Lake Co. YMCA swim teams compete at WHS Pool

Central met north when the Northern Lake YMCA Seahorse Swim Team and Central Lake YMCA Turtles Swim Team faced off in a cross-county dual meet at the Waukegan High School pool Dec. 3.

“Even though we are a place in the season where times may plateau, our kids are still posting personal bests,” Seahorse Head Coach Mike Hewitt said. “We are really building a great foundation for a fast second half of the season.”

To date, the Seahorses have qualified 10 swimmers in 34 events for the District Championships in March. Alex Hughes and Rylan Wiatrowski posted their first qualifying times in the 500-yard freestyle and 50-yard breaststroke, respectively.

Turtles coach Maureen Rancourt was pleased with her team's performance as the season approaches its mid point. “The kids continue to do well as the season progresses,” she said. “They're working hard to make as much improvement in their times as possible before the upcoming two-week holiday break.”

Two Turtles qualified for the YMCA District Championships: Pamela Lin in the 13-14 100-yard breaststroke and Lauren Roth in the 9-10 100-yard IM.

In addition, Rancourt said Eleanor Chang, who reduced her time in the 50-yard butterfly event by 4.59 seconds, achieved a noteworthy individual improvement.

The YMCA swim program is well-rounded in that it also includes fundraising, volunteering and social responsibility development. For more information about YMCA swimming, contact Rancourt at (847) 367-6797 or mrancourt@ymcalakecounty.org.

The Lake County Family YMCA is a cause-driven nonprofit that strengthens the community through programs and services that foster youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Founded in 1892 as a 501 (C) 3 nonprofit, our association is comprised of the Central Lake YMCA in Vernon Hills, Northern Lake YMCA in Waukegan and Early Head Start in Waukegan.