinn and Robert Vechiola to take the 400 freestyle relay.

Meanwhile, Betulius won the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke and also took part in the Wildcats' first-place 200 medley relay team, along with Gerber, Kevin Cordes and Andrew Bratsos.

Betulius, Bratsos, Quinn and Conner Jager also teamed up to place second in the 200 freestyle relay. In addition Bratsos and Gerber went 1-2 in the 100 butterfly, and Cordes - the defending state champion in the 100 breaststroke - easily won his race in a pool-record 58.31 seconds.

"Today we did really well," Betulius said. "It really gives us confidence going into sectionals and state. I think we have a great team, a good group of leaders and people who work hard in practice. I think that will really pay off in the end."

The Wildcats will host a sectional Feb. 20 that includes Waubonsie Valley, Naperville North and Naperville Central.

"Our sights are on the state meet," Allen said. "For sectionals we just want to get our guys through to the state meet and make sure all three relays qualify with no issues. We're in pretty good shape to score some points in the state meet, and we've got some guys that are going to have to drop some times down the stretch here - and our three relays are going to have to get faster, which we've been talking about. I think they will."

St. Charles East senior Shane Seuschek finished just six-tenths of a second behind Betulius in the 100 freestyle to grab second. Seuschek also was second in the 200 freestyle, while Shawn Seuschek nabbed second in the 200 individual medley. Freshman Nick Watts was third in the 500 freestyle and helped the Saints' 200 freestyle relay team - which also included the Seuscheks and classmate TJ Bindseil - to a third-place finish.

"Shane and Shawn had great meets, and it was that way across the board for us," said Saints coach Joe Cabel. "Everybody had some nice drops and places. We were just a little slow to get off at the beginning, but then after the first couple of events, the nerves slowed down and they looked better the rest of the meet."

The North Stars' top individual performer of the afternoon, junior Andrew Preusse, finished second in the 50 freestyle. Preusse also teamed up with sophomore Chris Dieter and juniors Alex Waskelo and Kyle Passini for fourth in the 200 freestyle relay.

Dieter, a state qualifier in both the 200 and 500 freestyle as a freshman last winter, placed fourth in the 200 and seventh the 500.

"Dieter, obviously, is a state returning guy," said North Stars coach Rob Rooney. "He's trying to get himself set up for the next run at things. We're a very young team that is trying to get organized and get into a pattern. There's been a lot of teaching going on this year with what we're looking for."

For the Lancers, Nathan Schingoethe finished first and second in the 200 individual medley and 200 backstroke, respectively. Aaron Casper sprinted home to a first-place finish in the 50 freestyle and added a third in the 100 freestyle.

The North Stars, Saints and Lancers - along with 16 other schools - will take part in a sectional hosted by St. Charles East. Elgin, South Elgin, Batavia, Bartlett, Geneva, West Chicago, St. Francis and Wheaton Warrenville South are among the schools that will be competing.