Girls swimming: In heartbreaking situation, Maine South’s Juiris excels at state

Sarah Juiris’ heavy heart should have weighed her down at Saturday’s girls swimming and diving state meet.

It lifted the Maine South junior instead.

Two weeks after her father, Peter, died at the age of 50, Juiris sped to second place in the 50-yard freestyle (22.95) and eighth in the 100 free (50.37) at the FMC Natatorium in Westmont.

“Positive mindset,” Juiris, an Ohio State commit, said of her approach each time she hit the water. “My dad coached me for years, and he was always positive.”

The grief-stricken, laser-focused Hawk had set a program record — by one-hundredth of a second — in the 100 free (50.21) in Friday’s state-prelim session.

“How Sarah has handled such a difficult time in her life is a testament to her strong will and spirit of competition,” said Maine South coach Don Kura, who was a freshman at Loyola Academy when Peter Juiris was a senior at the Wilmette school. “The Juiris family is an amazing one.

“Peter formed such a special relationship with Sarah through swimming. He loved swimming as much as Sarah does.”

Buffalo Grove junior Ella Houston adores the 500 free. Fifth in the grueling event at state as a freshman and third in it last year, the Bison silvered in the 500 free on Saturday, clocking a 4:51.11 after placing 10th in the 200 free (1:50.66). St. Charles North senior Avery Luedke touched first in a swift 4:48.42.

Houston’s swim club team trains at FMC.

“It’s such a great facility, isn’t it?” she said. “Even the water looks expensive.

“I knew my competitors (in the 500 free) would be right there near the end, trying to hang on. I’m telling you, I love that event, even though I’m always hurting all over at the end of it.”

Stevenson wound up in fourth place — its fourth consecutive top-eight state finish. Rosary (290 points) successfully defended its championship ahead of runner-up New Trier (272) and St. Charles North (251). Stevenson tallied 176 points one year after hauling the third-place trophy to Lincolnshire.

“The goal today was to be a disruptor in the team race,” Patriots coach Art Kasemets said. “We were projected to finish fourth after Friday’s prelims. Though we didn’t get third place today, we got great performances from many and moved up in all three relays (200 medley, 200 free 400 free).

Stevenson sophomore Aria Grossenbach paced the Patriots, bronzing in the 50 free (23.1), taking sixth in the 100 free (50.14) and helping the 200 free (1:34.46) and 400 free (3:27) relays take sixth and fifth, respectively.

Patriots senior and Drexel-bound Lada Volkov capped her fine career with a runner-up showing in diving (486.5 points). She placed 10th at state as a sophomore and fifth last fall.

“My inward double,” she said when asked to pick her sharpest finals dive on Saturday. “Much better than my inward double in the warm-up. What I enjoy so much about diving is the divers’ common goal at meets: to survive. All (16) finalists today cheered for the others. You can’t help but hope every diver does well.”

Fremd tied for 10th place (65) behind sophomore Ellie Patla’s sixth-place 1:51.19 in the 200 free and eighth-place 5:00.7 in the 500 free; junior Noora Nahlawi’s sixth-place 1:03.55 in the 100 breaststroke; and sophomore Mihika Tillu’s seventh-place effort in diving (453.55) as a first-year state qualifier.

“For eight months in 2023, beginning in March,” Nahlawi said, “my time in the 100 breaststroke dropped only eight-tenths of a second. I knew I had to do some things differently, so I did. I changed my diet, eating more protein, and after I got my driver’s license, I often drove to school to lift weights before classes.”

Mundelein coach Rahul Sethna was pumped up about Mustangs junior Amelia Willis’ sixth-place swim in the 100 backstroke (55.95) on Saturday. Tenth in the event in 2023, Willis was ill Monday and Tuesday this week and just missed qualifying for Saturday’s finals session in the 100 free on Friday.

Her 17th-place 51.64 was only four-tenths of a second slower than the time earned by the 16th and final qualifier in the 100 free.

“For Amelia to do what she did today, after being sick and coming so close to advancing in a second event, was great,” Sethna said. “She’s awesome.”

Lake Zurich sophomore Alicia Czosnyka finished eighth in the 200 IM (2:06.65), one spot behind Stevenson’s Shay Donovan’s 2:05.53, and then took 12th in the 500 free (5:01.04), becoming the third Bear (Olivia Dorshorst, Sophia Goushchina) in seven years to bow for two medals at a state meet.

Schaumburg senior Zuzanna Krasnicki’s final meet as a Saxon was a memorable one. She zipped to sixth in the 50 free (23.31), placed 12th in the 100 free (51.22), and swam a leg on a pair of top-16 relays (13th, 400 free, 3:34.01; 14th, 200 free, 1:37.07).

Stevenson freshman Daniella Berger entered four Athletes With Disabilities races (200 free, 50 free, 100 free, 100 breaststroke) and left the natatorium with four gold medals.

Berger’s older sister, Sophia, plays water polo at Pomona College in Claremont, Calif.

“Ever since I was little, I’ve wanted to swim faster than my sister,” Daniella said. “It was really cool, getting this opportunity to compete in front of the most supportive people — my teammates. They’re cheers here today were the loudest I’ve ever heard.”

Junior teammate Linnea Florin had a busy and highly productive Saturday, finishing sixth in the 100 butterfly (55.6) and serving as a leg on a trio of top-six relays for the Patriots. She collaborated with 200-medley relay mates Claire Wang, Nelli Sandor and Karina Cantero for fifth place (1:43.67); joined Grossenbach, Wang and Donovan on that fifth-place 400-free unit; and swam the third 50 for the sixth-place 200-free quartet (with Grossenbach, Sandor and Cantero).

Sandor’s 1:04.06 edged New Trier senior Elyse Newlands’ 1:04.08 for ninth place in the 100 breaststroke.

Additional top-16 results produced by Cook and Lake county swimmers/divers: Wang (11th, 200 IM; 13th, 100 fly); Stevenson’s Anika Donovan (14th, 500 free) and Shay Donovan (16th, 500 free); Maine South’s Maeve Przekota (16th, 200 IM); Warren’s Alayna McCormick (10th, diving); Vernon Hills’ Olivia Tran (12th, diving); Barrington’s Eva Coonrad (14th, diving).

Also, Maine South’s 200 free relay, eighth (Gabi Szymanski, Bai Kendall, Przekota, Juiris); Fremd’s 200 free relay, 11th (Patla, Sophia Pentchev, Anna Hinshaw and Gaido Caterina); Maine South’s 400 free relay, 11th (Szymanski, Sophia Wandel, Przekota, Juiris); Schaumburg’s 400 free relay, 13th (Krasnicki, Diana Bobiv, Annabel Banicz, Nina Gwin); Schaumburg’s 200 free relay, 14th, (Krasnicki, Bobiv, Veronika Mieczkowski and Banicz); and Fremd’s 400 free relay, 15th (Patla, Pentchev, Hinshaw and Erica Myers).