Girls swimming state meet / Northwest
In what became a very long meet due to numerous delays caused by assorted timing system malfunctions, it turned out to be well worth the wait for Schaumburg senior Sammy Schuckles.
For in Friday’s girls swimming state meet preliminaries at Evanston Township High School, Schuckles a four-time state qualifier finally reached the promised land in her final chance at it.
She’ll be swimming in today’s consolation finals of the 100-yard backstroke after delivering a personal-best 57.88 in the last qualifying heat.
“Oh, yeah, it feels pretty great,” she said. “I just came into the backstroke thinking, ‘This is it. Let’s go.’ ”
Coach Tim Kasper was watching the race from the crowded poolside, but he was easy to spot when Schuckles’ time popped up on the display board above the pool all 6-foot-6 of him, both arms raised in triumph.
“I tell you what, it’s incredibly rewarding to see her get through (to the consolation finals),” said Kasper, who coached Schuckles through all four years at Schaumburg. “In my 30 years, I’ve never had a swimmer quite like her.
“It wouldn’t be accurate to say we’ve never butted heads. We’ve disagreed on a couple of things. But the last four, five weeks, she got serious about this, and you can see the result. It’s incredibly satisfying to have her swimming (on Saturday).
In a meet delayed twice by balky timing pads and other assorted timing issues, Glenbrook South sophomore Olivia Smoliga might have provided the meet’s most dramatic moment.
The top-seeded swimmer in the 50 free, Smoliga slipped on her start, with her rear foot sliding almost completely off the back of the starting block. Despite the awful start, she finished in 23.61, putting her in the No. 2 slot for finals.
Later, in the 100 backstroke, she set a state record with a time of 53.90.
For Barrington, the meet was just plain long.
Junior standout Erika Elliott was disqualified for a false start in the 50 freestyle; her time would have placed her in the championship finals. She did advance to the consolation heat of the 100 freestyle with the ninth-fastest prelim effort, but of Barrington’s three relays, only the 200 free advanced to Saturday, with a spot in the consolation finals.
Bright spots for the Fillies included Justine Kaszynski’s personal-best 58.82 in the 100 fly, a solid 50 free from senior Jacqueline Holdsberg (24.69, 16th), and good efforts from Holdsberg and senior teammate Anne Jacobsen in the 100 back.
Elliott’s misfortune in the 50 allowed Maine West senior Ailish O’Connell to realize her goal for the year. She ended up with the 12th and final qualifying time in the 50 freestyle.
“Oh man, I was crying over there because I didn’t think I’d made it in,” she said. “Then I found out I was 12th, and that changed my mood right around.”
O’Connell also improved on her seed time in the 100 free, finishing 25th in 53.97. With O’Connell positioned to score points in the 50 free and senior diver Jen Rey in sixth position entering today’s final three dives, Maine West will dent the state scoreboard for the first time since 2003.
Palatine senior Monica Dorszewski was a near-miss to advance in the 100 breastroke, finishing 15th. Her teammate, senior diver Mallory Fisher, advanced to today’s final three dives and is positioned 11th.