Just like that, a new MSL champ: Fremd

Barrington’s run of consecutive girls swimming and diving conference championships, which covered two decades, was finished by fractions of seconds.

Fremd earned narrow victories against its Barrington competitors in the first two relays of the Mid-Suburban League meet on Saturday, the 200 -yard medley and the 200 free relays.

If meet host Barrington had won either of those two races, the team standings would have ended up differently. But Fillies coach Jim Bart and his team were nothing but gracious in seeing their enduring reign of dominance end in the blink of an eye.

“First and foremost, we offer our congratulations to Fremd,” said Bart. “Their girls did what they needed to do to win the meet. They earned it.”

Fremd finished with 291 points, and Barrington had 283.

Both programs remain far ahead of the rest of the league, as Hersey (144 points) placed third and Palatine (138) fourth.

Fremd got great contributions from seniors Breanna Anderson and Kayleen Samuels. Anderson won the 100 free (53.20) and was third in the 50 free (24.64); Samuels was seventh in the 200 IM and gave the Vikes a big lift by taking third in the 100 backstroke as Barrington was closing the gap in the meet’s latter stages.

“Kayleen really came up big there,” said Fremd coach Andrew Kittrell. “We knew Barrington was going to have a great 400 free relay at the end of the meet, so we really need every point leading up to that.”

Other keys for Fremd were second-place efforts from sophomores Erica King in the 200 and 500 (frees) and Saki Takumiya in the 200 IM and 100 back. Soph Loretta Stelnicki was third in the 100 breastroke and fourth in the 50 free.

“We are such a young team,” said Kittrell, “but those are some tough little kids.”

Fremd’s medley of Takumiya, Stelnicki, Jennie Yang and Anderson won 1:50.32, and the all-underclass 200 free relay of Grace Kneller, Emily Jia, King and Stelnicki won in 1:39.58.

Barrington junior Mekenna Scheitlin and freshman Kirsten Jacobsen each were impressive double winners. Scheitlin rocked her 50 free (23.98) and 100 fly (57.61) in season-best times; Jacobsen won easily in both the 200 free (1:52.14) and 500 free (5:04.27), setting a meet record in the latter.

Junior Olivia Hoffman completed a 1-2 Fillies finish in the 100 fly by taking second behind Scheitlin, then gave Barrington a lift by winning the 100 breastroke (1:10.47). A fourth-place effort from Kayla Widdowson in the breastroke helped give the Fillies a glimmer of hope heading into the 400 free relay, and Emma Barnett, Schietlin, Widdowson and Jacobsen set a meet record by winning the last race in 3:34.58. But Fremd’s Emily Jia, King, Takumiya and Anderson were close behind in second place to cement Fremd’s victory.

Hersey senior Amanda Petro wrapped up her last MSL competition with a first: victories in both her individual events. She won the 200 IM in 2:09.78 and set a meet record of 57.80 in the 100 backstroke.

“We were talking before the meet, and I said, ‘It’s time to think about leaving a legacy,’ ” said her coach, Dick Mortensen. “I think she’s done a nice job of doing that.

“She’s just such a hard-working swimmer, a genuinely kind-hearted person — the ultimate teammate. She’s more concerned about getting our medley relay to state than about her own swims.”

Another three-time state qualifier, Veronika Jedryka of Buffalo Grove, led the Bison to a fifth-place team finish by taking second in both the 50 free (24.50) and the 100 free (53.32). The Bison also got a top-six finish from Margaret Lotzer in the 200 free, and the Bison 400 free relay of Jedryka, Lotzer, Callie Fasching and Sara Morosan placed third in 3:43.11, a season-best by four seconds.

Palatine got a great time drop from Lily Zahn in the 100 free, as she placed third in 54.45. Zahn also placed fourth in the 200 free, and her sister Amy was fourth in the 100 fly. Laura Mayer cracked the top six in the 100 fly, Kristin Anderson took sixth in the 50 free and both Palatine free relays earned top-six points as the Pirates program continued to make big strides.

Elk Grove wasn’t able to win a single dual against its MSL foes, but that didn’t matter much on Saturday as the Grenadiers surged to a sixth-place finish with 88 points. Junior Simona Kurta took third in the 100 fly and fifth in the 200 IM, Nikki Sugihara was sixth in the 100 back and the Grens got top-six efforts in two relays, the 200 medley (fourth) and 400 free (sixth).

Elk Grove coach Dave Toler had his full complement of swimmers healthy and focused at Barrington, and that made all the difference.

“My best hope coming in to the meet was maybe seventh,” he said. “So it’s a nice surprise, and we’re really pleased with the result.”

Schaumburg (85 points, seventh place) got top-six efforts from Sydney Skibinski (2nd in the 100 breast) and Ellen Nolley (sixth in the 500 free).

Conant sophomore Allison Cicero placed third in both the 200 IM and 500 free.

Wheeling’s tops swims came from sophomore Theresa Godlewski, who was fourth in the 100 back and 100 free.

Meaghan O’Brien had the top individual finish for Rolling Meadows with an eighth in the 100 breastroke, and the Mustangs’ 200 free relay finished sixth.

Macey Berkley was Prospect’s top finisher with seventh in the 100 breaststroke.