Wheeling's Maczko ready to fly

The text message finally buzzed his cell phone at 8:15 on Monday night.

"fly"

Brief, but with sectional seeds due the following day at noon, that's all Wheeling boys swimming coach John Fournier really needed to hear.

At the Mid-Suburban League meet two days earlier, Wheeling's Erik Maczko clocked a 54.29 in the 100 fly, slicing .21 off the 30-year-old school record.

Quite an accomplishment, yet later that night, the four-time state qualifier was still bothered by his runner-up finish -- Barrington junior Brian Marko won in 53.70.

What concerned Maczko even more was that he was still stuck on the wrong side of the state-qualifying line (53.93).

"During the regular season I had a mental block, I couldn't get under (the state-qualifying time)," he said. "And it was a mental block at conference, too. I swam pretty hard and I was still .3 (.36) away from the state cut."

With sectionals a week away, Maczko considered dropping the event and competing in one in which he had twice qualified for state. A move to the 200 IM was not endorsed by his coaches.

"We told him he's been training fly all year," Fournier said, "and to not let one race determine what he's going to do at sectionals."

Maczko wasn't sure what to do.

Today, Maczko will make his third appearance at state, having qualified in the 100 back and 200 IM the previous two years. Last season he finished 24th in the 100 back (55.24) -- an improvement in place (29th) and time (55.86) from his sophomore effort -- but it was his performance in last year's 200 IM prelims that made the biggest splash.

Maczko dropped nearly five seconds (1:58.27) from his previous year's mark (2:03.06), yet missed the top-12 cut by an agonizing .28 seconds. Maczko settled for 14th place, but there was always next year. Or was there?

"It's a lot more competitive field (in the 200 IM)," he said. "I had a lot better chance at the fly."

The decision to drop the event must have been difficult.

"It was," he said, "but I trust (my coaches), so whatever they feel is the best decision I will mostly agree with them without any arguing."

No arguments can be made about Maczko's commitment to his craft. When not competing for the Wildcats or deciding where to swim at the next level -- Wisconsin, Iowa and Missouri are possibilities -- he's swimming upward of five hours per day at the Patriot Aquatic Club at Stevenson High School.

Maczko and his training partner, Cary-Grove junior Brent Curtis (state qualifier in 100 free, 100 breaststroke), push each other hard during these grueling sessions. Maczko doesn't get this during the high school season.

"Theoretically, he's training by himself," Fournier said. "Erik trains in his own lane because none of the other guys can keep up with him."

Not many in the school's history could. Maczko's appearance at state two years ago was the first by a Wildcat in a decade. But don't think Maczko was a one-man show this season.

At last Saturday's Glenbrook North sectional, he was the lead leg of the Wildcats' school-record-breaking effort (3:29.18) in the 400 free relay, yet it was Maczko who missed his goal time. Alan Sears nailed his (53.56), while Norbert Gajos (52.40) and Ben Jassin (52.44) both went under their targets.

"The team did a really great job, especially Ben," Maczko said. "He had a really great day."

So did Maczko in the individual events, breaking a pair of school records. In the 100 back, Maczko shaved another .03 off the record, taking third in a state-qualifying time of 54.05.

Defending state champ Colin Cordes of Glenbrook South won in 52.77, followed by Maine South sophomore Jared DeGrazia (53.71).

And in the 100 fly -- he let go of the idea of swimming the 200 IM -- Maczko won in a state-qualifying 53.09, dropping another 1.2 seconds from the school standard he set just seven days earlier.

But it didn't come easy as Maczko had to catch and pass Prospect junior Charlie Mau in the final length of the pool.

"The last 25 yards are always the hardest part of the race," said Mau, who finished below the state cut line in 53.32. "Knowing that Erik was right next to me caused me to go even harder. Unfortunately, I came up a stroke short."

Maczko didn't. Thanks in part to advice he received from Karl Milkret and Eugene Spivak, his coaches at PAC.

"They told me, 'You didn't have the state cut for IM going into sectionals last year, and you didn't have the state cut in back going into sectionals, but you made it. Eventually you are going to get the state cut for fly,'" Maczko said.

The message Maczko really needed to hear.