Girls swimming / Scouting Northwest

BarringtonThe Fillies have a heck of a collection of returning talent, and they'll get another jolt of varsity-ready freshmen to make them even more formidable this fall. Kirsten Jacobsen broke the state record last year in the 200 free; she also won the 500 free at state for a second straight year and has elite speed at the shorter distances, too. Seniors Emma Barnett, Andrea Vega and Kelsey Holmes have each had state meet experience and figure to provide great leadership. And competitors like seniors Kael Ragnini (back, freestyle), Catie Olson (fly, IM), junior Sara Kate Capel (sprints) and sophomores Alica Han (fly, IM) and Morgan Bosse (middle distance free) give Barrington uncommonly strong dual meet depth. Figure in freshmen distance standouts Maggie Emary and Maggie Menso along with freestyler/butterflyer Emma Graves, and it's clear that the Fillies will be even better than last year. Whether or not that's good enough to end Fremd's back-to-back Mid-Suburban League titles remains to be seen, but at the very least Barrington will make the attempt well worth watching. "We have more flexibility with our lineup this year," said coach Jim Bart, "so that will help, as well as increased depth throughout the lineup. We're aiming to challenge for the MSL meet, and move up in our state finish from last season." Barrington finished 13th at state last year, getting points from Jacobsen and the 400 free relay - three fourth of which returns (Jacobsen, Vega and Emma Barnett). There's every reason to think the Fillies will get at least one more relay to score points, along with several more individuals.

Buffalo GroveThe Bison will be on balance a young team, as coach Tom Mroz has about 80 percent of his squad comprised of either freshmen or sophomores. Hoping to take advantage of a beautiful new training and meet facility at the school will be returning state qualifier Sarah Morosan, a senior. She excelled in the sprints last year and will be rejoined by several key members of last year's team, including junior Brian Wahout and sophomore Alexa Jedryka, along with senior diver Nicole Woodhead. Mroz also expects freshmen Payton Perkinson, Dasha Yermol and diver Kara Tyner to help at the varsity level. "Our goals are to push each other to train hard," said Mroz, "and to compete outside our comfort level. Fear no pain for success."

ConantCoach Justin Bickus is looking ahead to one of the strongest teams the Cougars have had in recent years. He'll be counting on a pair of strong seniors, Allison Cicero (distance free, IM) and Paulina Wolska (distance free) to set the tone. Cicero has qualified for the state meet multiple years and has been a consistent top performer in the MSL. Junior Sam Wooley will lead the sprinters, and sophomore Lea Cejvan excels in the IM and breastroke. Bickus expects meaningful contributions from senior Sarah Gregory and freshmen Esther Song and Nia Tsoulos in the sprints, while Emily Weingart, Bailey Hornstein and Katie Kopp will give the Cougars strength in diving. "With plenty of returning top swimmers, we should be able to keep ourselves in dual meets," said Bickus, "and hopefully have an even better finish at the MSL championship than last year, and have some more chances to qualify athletes for state come sectionals."

Elk GroveThe Grenadiers lost a former state qualifier to graduation in Simona Kurta, but coach Dave Toler is encouraged by the overall makeup of his squad this fall. He says returning seniors Inah Enovla and Malia Distor are providing great leadership for a group with promising athleticism. Juniors Sara Lasovska and Alyssa Rosenorn are returning performers who bring versatility, and sophomore Linsey Hendren will take her water polo background and apply it to sprints and relays. Kate Duffy is back after missing last season with an injury, and Toler says he's got enough freshmen and sophomores with competitive experience to make it an interesting, productive season. "The team's responding to hard work and developing the attitude and expectations to become scorers at the championship meets," Toler said.

FremdThe two-time defending conference champs are looking forward to a special season led by an uncommonly large and capable senior class. Fremd's bevy of seniors who already have relay or individual state meet experience includes Grace Kneller, Erica King, Julia Portmann, Saki Takumiya and Loretta Stelnicki. Such a confluence of experienced talent has led to an oddity - instead of a team captain or two, the Vikings will have leadership by committee as King, Portmann, Stelnicki, Miya Konishi and divers Caroline Krezalek and Lauren Shoaf have been designated as Fremd's senior leadership team. "These girls have been working their tails off to make certain that every kid is not only valued and appreciated for their individual athletic abilities, but for their team commitment as well," said coach Andrew Kittrell. "I have been really proud of them, and I am excited about this year's team atmosphere." Stelnicki and Kneller are both top-end sprint freestylers with the ability to contribute elsewhere as needed. Takumiya is best in backstroke but also terrific in the IM, breast, fly and sprints. King and Portmann give Fremd a tough 1-2 distance freestyle punch and also step up for relays. Junior Grace Grzybek made state last year in the 100 back can help out in many other events, depending on team need. Divers Sara McTague and Sydney Plichta led the way last season, and they're also back; Krezalek, Shoaf and Morgan Faulkner give the Vikes rare depth on the boards. Kittrell reports that Portmann had a terrific summer season and has been strong in early training sessions. Expect terrific relays and overall depth from Fremd, which will only be bolstered by freshmen Emily Bolger and Rebecca Ballo. "We are lucky enough to compete against some very good teams in the MSL such as Prospect, Hersey, Palatine, and of course, Barrington," said Kittrell, "but we think our depth can make us a worthy opponent and we hope to be right there challenging for the conference championship."

