Patriot Aquatic Club earns five Top-20 finishes at Nationals

The Patriot Aquatic Club had five top-20 finishes, broke one state record, and set several new club marks at the 2012 Speedo Winter Junior National Championships held Dec. 6-8 at the University of Tennessee.

The 800 free relay team of Erin Falconer, Julia Wawer, Danielle Elliott and Morgan Dickson finished sixth in an Illinois state record time of 7:25.02. PAC swimmers also set club records for fastest times in five other events. The 400 free relay unit of Falconer, Wawer, Dickson and Veronika Jedryka finished eighth in 3:25.20. Dickson was eighth in the 1,650 freestyle in 16:37.94, and also set a record in the 500 free with her 17th-place time of 4:49.49. Falconer, Wawer, Jedryka and Riley Kirby teamed for a 12th-place showing in the 200 free relay in 1:35.21, and Falconer established a new record in the 100 free with her time of 50.67. Overall, the club placed 17th in the women's division among 83 teams.

The Patriot Aquatic Club is based at Stevenson High School, but includes swimmers from several area schools. Wawer and Kirby swim for Stevenson, while Falconer is on the team at Mundelein High School. Dickson and Jedryka attend Libertyville and Buffalo Grove high schools, respectively, while Elliott goes to Barrington High School.