Waubonsie scores a runner-up finish
Waubonsie Valley's Hannah Hunt took another step Saturday toward her goal to score at state with a victory in the 100 breaststroke at the Wildcat Invite at West Chicago.
Hunt swam the breaststroke in 1:07.83, more than three seconds ahead of the runner-up, for Waubonsie's only win as the Warriors' finished second to repeat invite champion Rosary, which dominated the meet with eight victories, including all three relays.
"I didn't score at state last year," said Hunt, who also finished third in the 200 IM. "But I'm focused on trying to finish in the top 12 this year. Strong invites like this give our whole team a chance to go against great competition."
"Hannah is improving every week," said Waubonsie Valley coach Katie Peterson. "She's really concentrating on everything she has to do to be at her best at the end of the season."
Waubonsie Valley finished second in all three relays.
Hunt was joined by Kelli Holt, Lily Hunt and Avery Mathew in the 200 medley relay and by Lily Hunt, Emma Tinney and Mathew on the 200 free relay.
The Warriors' 400 free relay team consisted of Emily Hennessy, Rebecca Farber, Paige Simpson and Tinney.
"Our relays are doing a great job," Peterson said. "We're still trying to figure out who will be on each relay for sectionals and state. We have at least six good candidates for each race."
Tinney had an outstanding day, finishing third in both the 200 free and the 100 free, as did Lily Hunt who was third in the 50 free.
Rosary's winning total was 296 points to the Warriors 232. Bartlett/Streamwood (Sabrehawks) was third with 181, followed by Lyons with 171, West Chicago with 151 and Metea Valley with 137.
The Sabrehawks' Kayla Filipek was the only other non-Rosary winner on Saturday, winning titles in both the 50 and the 100 freestyle.
Filipek, who finished in the top six at state in both of those events, is among the contenders for a state title in the two sprints.
"Kayla is faster at this point than she was last year," said co-op coach Jeremy Meserole. "Over the summer she qualified for the Olympic trials in the 50 free."
Meserole also praised Paige Edmeir, who finished third in the 500 freestyle and fourth in the 200 free.
"This meet provides a great challenge for our entire team," he said. "Last year we tended to swim up or down to the level of our opposition. I like the way we responded to this level of competition."
Rosary, which was second at state last year and has to be considered one of the favorites to win it all this year, was dominant in its win at West Chicago.
"We're really happy with how well we raced all day," said Rosary coach Bill Schalz. "We loaded up our relays and they were all strong. We let the girls choose their events. Some swam their strongest races and others competed in their off-events."
Alexis Yager, the defending state champion in the 200 IM and the second place state finisher in the 100 breaststroke, won both of those events at West Chicago.
"Winning a state championship has motivated me to work harder this year," Yager said.
Other Rosary winners on Saturday were Emily Ryan in the 200 free, Katie Rentz in the 100 fly and Linda Licari in the 100 backstroke.
Athena Ye was a member of two winning relay teams, while Sydney Vanovermeiren and Camryn Stroud were on one each.
In individual events the Beads also racked up a number of second-places finishes including Ye in the 50 free, Streid in the 200 IM, Ryan in the 100 free, Vanovermeiren in the 500 and Sarah Fergus in the backstroke.