Girls swimming: Grossenbach, Sandor lead Stevenson to state championship

Near the middle of Saturday’s girls swimming and diving state meet at FMC Natatorium in Westmont, Stevenson coach Art Kasemets and Mundelein coach Rahul Sethna sat next to each other on a set of poolside bleachers.

They conversed.

They laughed.

Maybe they reminisced.

Kasemets swam for Sethna’s boys squad at Mundelein more than 10 years ago.

When Sethna returned to the helm of the school’s girls swim program in 2013, a future all-state breaststroker volunteered to serve as the varsity team’s manager.

The eager teen: Kasemets, Art Kasemets.

That Mundelein girls crew placed fifth at state.

“Art,” Sethna recalled Saturday, “wasn’t a typical student manager. He was always off in the corner that season, helping our swimmers, making suggestions, supporting them at all times.

“He was basically an ‘assistant coach' for us.”

Kasemets emerged as the head coach of a state championship team Saturday. His Stevenson Patriots — behind junior and University of Louisville verbal-commit Aria Grossenbach’s event titles in the 50-yard freestyle (22.85) and 100 free (49.91), senior Nelli Sandor’s first-place 1:02.16 in the 100 breaststroke, and their meet-opening victory in the 200-medley relay (1:42.89) — captured the first state title in program history.

The champs amassed 236 points to runner-up St. Charles North’s 227. Rosary placed third (211) at the highly competitive 12-event meet.

Stevenson led St. Charles North 168-167 atop the standings through 9 events. North went up 187-168 after event 10, the 100 backstroke. Stevenson then essentially clinched the title in the penultimate race with its 1-3 finish (Sandor’s gold and senior Heidi Swerkun’s bronze-garnering 1:03.4) in the 100 breaststroke, hiking its point total to 204.

St. Charles North had 187 points to third-place Rosary’s 181 ahead of the 400-free relay.

“All I told the girls was, ‘Be yourself,’” said Kasemets, whose girls secured a whopping 15 Saturday swims from Friday’s state-prelim session. “I had no doubt Friday. Our team’s experience and our seniors’ leadership — I have 10 varsity seniors, each of them a captain — carried us.

“Had I gotten in their way at any point on Friday, they would have run me over.”

Superb prep-career runs ended at FMC Natatorium on Saturday.

Rolling Meadows senior and North Carolina State-bound Vera Conic touched second in the 100 back (54.10), three years after winning the event and two years after silvering in it.

“I graduate in May, but I graduated as a high school swimmer today,” said an appreciative Conic. “I had some ups and downs this weekend, but my team was awesome — it’s such an energetic and joyful group.”

Maine South senior and future Ohio State Buckeye Sarah Juiris sped to second in the 50 free (23.1), placed fifth in the 100 free (50.5) and swam on a pair of top-10 relays, upping her career state-medal total to a program-record 10.

“I could not be prouder of Sarah,” said Hawks coach Don Kura, whose team placed 10th (74 points). “It’s so fitting that she’s our program’s most decorated state swimmer. To Sarah, it was always about the team, not her. It’s easy to get overwhelmed at a state meet’s atmosphere, but she always handled it with grace and humility.”

Buffalo Grove senior and Southern Methodist University recruit Ella Houston churned to fourth place in the 500 free (4:56.22), giving her four top-five state medals in the distance race. Houston established a lead for most of the first 250 yards Saturday before St. Charles North senior Kate Farrell caught up to the Bison and clocked a 4:50.9 to win by nearly 4 seconds.

“I needed a fast start like that to have a chance,” said Houston. “I just was not where I should’ve been, time-wise, today.”

The highlight of Houston’s day was watching her sophomore sister, Allison, pace a quartet of Mid-Suburban League finalists in diving with a seventh-place showing (456.3 points). Fremd junior Mihika Tillu was eighth (448.4), followed by Barrington junior Ella Yang (9th, 446) and BG senior Emily Krause (13th, 436.85).

“Allison,” Ella Houston said, “is always happy, and I’m so happy she made it to the second day at state and did as well as she did.”

Fremd junior and Wisconsin commit Ellie Patla hauled home four state medals on Saturday, including a silver in the 100 free (49.95) and a bronze in the 200 free (1:49.44), to spearhead her team’s strong seventh-place showing (94 points). She helped Vikings relays collect a pair of top-15 prizes, notably the 200-free foursome (5th, 3:27.86).

“Ellie was flying at the start of her 100 free,” said Fremd coach Andrew Kittrell, alluding to Patla’s electric 11.2 after 25 yards. “What a beautiful start that was for her. In the 200 free, the two ahead of her (Rosary’s Paige Kowal, with a winning 1:47.68, and O’Fallon’s Alyssa Albertyn, with a 1:48.28) had a little more in the tank than she did at the end.”

Stevenson had begun the meet rather swimmingly, topping the field in the 200-medley relay. Junior Vanessa Miecznikowski, Sandor, senior Linnea Florin and junior Claire Wang lowered their prelim time of 1:43.33 by a little more than a half-second to collect 40 team points and set a promising tone.

The Pats’ 200 free unit of Grossenbach, Florin, Wang and Sandor collaborated for a second-place 1:33.15, and Florin, senior Anika Donvoan, Miecznikowski and Grossenbach combined legs for a third-place 3:26.67 in the 400-free relay.

Stevenson senior Shay Donovan finished seventh in the 200 IM (2:04.3), matching Florin’s place in the 100 butterfly (55.86). Pats senior Anika Donovan touched eighth in the 500 free (4:57.82).

Stevenson’s defining moment of the weekend?

“I can’t pick one,” Kasemets said. “Not everyone was perfect today, but everyone had a shining moment. (Retired Stevenson boys swimming coach and 2022 state champion coach) Doug Lillydahl said swimming is water; water moves up and down, and it jostles all around, just like swimmers do in seasons and at meets.”

Kasemets’ historic Patriots out-navigated the other state crews on Saturday.

“(Kasemets) was a mastermind all season, setting a good vibe at practice and pointing valuable things out to all of us,” said Swerkun, who plans to swim at UW-Milwaukee. “Our team showed so much love and support; no one was ever left unattended. And everyone had so much faith in each other.”

Stevenson sophomore Daniella Berger went 4-for-4 Saturday in events for athletes with disabilities, winning the 200 free (2:08.29), 50 free (26.54), 100 free (58.18) and 100 breaststroke (1:16.04).

Other significant results at state Saturday: Fremd’s 400-free relay (5th, 3:27.86; Sophia Pentchev, Anna Hinshaw, Ellen Hinshaw, Patla); Maine South’s 200 medley relay (6th, 1:45.06; Maeve Przekota, Gabi Szymanski, Juiris and Abbie Przekota); Hoffman Estates senior Emily Latasiewicz (10th, 50 free, 23.6); BG’s Houston (10th, 200 free, 1:51.75); Fremd’s Noora Nahlawi (10th, 100 breaststroke, 1:05.64); Lake Zurich junior Alicia Czosnyka (11th, 500 free, 5:00.5); 12th, 200 IM, 2:04.66); Mundelein senior Amelia Willis (12th, 100 back, 56.45); RM’s 200 medley relay (12th, 1:46.68; Conic, Ella Poortinga, Emily Sang and Elise North); and Pentchev (12th, 100 fly, 56.63).