Validation for Fremd's Freund at state prelims

Fremd junior Jeff Freund had just completed his 500-yard freestyle in Friday's state swimming meet preliminaries at Evanston Township High School.

The race went well, and he'd finished in a best time of 4:41.70.

With one more heat of the race left, though, it wasn't clear whether or not it would be enough for him to realize his goal of finishing in the top 12 and scoring points for the Vikings.

So Freund and coach Nicole LaBeau stood poolside, watching the swimmers in the final heat with furrowed brow, hoping Freund's time would hold up.

When the qualifiers for today's finals were displayed, there was Freund, in the 12th and final qualifying spot.

The brows quickly unfurrowed, instantly making Freund and LaBeau among the happiest people in a very crowded place.

"I'm just very happy to see him so full of joy," LaBeau said.

Freund was positioned nicely in his heat, as St. Patrick senior Derick Carlson set a quick pace in lane 3. Freund, in lane 5, bided his time for a while, but he ended up following Carlson's lead, well ahead of the rest of the heat down the stretch.

"I was worried about the guy next to me drafting off of me, but when I saw (Carlson) pulling away, I was like, 'That's what I've got to do.' "

He'll get another chance to do it today, as the swimming and diving state finals begin at 1 p.m.

Another Fremd junior, Dustin Anderson, did not advance to the finals, but neither was he disappointed. He placed 20th in both the 50 free (21.99) and the 100 free (48.28). The 50 was a personal best, and it left Anderson hoping for better things next year.

"My goals for the year were to get under 22 in the 50 and under 48 in the 100 free," he said. "And I did in both - barely. I just think if I work on my strength a little bit and continue to work on some of the little things, I can definitely improve."

Barrington junior Greg Alexander delivered season-best times in both the 200 IM (1:58.55) and the 100 breastroke (1:00.27) but did not advance to the finals. The Broncos' medley relay was the closest to advancing after finishing 14th, but coach John Valentine considered the day - and the season as a whole - a success.

"Overall, I'd say we did just about like we expected to do, with Greg leading the way for us," Valentine said. "We really are such a young group this year - getting here to the state meet is an important part of our growth."

Conant senior Ryan Chiero narrowly missed advancing in the 50 free, where he finished 14th in 21.70, and in the 100 free (18th, 48.09). The Cougars' 200 free relay, featuring Chiero and senior Will Landgren, also did not advance.

"I'm proud of the way our guys competed," said Conant coach Brian Drenth. "I don't think you'd hear the same thing from them right now, but we had a very special group of guys."

Prospect senior Tyler Bengtsen went out in style in his lone race, the 100-yard breaststroke. Though it wasn't the sub-minute time he'd hoped to hit, Bengtsen concluded his career with a best time (1:00.57) that placed him 24th.

"For me as a coach, Tyler is just about everything you want," said Knights coach Alfonso Lopez. "He takes swimming seriously. He's self-movitated and he has really high expectations for himself."

Other efforts from area swimmers included Buffalo Grove sophomore Ian Rodriguez (40th in the 200 IM, 38th in the 100 back), Barrington's Tom Clement in the 100 backstroke (42nd, 55.90) and teammate Dan Comyn in the 50 free (33rd, 22.34) and Prospect's Joe Lakner in the 100 back (39th, 55.69).

In diving Fremd seniors Brandon Trostrud and Mike Kowalenko finished 25th and 29th, respectively, and Barrington sophomore Nolan Presmyk was 44th.

The swim of the meet came from Peoria Richwoods junior Matt Elliott, who erased a state record that stood for 26 years in the 100 breaststroke. Elliott finished in 55.23, topping Gianni Minnervini's 55.6 set in 1984. It was by far the oldest record on the books, especially after last year's state meet featured incredibly fast performances thanks in part to the buoyant bodysuits in use (they have since been banned).

Neuqua Valley is in charge of the team race with all three relays in the finals and a top seed from Grant Betulius in the 100 backstroke, along with numerous other point-scoring opportunities. Naperville Central, Naperville North and New Trier should also figure prominently in the trophy hunt.

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