Lehane sets two DVC meet records
Sean Lehane seems to do something amazing every time he gets in the water to race.
On Saturday the Naperville Central senior’s team finished second, but Lehane set DuPage Valley Conference boys swimming meet records in both the 200-yard freestyle and the 100 backstroke as cross-town rival Naperville North won the DVC championship.
“We’ve been practicing really hard and with the season coming to an end,” Lehane said. “We’re tired and we really have to push it. It feels good to go out there and swim a season-best in the 200 and close to a season-best in the 100 backstroke. Winning those races in those times is a great motivator going into the postseason.”
Lehane’s 1:43.34 in the 200 freestyle was well under the state cut and broke Andrew Eiken’s DVC meet record of 1:43.49 set two years ago for Naperville North.
Eiken finished second to Lehane on Saturday with a 1:43.99, also under the state cut.
Lehane, the defending state champion in the 100 backstroke, swam a 51.01 in that race, another DVC meet record that would have qualified him for state in that event.
Naperville North’s Sam Hiller, who finished second four seconds behind Lehane, continues to be amazed by his friend and rival.
“He’s incredible,” Hiller said. “I’ve been training with him for many years and he’s taught me so much. I try to mimic him, but I can’t match his unbelievable underwater. His underwater is the difference. I’m working hard to try to improve that aspect of the race.”
“Sean has always been a special swimmer,” said Naperville Central coach Mike Adams. “He came into the season in great shape. He has more size and he’s not afraid to race. He’s just finding out how fast he can be.”
In wresting the DVC championship from last year’s winner, Naperville Central, the Huskies scored 329 points to the Redhawks’ 280. Wheaton co-op was third with 253, followed by Glenbard co-op with 136, West Chicago with 129 and West Aurora with 116.
The Huskies took home first prize in all three relays and senior Nick Bessler was the winner in both the 200 IM and the 100 butterfly both in state-qualifying times.
Eiken won the 100 freestyle, Kevin Butz won the 500 freestyle and David Healy finished first in the 100 breaststroke.
“Our medley relay and 200 free relay teams continued to drop times and the 400 free relay team held steady,” said Naperville North coach Andy McWhirter. “Our whole squad was awesome today.”
While the Huskies’ Eiken, Hiller, Butz and Tom Hubbard won the 200 freestyle relay in 1:28:22, under the state cut, the second- and third-fastest times of the day were turned in by a pair of JV quartets.
Naperville North’s Steven Missak, Chris Dionesotes, Andrew Dunlop and John Moosemiller did a 1:31.63 for the second-best time, and the Redhawks’ team of Lucas Harder, Luke Ryan, Kyle Stablein and Joe Nussbaum was third with a time of 1:32.32.
Glenbard co-op’s Andrew Homere won the 50 freestyle in 22.24 and Mark Ciesielski of Wheaton co-op scored 391 points to win the diving competition Friday.