Boys swimming: Cary-Grove co-op piles up the points at Fox Valley Conference meet

Cary-Grove co-op missed out on winning the Fox Valley Conference Invitational championship last season.

So Saturday’s dive and dip in the Woodstock North pool after claiming the five-team meet felt especially exhilarating, swimmers, team managers and coaches included.

“They had a purpose to swim fast.” Cary-Grove co-op coach Scott Lattyak said of the team’s 17th conference title in 19 seasons. “Mostly I just wanted to see the team come together, both varsity and JV, and be supportive of everyone in the pool, and they did that.

“It’s pretty awesome to see them come together, hoisting up the JV guys at the end holding the trophy, and get to experience the victory together.”

Cary-Grove co-op, which also takes swimmers from Crystal Lake Central, Crystal Lake South and Prairie Ridge, finished first in six of the 11 events and won the meet handily with 354 points. Cary-Grove co-op’s JV team also captured the FVC title.

Jacobs co-op, which combines with Dundee-Crown and Hampshire, took runner-up with 246 points, followed closely by Huntley (234.5) in third. McHenry (165) placed fourth and Woodstock North co-op (113.5), which combines with Woodstock, took fifth.

Cary-Grove co-op’s Charlie Edwards and McHenry’s Robbie Rosenbaum were named co-Most Valuable Swimmer, while Huntley’s Brayden Dudycha earned Newcomer of the Year.

Edwards, a senior at Crystal Lake South, swam to first in the 200-yard freestyle (1:51.13) and 500 free (4:53.30). His 200 was a personal best.

“I feel like I could have done better in the (500),” Edwards said. “That’s the only thing I was disappointed in today. We’re very group active. We do lots of group activities. Like yesterday, we played football outside after our pasta party. It’s been a lot of fun.”

The Trojans took first in all three relays. Logan Droste, Ignas Venslauskas, Nathan Scerbac and Henry Pracht won the 200 medley relay (1:41.99); Venslauskas, Max Gaylord, Oliver Swietek and Henry Serowski finished first in the 200 free relay (1:33.07); and Pracht, Scerbac, Swietek and Droste took first in the 400 free relay (3:22.28).

Venslauskas, a junior at Crystal Lake Central, also placed first in the 100 breaststroke in 1:01.77.

Venslauskas, normally a year-round swimmer who started competing at 6 years old, said he took seven months off from swimming earlier this year for a mental break. He was nervous getting back in the pool.

During the fall, he kicked for Crystal Lake Central’s football team.

“I went from about 152 to 172 pounds. I put on a lot of size, and I was scared the first two weeks of swimming because I’m like, ‘Wow, I am dying,’ ” Venslauskas said. “I felt I was going to be so bad this year. Seven months off, my flexibility was horrible. I’d get migraines every day because my neck was too tight.

“But I’m happy I’m here. Happy I get to be in the pool with everyone again, happy I get to see some new freshman and see what they got and I’m pretty excited for next year, too.”

Rosenbaum, a state qualifier last year as a freshman, turned in first-place swims in the 100 free (47.08) and 100 backstroke (51.51) for McHenry.

Rosenbaum said he was hoping to get closer to the meet record in the 100 free that belongs to Woodstock North co-op’s Quinn Cynor (46.45 in 2019).

“This season has been really fun,” Rosenbaum said. “High school is probably my favorite time of the year because it’s a lot different than club swimming. It’s a lot more team based and the energy is a lot higher.”

Rosenbaum just missed qualifying for Day 2 at state last year in both of his individual events, so that is a big goal for him this season.

“This year I definitely want to get there and just see how fast I can go,” Rosenbaum said.

Dudycha was one of two Huntley swimmers to earn first-place swims. Dudycha, a freshman, finished first in the 100 butterfly (53.65) and Danny Melendy, a junior, was first in the 100 IM (2:04.53).

“I just tried my best and tried to have fun. It’s a lot faster here,” Dudycha said.

Jacobs co-op’s John Beasley, a junior at Dundee-Crown, set the meet in the 50 free with a time of 21.48. McHenry’s Kevin Braun held the previous record of 21.64 in 2015.

Beasley, a life-long swimmer, took off swimming for nine months but decided to come back for the high school season.

His 50 free time is already under the state-qualifying time.

“A lot of prayer went through it,” Beasley said. “I wasn’t expecting that. Not at all. I prayed a lot. That’s the only reason I got it. Otherwise, long strokes, and just absolutely launching off the block. I’ve been doing powerlifting for a while now. I’ve trained my body to put out a lot of power at any moment.”