Neuqua Valley hopes to be signing a medley come Saturday

The first event of Saturday’s Neuqua Valley girls swimming sectional, the 200-yard medley relay, could tell the tale.

“I think winning that, and not only winning it but having a good time on that, can really boost the spirits of the entire team,” said Neuqua Valley’s Brandon King, a first-year coach out of Hope College and Hinsdale Central. In 2006 he helped the Red Devils to seventh place in state in the 200 medley.

“I think that’s the most important race for the rest of that day, because it really does get everyone going,” King said.

Whether the Wildcats’ foursome of Gia Dalesandro, Courtney Taylor, April Niccolai and Maggie Maxstadt can top the 15-team field that includes state power Rosary and toughies Naperville Central, Naperville North and Waubonsie Valley remains to be seen.

Overall, the Neuqua sectional figures to rank second in quality behind only the Glenbrook South group featuring New Trier, Loyola and the host Titans — who finished first, second and seventh in state last year.

“Traditionally the sectional that we have out here, which has been either at Neuqua Valley or Metea Valley, we have had the fastest sectional,” said Naperville Central coach Sue Welker. As proof, her Redhawks won the state meet in 2004 and 2005, preceding Rosary’s four-year run from 2006-09.

“This year at (Glenbrook South) is probably the fastest this year,” Welker said, “but this one at Neuqua Valley is the second-fastest in the state.”

Neuqua Valley did win that 200 medley at the Metea sectional in 2010, but it was not enough to surpass champion Rosary or runner-up Naperville North. The Wildcats have fared well in several prior meetings this fall with coach Bill Schalz’s Beads.

“I think a lot of it is going to be a battle between Rosary and our team, and really about who drops more time from their in-season time,” said King, whose Wildcats won the Upstate Eight Conference meet.

As director of Neuqua Valley Aquatics, Wildcats boys swim coach Chad Allen will be the meet manager as well as leader of Wednesday night’s seeding meeting.

He’s very familiar with Rosary. The Beads did not win a single event at the 2010 sectional but not only won the meet by 32 points but placed third at the state. Senior Molly Coonce is the defending state 100 breaststroke champ, and she’s joined by such all-state teammates as Rachel Burke, Katherine Hare and Sarah Sykstus.

“They’ve had a really good girls team the last few years, but Neuqua Valley is probably the closest they’ve been to them in awhile,” said Allen, who brought up the names of Waubonsie Valley sophomore Madeline Hunt and Metea Valley’s Megan Sellers as swimmers to watch.

Dalesandro, top 10 in both the state 100 free and 100 backstroke, is also the defending sectional champion in each event. Megan Childs, a three-time all-state swimmer, figures to improve upon her seventh-place 100 breast finish at sectional.

Naperville North junior Rachel Prorok won that 100 breaststroke at sectional. Huskie Jen Law has been part of five all-state finishes either individually or as part of a medley; she won the 200 individual medley last year at Metea Valley and is the fastest returner in the 100 fly. Her sister, Michelle, has improved, King noted.

Naperville Central junior Julia Roller placed sixth in the 500 free after winning at sectional last year and will try to repeat.

King likes what he’s seen from West Chicago junior Maya Skorupski.

“We’ve seen them two or three times this season, and she’s competed with Gia every time in the backstroke,” King said.

State diving champion Lauren Mikulecky graduated from Neuqua Valley to Texas Christian, so the diving competition — held at 9 a.m. ahead of the 1 p.m. swim meet — figures to be Taylor Eggenberger’s to lose. The Waubonsie Valley senior placed second to Mikulecky at sectional by about 30 points but ahead of Rosary’s Grace Miller by 25. Eggenberger finished sixth in state as a sophomore, fourth as a junior.

Benet’s strength at last year’s sectional was its relays, with victories in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays leading to a fourth-place overall finish.

“Relays in swimming are where it’s at,” Welker said. “Relays score more points and are more important in the overall team placement, so everyone tries to load up their relays to get more out of the team standpoint.”

Well above C level

Speaking of swimming, Illinois Swimming recently announced that 74 of its members made the USA Swimming Scholastic All-America Team.

Preps who competed over the last year either as high school sophomores, juniors or seniors and compiled grade-point averages of 3.5 or higher, were members of USA Swimming and who achieved a required time standard in at least one event were recognized.

Among them:

Nicholas Bessler and Rachel Prorok, Naperville North; Katelyn Katsafanas and Tori Bertschy, Benet; Connie Hsu, Glenbard South; Alexandra Iwanicki, Glenbard West; Riley Schroedter, Neuqua Valley; Haley Sims, Downers Grove North; brothers Peter and Vincent Errichiello, Downers Grove South; and a host of Hinsdale Central swimmers, Daniel Thomson, Jennifer Coady, Genna Heidkamp, Hannah Lillioja and Lindsay Pavich.

All in the family

When West Aurora athletic director Andy Lutzenkirchen spends time with his nephew, Philip, “I still see that little kid.”

Others see Auburn’s 6-foot-5, 250-pound junior tight end as a future pro football prospect.

Philip Lutzenkirchen, who holds Auburn’s single-season mark for touchdowns by a tight end with 5 both this season and in 2010, comes from an athletic family with local ties.

Andy himself played quarterback for the first Wheaton Central football team to reach a state championship, his senior year in 1990.

Philip’s mother, the former Mary Meier, was a Wheaton Central cheerleader. His father and Mary’s classmate, Mike, was the Tigers’ starting quarterback as a junior and also a starting forward on the Tigers’ 1981 fourth-place Class 2A basketball team. They reside in Marietta, Ga., where Philip was a top college recruit out of Lassiter High School.

Andy attended the Auburn-Florida game on Oct. 15, and after the game when meeting with Philip other fans were “in awe” of the converted quarterback with great hands.

Andy said he and Mike admit that Philip’s rise to prominence is “surreal,” but those who know the Lutzenkirchens know their humility.

“He’s very proud,” Andy said of his brother, “but he’s not calling the papers and saying there should be more coverage of Philip.”

The big tight end is not the only young star in the family. One of Mary and Mike’s daughters, Ann, played soccer at Winthrop University. Another daughter, Abby, a senior at Lassiter, has committed to play soccer for Alabama.

“We have no clue where the athleticism comes from,” Andy joked. “We think the Meiers.”

doberhelman@dailyherald.com