BG’s Rodriguez ‘manages’ to win consolation finals
Ian Rodriguez, a Buffalo Grove junior, is one of the more friendly, outgoing swimmers you’ll meet.
Odd, then, that the key to his success in the boys swimming state finals at New Trier High School was anger management.
Disappointed by his time in Friday’s prelim session, which landed Rodriguez in an outside lane of the consolation finals on Saturday, he was left with churning emotions.
It was already too late for getting even. So Rodriguez got ticked.
“I was angry, really, about (Friday),” he said.
That emotion seemed to help him focus, and the result was the performance he knew had had in him all along.
Rodriguez won his consolation heat of the backstroke by a full bodylength, lopping nearly two seconds off his prelim effort and establishing a personal best by 1.2 seconds.
He finished seventh, but his time of 50.95 was the fifth-fastest performance of the meet.
And voila — after the race, Rodriguez wasn’t angry anymore.
Instead he was grinning ear to ear, getting high-fives from his coach, Jamie Klotz.
“It was a much better race on a technical level,” said Klotz. “He was on top of the water the way he needed to be, he wasn’t forcing his stroke. Everything that was wrong about his prelim race, he got right today.”
Including his state of mind. Rodriguez admitted to being too nervous before prelims, but that wasn’t a problem this time.
“We got some great advice from some other coaches, and I think that made a difference,” Klotz said. “We had an hour-plus drive on the way here, but we didn’t talk about swimming at all — we talked about water polo. It was just much more relaxed.”
Rodriguez also said it helped his confidence when he was able to immediately gain a lead in his race.
“I looked over at the guy next to me in lane 3, and he was at my feet,” said Rodriguez, “and I’m like, ‘Game on.’ ”
And game over — for this year, anyway. Rodriguez immediately was looking forward to next year and an opportunity to break the 50-second barrier and perhaps win a state backstroke title.
The game was a slightly different one for Fremd senior Jeff Freund. An illness toward the end of the season prevented him from reaching what he believes would have been his true peak performance.
Freund produced an outstanding swim to qualify for the consolation finals in the 500 freestyle on Friday, but he was unable to improve upon his time in the finals, finishing 12th in 4:39.65.
In his case, though, context is everything.
“This isn’t what he wanted,” said Fremd coach Kristen Newby, “but I definitely think he should be proud of the way he swam. He was fully tapered at sectional just to get to state, and that wasn’t the original plan.”
Freund, like many of the state’s elite swimmers, has another chance next weekend at the Illiois Swimming, Inc. championships at UIC to improve on their high school performances.
“He’s an incredibly hard worker, and that’s the reason he was able to still come here and do the job,” Newby said. “You don’t see him pouting or throwing his goggles. That’s not Jeff.”
Freund summed up his weekend in Winnetka simply: “It was crazy. I had a lot of fun racing.”
In the team race, host New Trier added to the girls championship it won in the fall with an impressive victory in the boys meet.
The Trevians finished at 217 points, and defending champion Naperville Central was close behind at 163. Normal University (96) edged Loyola (92) for third, and St. Charles North (73) was fifth.
Peoria Richwoods senior Matt Elliott capped his phenomenal high school career with one of the two state records of the session, a 53.80 in the 100 breaststroke (Neuqua Valley senior Kevin Cordes was second in 54.16). Elliott also won the 200 IM (1:48.76).
Hinsdale Central junior Danny Thomson was a double winner. He narrowly missed a state record in the 200 free (1:37.56) but improved upon his own state record in the 500 free, finishing in a staggeringly fast 4:21.04.
Loyola sophomore Andrew Jovanovic won the 50 free (20.49) and the 100 fly (48.73). Naperville Central junior Sean Lehane won the 100 backstroke (50.28), edging senior teammate Jeff DePew, who also was second in the 200 IM.
New Trier junior Max Grodecki won the 100 free (45.17) and had legs on both of the Trevians’ winning freestyle relays. Champaign Centennial senior Kegan Skelton won diving (487.65).