Lake County swimming / state meet prelims
Nobody earned a point Friday at the state boys swimming and diving meet at New Trier.
Teams vie for points today, Day 2.
But Libertyville coach Kevin Zakrzewski made a good one Friday.
A logical one.
“Friday (state-prelim session), at state, is all about getting that chance to swim again, that chance to come back here for a second swim,” he said. “It’s that simple. Hey, I don’t want to be a spectator (Saturday).
“I want to coach.”
He will.
Wildcats senior Ben Snader made sure of it, taking 11th in the 100-yard breaststroke (58.58), which happened to be the 11th event (penultimate) of the day.
The finals session, for top-12 entrants in each event, starts today at 1 p.m.
“My plan (Saturday): ‘outside smoke,’ ” Snader said, referring to his lane assignment and desired speed for today’s consolation heat in the 100 breast. “Take it out as fast as I can and then come back a half-second faster, maybe faster than that.”
Saturday’s busiest coach, from Lake County, will be Warren’s Chris Bertana. Six Blue Devils entrants earned the right to compete one more day.
“Our boys are doing well,” Bertana said near the end of Friday’s prelims. “Good time drops; they’re looking good. Get to (Saturday), get to (Saturday) – that’s the goal.”
Only one Blue Devil raced on Saturday at state last year: Danny Conway. Now a junior, he gets to climb a starting block three times today. He helped Warren’s 200 medley relay place 12th (1:36.8) on Friday, before qualifying for spots in a consolation final (10th, 200 IM, 1:54.26) and a championship final (5th, 500 freestyle, 4:36.21).
His brother, sophomore Matt Conway, swam on the medley relay (with Chad Church and Karter Gagliardo) and advanced in the 100 butterfly (9th, 51.05) and 100 backstroke (9th, 52.11).
Warren senior diver Sage Stephens (10th, 305.6 points) also survived Friday’s session.
But three state-meet marks did not. Naperville Central’s 200 medley relay scorched to a 1:31.68; Hinsdale Central junior clocked a ridiculous 4:21.43 in the 500 free; and Peoria Richwoods senior Matt Elliott stirred the spectators with a 53.87 in the 100 breast, bettering the mark (54.74) he set in the event last year. (Neuqua Valley senior Kevin Cordes had held the record in the event on Friday, briefly, after going 54-flat in the previous heat.)
“This meet,” said Stevenson coach Greg Hartman, “is a very, very fast one – faster than I expected. And you can’t (simulate the intensity of) a meet like this. It’s impossible to do that.
“When you get here, it’s a whole different ballgame.”
Mundelein sophomore Connor Black went 4-for-4 at the plate (OK, podium) on Friday. He earned Saturday slots in the 100 butterfly (4th, 49.98), 200 IM (8th, 1:54) and as a member of the 200 medley (9th, 1:35.84) and 200 free (6th, 1:25.6) relays.
The Mustangs’ other legs, on both quartets: seniors Will Davidson and Sean Falconer and junior Bryan Wiener.
“It went pretty well, our team’s day,” said Black, whose school-record in the 100 back was broken by Wiener (53.15, 15th place) on Friday. “We’re in good positions for (Saturday).
“The excitement of this meet … no other meet tops the amount of energy going on here,” he added.
Davidson also will swim in the 50 free consolation heat today, after qualifying 11th (21.5).
Lakes sophomore Daniel Le finished eighth in a state consolation heat (100 breast) a year ago. The Eagle landed in a championship heat this year, by going 57.8 (6th, 100 breast) on Friday.
“Not my best time,” Le said. “I was shooting to go a little faster (closer to 55 seconds). That’s OK; I have (Saturday).”
Other area entrants had only Friday. But they didn’t miss a Saturday date by much: Vernon Hills senior Kevin Lenz (13th, 100 breast, 59.03; 16th, 50 free, 21.64); Stevenson’s 400 free relay (14th, 3:11.16; Adam Salzman, Langston Fitts, Ryota Kuwahara and Daniel Shtivelberg); Fitts (15th, 200 free, 1:43.24); Grayslake Central junior Sean Mayfield (16th, 100 butterfly, 51.88); and Lakes sophomore Kyle Aerne (16th, 100 breast, 59.5).
Libertyville’s Snader nearly got to return as a two-event Wildcat today. He placed 14th in the 200 IM (1:55.32); the event’s final qualifier, St. Ignatius College Prep senior Michael Charysh, sped to a 1:54.79.