Girls swimming: Sandor helps Stevenson dominate Lake County invite

Whoa, Nelli.

Stevenson junior Nelli Sandor churned to a meet-record 1:05.16 in the 100-yard breaststroke at Saturday’s Lake County girls swimming and diving invite, highlighting the Patriots’ stellar showing in their home water.

Sandor edged Highland Park sophomore and Patriot Aquatic Club teammate Brooke Eliacin — who had held the previous record of 1:05.44, set last fall — by 0.38.

Afterward, inches from the finishing wall, the exhausted racers shared a hug.

“I’d expected a slower time,” Sandor said. “I was a little shocked.”

What stunned no one: Stevenson’s dominance. Coach Art Kasemets’ crew won 9 of the meet’s 12 events en route to a 531-point total at the 10-team gathering in Lincolnshire. Libertyville took second (354), followed by Highland Park (231), Barrington (229), Deerfield (211), Vernon Hills (211) and Warren (206).

Patriots diver Lada Volkov set the other Lake County invite mark, amassing 456.7 points to supplant the mark (441.75) earned by Lake Forest’s Carmen White in 2015. Saturday’s diving segment was held at Vernon Hills.

“Lots of distractions,” Kasemets said, alluding to Stevenson’s homecoming weekend. “We told our swimmers to channel their school spirit into their swims. We also wanted them to work on little things, like attacking the walls. We’d been emphasizing underwaters and thought it would be a good thing to focus on their turns.”

Pats sophomore Aria Grossenbach collected the maximum four gold medals on Saturday, touching first in the 200 freestyle (1:53.66) and 100 free (52.05) and serving as a swift leg on a pair of victorious relays (200 free, 1:38.68; and 400 free, 3:36.26).

“Fun meet,” she said. “We got to see nonconference teams, along with club swimmers we’ve known for years. It was like a reunion today.

“I was happy with my 200 free, because I started fast and held the pace. I pushed through the pain there at the end. Everything was hurting.”

Everybody in Libertyville’s corner of the natatorium was thrilled after the first race, the 200 medley relay. Wildcats Elle Klotz, Ellie Shafer, Madison Southwell and Ann Lock had clocked a 1:48.92 — under the state cut — to win the event by nearly 2 seconds over Stevenson’s Lydia Cobb, Kate Motl, Claire Wang and Karina Cantero (1:50.58).

“We weren’t even rested,” said the unit’s breaststroke leg, Shafer, who hopes to lower her split (30.16) on Saturday to a time in the 29s before the start of the state series in November.

“What I like most about an invite like this,” Libertyville coach Greg Herman added, “is its format; kids get chances to swim in a seeded meet.”

Vernon Hills junior Sophia Kamarauli would love nothing more than the opportunity to climb a starting block at state this year. Last fall, in a sectional, the Cougar missed a state-qualifying time in the 100 backstroke by an agonizing three-tenths of a second.

In Saturday’s 100 back, only Kamarauli (59.83) broke the minute barrier.

“To me, there’s no pressure to finish in first place at this meet,” Kamarauli said an hour before the 100 back and after she had placed third in the 200 IM (2:16.45). “There’s only pressure to swim your best.”

“Sophia,” Cougars coach AJ Block said, “is super coachable, an intelligent swimmer, and she’s engaged in the sport. She mentors our young swimmers without being asked to do so.”

Stevenson’s Amanda Chang followed Grossenbach’s first win by chasing down and passing Deerfield’s Erika Ilkiu in the last 25 yards of the 200 IM. Chang hit the final wall in 2:14.1, just ahead of Ilkiu’s 2:14.62.

Chang, Grossenbach, Aika Elzey and Vanessa Miecznikowski — Stevenson’s B entrant, or exhibition quartet, in the 400 free relay — combined for a first-place 3:36.26 to top Stevenson’s runner-up foursome of Cantero, Wang, Linnea Florin and Shay Donovan (3:38.51).

Florin beat the 100-butterfly field with a 58.4; Donavan cruised to a 10-second victory in the 500 free via a 5:11.59; and Elzey, Miecznikowski, Wang and Grossenbach pooled their speed to win the 200 free relay in 1:38.68.

Barrington’s Eva Wetzel paced the Fillies, bronzing in the 500 free (5:25.93) and collaborating with Abigail Ashcraft, Estella Brockway and Elizabeth Williams for a fourth-place 3:52.25 in the 400 free relay.

“I look at this meet as a dress rehearsal for our conference meet (in late October), which is a dress rehearsal for a sectional meet,” Barrington coach Alex Mikolajewski said. “And it’s kind of nice to swim against teams outside our conference.”

Warren’s Elin Ackron finished fourth in both the 200 IM (2:16.97) and the 100 back (1:01.7).

Splish-splashes: Libertyville athletic director John Woods served as a fill-in for an ill assistant coach at Saturday’s Lake County invite. He uttered only two words to the Wildcats’ 200 medley relay before it won the meet’s first event. “I told them, ‘Swim fast,’” a grinning Woods recounted halfway through the brisk meet. “It’s an honor to be here, cheering for them." … Libertyville coach Greg Herman, on Woods: “It’s nice to have an AD support our program as much as John does.” … Three-mendous: Stevenson’s Aria Grossenbach, Shay Donovan and Anika Donovan went 1-2-3 in the 200 free with respective times of 1:53.66, 1:57.37 and 1:57.87. … Highland Park’s Brooke Eliacin zipped to a first-place 24.25 in the 50 free, ahead of Libertyville’s Ann Lock (24.38). … Stevenson’s Cassidy Carlborg finished runner-up in diving with a score of 446.15, which, like champ and teammate Lada Volkov’s 456.7, bettered the previous meet mark of 441.75. … Libertyville’s Courtney McCall was the fourth seed (55.46) in the 100 free but silvered with a time of 54.48. … Vernon Hills’ Sophia Kamarauli is “shooting for a D-I swimming opportunity” and thinking about coaching someday. “I like helping people, though anything that has to do with techniques should fall to our coaches,” she said Saturday. “Teammates have come up to me and said, ‘Take a look at my start.’ I’ll do that, and I’ll tell them what I see. I'm always willing to give small pointers.”

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