Haggerty, Engel excel in Fox Valley Conference meet
Grayslake Central swimmer Claire Haggerty needed to stop overthinking her races.
Teammate Marissa Engel needed something to focus on.
Both girls found their mental nirvana during Saturday’s Fox Valley Conference girls swimming meet at Woodstock North High School.
Engel took first in the 100-yard backstroke (58.80), while Haggerty set a meet record in the 200 individual medley with a 2:09.74.
“I was counting my strokes, so when I was swimming, I had something to focus on,” said Engel, who placed third in the 200 IM. “It helped me figure out if I was on pace or know if I had to pick up my tempo.”
Haggerty, who was named co-MVP of the meet, said she’d been thinking too much about her races, over-analyzing them so much that she actually switched from swimming the 50 freestyle to the 200 IM a little over two weeks ago.
The change not only helped her set a meet record, but set her up for a likely top seed at next weekend’s Vernon Hills sectional. Her 200 IM time was under the state qualifying time of 2:11.68. The previous conference record was set in 1994 by McHenry’s Brianne Fowles.
“I didn’t swim in the 50 (freestyle) because I over-thought it,” said Haggerty, who also won in the 100 butterfly (1:00.01). “I was really focused on my walls and racing hard. We talked about racing and not thinking about the outcome.”
Jacobs freshman Nicole Sanchez made quite the splash herself, claiming Newcomer of the Year honors. Sanchez anchored the Golden Eagles’ 200 medley relay that took first in 1:53.74.
Jacobs (209) placed second behind Crystal Lake Central (224) in the team standings. Cary-Grove (179) took third in the seven-team meet, which also included Dundee-Crown and Huntley.
“I felt really confident,” Sanchez said. “We dropped four seconds off of our (best) time and we got two seconds off of the time for state.”
Sanchez placed third in the 50 freestyle (25.43) after swimming a split of 24.67 in the anchor leg of the 200 medley. Additionally, she anchored Jacobs’ third-place finish in the 200 freestyle relay (1:44.71).
“The main thing is we’re peaking at the right time,” Jacobs coach Mike Slowik said. “(Sanchez) never lays off. Anchoring a relay team, it’s tough to have that responsibility, but she’s shined.”
Cary-Grove’s Lauren Curtis also looked quite bright taking first in the 200 freestyle (1:59.28). In years past, Curtis has struggled during the conference meet, but she found her zone on Saturday and posted a season-best time in the 200. She also placed second in the 100 free (54.69) in another season-best effort.
“Usually at the conference meet, I’m tired,” Curtis said. “I think that I came into the meet not trying to expect too much. I just wanted to have fun with it.”
Dundee-Crown’s Emily and Colleen Champa each had solid days, culminating with Colleen winning the 100 breaststroke with a 1:09.89. Both swam on the 200 medley relay team, which placed second (1:57.71). Colleen Champa was second in the 200 IM (2:12.98), while Emily Champa placed second in the 500 yard freestyle (5:36.70) and third in the 200 free (2:04.60).