Boys swimming: Emotional day ends with record for Laird
Todd Laird’s young son, Ethan, looked up at his father’s name on the massive school- and pool-record board adorning a wall in Conant’s natatorium on Saturday.
Todd Laird had set a Cougars school record in the 100-yard butterfly.
Phone cameras clicked as Ethan pointed at Daddy’s time of 50.83.
The mark has stood since 1997, Todd’s senior year.
What made Saturday’s scene in Hoffman Estates so moving — following Conant’s boys swimming and diving invite — was the reason Ethan, his sister, Chloe, and their mother, Ali, traveled from Belvidere to attend the eight-team, 40-event meet. Conant swim coach Brian Drenth renamed the Cougar Classic the Todd Laird Classic.
Laird (Conant HS, Class of ’97, and a teammate of Drenth) passed away last November after a battle with ALS. He was 46.
“Every yard in swimming mattered to Todd,” Drenth, holding a microphone, told the swimmers, coaches and attendees after the meet’s 16th event. “Details matter to swimmers in our program. ‘Leave your mark in everything you do’ is what we tell all of our students here.
“Todd,” he added, “certainly did that at Conant.”
The final event Saturday, fittingly, was one Laird would have loved to tackle, perhaps all by himself: the 500-yard relay fly crescendo.
“We had Todd in mind when we chose to end the meet with that race,” said Drenth.
Maine South’s mindset Saturday was to extend its invite title streak at Conant that began in either 2016 or 2017, Hawks coach Don Kura noted. Kura’s crew did just that, scoring 349 points to runner-up Deerfield’s 320. Conant placed third (296), followed by Fenwick (211), Downers Grove North (179), District 300 (160), Mundelein (154) and Rolling Meadows (67).
Maine South entrants took first in four Class A events, beginning with Caleb Lakin’s 523.55-point show in the morning’s diving segment. Chase Juiris topped the 500 free field (4:47.75); Nick Drcha, David Mazurek, Charles McCauley and Michael Saviski combined for a 1:29.3 in the 200 free relay; and Drcha anchored the victorious 400 free relay (3:16.1) after legs from McCauley, Mazurek and Saviski.
“This meet is a good primer heading into February, and it puts every swimmer at every level in the spotlight with its classes (A, B, and C),” said Kura.
Exactly, regarding the coach’s second point. Each team’s No. 3 swimmer in an individual event has to spectate in street clothes come state-series time.
“At this meet,” Drenth said, “No. 3 swimmers get to shine.”
Conant received a pair of first-place Class A swims from senior and Milwaukee School of Engineering-bound Dominik Kurek (21.52 in the 50 free; 59.03 in the 100 free) and a meet-best 1:47.91 in the Class A 200 free from Michal Ryba. Devin Burke completed a grueling back-to-back for the hosts at the end, helping the Cougars’ 400 free relay place third (3:19.46) and then undulating while pounding chlorinated water for 200 yards as the anchor leg in the 500 free relay fly crescendo.
“We’re close,” Kurek said of his team’s tight-knit ways. “Some teams have factions; we don’t. We all hang out together, have some breakfasts together and engage in some friendly teasing.
“Today’s meet was amazing,” the three-time relay state medalist continued. “We had fun, got medals.”
Kevin O’Donoghue’s second-place 2:00.74 in the Class C 200 free paced Downers Grove North on Saturday.
“It’s a really tough time (in the season),” said DGN coach Elisabeth Stanley. “They’re all working hard and sore, and there’s been no let up. Being from the Western Suburbs, it’s nice to come here and compete against teams we haven’t seen. What’s also great about a meet like this is seeing the happy faces of our lower-level swimmers after they receive their medals.”
Mundelein junior diver Jack Hansen silvered in Class A with a 476.14-point total. Hours later, classmate Arthur Ostrovskiy bettered his season-best in the 500 free by 5 seconds (5:25.57, 5th-place, Class A).
“I consider this meet an ideal tuneup for our conference (North Suburban) meet,” said Mustangs coach Melissa Healy. “They’re tired and sore, but they’re racing hard, too.”
District 300, a co-op featuring Fox Valley Conference teams, was led by John Beasley, who touched second in the Class A 50 free (21.83) race.
Rolling Meadows’ Fynn Kirschner took fifth in the Class B 100 free (55.11) at his coach’s second swimming home. RM coach Monika Chiappetta founded REACH Aquatics, which trains at Conant.
“It’s one of my favorite meets,” she said in the middle of the inaugural Todd Laird Classic. “Our swimmers are hurting at this point of the season, but they show up and compete. That’s what you want to see in the last invite before the conference (Mid-Suburban League) meet.”