Marmion just misses trophy

For the better part of four hours, Marmion's boys swim team chased the third place trophy.

The Cadets improved on their preliminary seedings at nearly every opportunity. And by the time the meet-ending 400-yard freestyle relay took place, the team was within reach of its goal.

And yet the trophy slipped from their grasp. Marmion finished fourth in that relay and finished fourth in the state meet - just 2 points from a third-place tie with Glenbrook South. How close was that trophy? Had Marmion placed third in that relay - they would have tied the Spartans.

"It just stinks not getting what we wanted to," Marmion senior Thomas Delves said, who anchored that relay. "It was a great meet for us, but it's hard to not be where we wanted to be."

The state title went to host New Trier in a meet that will go down as the fastest to-date in Illinois boys swimming. Six events saw the existing state record. And Glenbrook South's 200 freestyle relay set the national record on Friday - then lowered their own mark on Saturday.

"I loved high school swimming so much," Delves said. "That's why I swim. I love high school swimming. It stinks that it's over."

But the fact that Marmion participated in such a historic meet failed to enliven the Cadets' area of the bleachers as the names of the swimmers on the top three teams were read to the spectators who remained.

Cadets coach Bill Schalz took the entire two-day effort into perspective and saw a team that made significant moves on Friday to position itself for the trophy run and then which worked manfully on Saturday only to fall narrowly short.

"It's frustrating because we had such an awesome meet this weekend," Schalz said. "We came in today with 110 (points.) We ended up with 113. We did everything we could today."

Schalz said the 400 free relay had not run out of gas. Seeded eighth entering the meet, the Cadets dropped time to qualify for the championship heat of the event. Had the quartet - Matt Pircon, Austin Cox, Matt Lifka and Delves - not put in that performance, there would have been nothing to discuss late on Saturday afternoon.

"We ran into three teams (New Trier, Glenbrook South, Neuqua Valley) that were loaded with freestylers," Schalz said. "We've got all our medley guys on that relay. They did a lot of swimming at the end of the meet and we just weren't quite there."

Schalz said searching the results sheets for 2 points which would have created a third-place tie without that relay swim is not an effort he is willing to undertake.

"There are probably 15,000 places we could have gotten those 2 points," Schalz said. "These guys swam hard all the way to the end. We're still in that relay with a backstroker, a breaststroker and two freestylers. I'm very proud of what they accomplished. We swam really well and we should be ecstatic. Instead, everyone's head is down."

Marmion's top finisher for the day was Pircon, who finished second in the 50 freestyle. A junior, Pircon has announced he intends to focus on football next year. Should he hold to that decision, Saturday's swim is his last for the Cadets.

"Our guys came to swim," Pircon said. "We came up in the medley (relay) to second from third. Tyler Capen moved up (in the 200 IM) from fifth to fourth. We're all trying our best."

St. Charles East finished 19th in the meet - and had a pair of swims from Adam Carnell and Ken Tiltges in the finals. Carnell was 11th in the 200 freestyle and seventh in the 100 freestyle. His 100 freestyle improved from his prelim swim, thanks to a discussion with Saints coach Joe Cabel.

"Especially right before, Mr. Cabel and I worked on my start because I had been slow off the blocks in the 200," Carnell said. "That start felt good and the whole swim felt awesome."

Tiltges finished seventh in the 50 freestyle and seventh in the 100 breaststroke.

"I think yesterday, I picked the wrong suit," Tiltges said. "Today, I wore what I felt comfortable wearing. (Carnell) and I worked so hard all season - just like the rest of our team. It's just great to come to the state meet and finish it with a bang like this. I'm happy for him and I'm happy for our team."

St. Charles North's medley relay finished 11th. Nick Smith added a 12th-place finish in the 50 freestyle and the 100 freestyle. Four years ago, St. Charles North coach Rob Rooney recruited Smith from a gym class, beginning a journey that ended with competition on the final day of his senior state meet.

"It was always something that I looked up to, especially swimming freshman year and seeing how far I had to go," Smith said. "I've gotten so far, I can't even believe it. Swimming's an experience I never thought I'd be a part of until these past few years. We'll see where the road takes me now."

Batavia's Albert Roth completed his high school career with a 10th-place finish in the 200-individual medley.

"I'm not really happy with it," Roth said. "I added a second to my time. I wasn't even happy with (Friday's) swim."