Girls swimming and diving: Grossenbach, Patla make waves at state meet

Ellie Patla had just won her second state championship Saturday afternoon.

Time to celebrate? Not quite.

The Fremd senior climbed out of the pool at FMC Natatorium in Westmont and hurried to the cool-down pool. She had roughly five minutes to prepare for another race.

Patla's double-gold performance and Stevenson senior Aria Grossenbach's two individual titles and record-setting speed highlighted a medal-filled afternoon for area athletes at the girls swimming and diving state meet.

Grossenbach, a Louisville commit, successfully defended her 50- and 100-yard freestyle crowns and anchored Stevenson's championship 400 free relay. Patla, headed to Wisconsin, captured the 200 and 500 free.

Hinsdale Central won the team championship with 236 points, followed by New Trier (220), defending champion Stevenson (171), Lyons Township (156.5) and Fremd (137).

"This meet favors the bold and the experienced," Stevenson coach Art Kasemets said.

Grossenbach certainly qualified on both counts.

The Stevenson senior won the 50 free in 22.58 seconds and the 100 in 48.65, after establishing a state record of 47.93 in Friday's preliminaries.

Kasemets appreciates more than her speed.

"This season I learned what being in her presence means," he said. "Aria's presence forces everyone to be better — coaches and swimmers alike."

Grossenbach joined Claire Wang, Emma Kierzkowski and Christine Liu to win the 400 free relay in 3:23.13.

Patla, meanwhile, won the 200 free in 1:47.29 and the 500 in 4:48.02, becoming only the second Fremd swimmer to capture an individual state title.

Her reward after the 500? A few easy laps in the cool-down pool.

Then she anchored Fremd's third-place 200 free relay, splitting 22.5 seconds. Only Grossenbach's 21.93 was faster.

"Maybe the 500 free warmed me up and got my muscles ready for the relay," a grinning Patla said.

Fremd coach Andrew Kittrell wasn't surprised.

"Ellie is a distance swimmer who rivals any sprinter in the pool," he said. "She's a beast — a beast. But only in the pool. I’ve known her since she was 14. All smiles then. Just like she is today on deck.”

The Vikings' relay included Sophia Pentchev and sisters Anna and Ellen Hinshaw (1:34.38). The quartet also finished fourth in the 400 free relay (3:25.37).

Patla's father, Jim, swam on Fremd's state-champion 400 free relay in 1995.

Where's his gold medal?

"Probably in storage somewhere," Ellie said.

Hersey freshman Ella Brace took second in the 200 free (1:49.99) and fifth in the 500 (4:57.79).

Was the freshman intimidated?

"Not at all," Hersey coach Dick Mortensen said. "That's unusual for a freshman. Ella is positive and goal-oriented. Every day she'd come up to me and say, 'This is what I want to accomplish today.'”

Warren sophomore Alexis Kiriakopoulos, 16th in the 100 breaststroke (1:07.33) last year, surged from lane eight to finish second (1:03.33) in the event Saturday.

"I got my head in the right place today and told myself to relax," she said.

Fremd diver Mihika Tillu climbed from 31st after three preliminary dives to fifth (453.75 points), edging Buffalo Grove's sixth-place Allison Houston (453.65) by one-tenth.

"She kept plugging away," Fremd diving coach Donna O'Brien said. "Mihika finished with an exclamation point."

Stevenson's 200 free relay quartet of Claire Wang, Esmae Shen, Grace Zheng and Grossenbach finished runner-up in 1:32.87. The Patriots' 200 medley relay of Vanessa Miecznikowski, Brynn Marcus, Christine Liu and Shen placed sixth (1:45.1).

Fremd's Pentchev added a fifth-place finish in the 50 free (23.42), while Stevenson's Wang took fifth in the 100 butterfly (55.48). Schaumburg's Diana Bobiv was eighth in the butterfly (56.47), and Maine South's Gabi Szymanski placed eighth in the 100 breaststroke (1:04.8).

Rolling Meadows freshman Amber Bratek swept the Athletes with Disabilities 50 and 100 free races in 29.05 and 1:03.81.

Plenty of reasons to celebrate Saturday. Not always enough time.