Hoffman EstatesCoach Chris Fetterman would like nothing more than to see Megan Bonney end a 13-year drought for the Hawks by qualifying individually for the state meet. Bonney, a senior, is closing in on school records set in the 1990's in the 100 and 200 freestyle and is Hoffman Estates' top returning competitor. Fetterman reports that sophomore Casey Rawlings had a strong summer season and hopes to have an impact in the MSL this fall, and he likes what he sees from a deep, improving roster. "We have our work cut out for us," the coach said, "but I am not sure if we have had such a hard-working, never-going-to-quit group since I started coaching swimming here in 2007. We are really happy with our group."

HerseyThe Huskies lost their top sprinter freestyler (Lenna Fotos) and a pair of elite divers in state qualifier Hannah Bovino and Annie Johnson. But that's about all the Huskies lost, and they've added a whole lot, which means it figures to be an interested season for coach Dick Mortensen and diving guru Tom Schwab. The top returning swimmers are Sarah Petro (distance), Kathryn Lutz (sprints), Jen Lutz (back, fly), Emily Datillo (breast), Emma Wilcher (fly,IM), Melissa Pollina (fly/back), Kathryn Gorey (sprints) and Zeynep Abat (IM/Breast); Kelly Haines is back to take the lead in diving. Impact newcomers figure to be Olivia Kusio, Abby Johnstone and Maddy Bovino. Kusio is clearly varsity-ready, having already better that state cut in the breastroke and freestyle; Mortensen says Johnstone will help immediately in the sprints. Schwab has a big group of improving divers, and there's every reason that will end up giving the Huskies a competitive edge. "Swimming-wise, we return 90 percent of our core," said Mortensen, "and with the freshman additions we should be able to challenge Prospect for the MSL East."

PalatineCoach Brittany Berleman is looking forward to further gains from a team which made big strides last season. The Pirates have lost a couple of important athletes from that group, but they also have a strong core back in the fold. Junior Kristin Anderson enjoyed a breakthrough season last year, earning state meet qualification in both the 50 and 100 free. Another junior, Lily Zahn, has raced at state individually in the 100 free but will focus on the 100 fly this season. Tess O'Brien will join the sprinting crew this year and can contribute in just about any event, and Palatine gets a varsity-ready freshman in Ellis Nelson, who has been close to the state qualifyind standard in both the 200 IM and 100 breast and will elevate all Palatine's relays. Berleman says junior diver Lizzie Johns made "huge strides" after making a commitment to club diving, and Mathilde Mogensen (100 breast, IM) and Kelsey Hank (freestyles) continue to make gains and will help the Pirates' arc of team improvement. "Our team has grown, and more girls have done off-season than ever before, so we hope to make an impact on our conference," Berleman said. "Our varsity team is still small, but we're stronger than ever and we hope to qualify girls for the state meet again. The coaching staff is extremely excited for the upcoming season."

ProspectThe defending MSL East champs overwhelmed their divisional opponents last fall with dual-meet balance and sheer numbers of capable swimmers and divers. The main difference between that group and this season is ... well, not much difference at all, except that all the key players have another year of experience. Start with elite diver Dana Liva, who's qualified for the state meet each of the three previous years, improving each time and finishing third last season. Senior captains Niki Neumann (IM, fly, back, free), Michelle Vuong (distance, back) and Monica Mazurek (sprints) are back, along with standout senior Rachel Rozow (IM, breast, fly). Three more key seniors are Macey Berkley (IM, breast, distance), Ellie McGough (distance, fly, back) and Kathryn Brooks (back, fly). The top juniors are Betsy Rozow (sprints, back) and Abby Younger (freestyles), and a big sophomore class featuring Samantha Berkley (fly, free), Natalia Dmitruk (sprints, breast), Gracie Dix (sprints), Megan Pfeiffer (fly, back, IM) and Janae Dawson (fly, sprint freestyle) along with freshman Kaitlin Sattley (back, fly) will have big roles. With tons of depth and lots of lineup options, coach Alfonso Lopez is eager to see if his Knights can repeat last year's success. "Our team goals are to try to defend our MSL East title from a season ago and qualify individuals and relays for the state meet," he said. "We have a strong senior class leading this team, which is one of the deepest I have had in my tenure here at Prospect."

Rolling MeadowsThe Mustangs enter the season with optimism and figure to be led by junior Bailey Rowley and senior Erin Pletch. Coach Monika Chiappetta reports that they've worked hard toward some big goals and she's looking forward to some great things from them. Other familiar faces sure to have an impact are juniors Anna Frantom and Jessie Ligenza and sophomores Betsy Zanocco, Teresa Perille and Grace Nykol. Add to that a promising freshman class which includes four swimmers with year-round club experience - Olivia Hepko, Sarah Myeres, Emily Wilt and Brittney Brown - and the Mustangs understandably have high expectations. "Overall, the varsity teams goals are to end with best times and set a few new team records," Chiappetta said. "The team is very focused and willing to be working extremely hard to make their goals happen."

SchaumburgSeniors Danielle J. Grubb and Daniell E. Grubb - no relation - have been teammates for four years now. Fitting, then, that they'll have a big say in the identity of this year's team at Schaumburg. Though it's easy to confuse their names, at least they have different aptitudes in the pools, as Danielle J. excels in fly and back, while Danielle E. specializes in breaststroke and IM. Senior Dawn Nowlin is back to lead the diving crew along with junior Caiti Poland, and sophomore Hannah Pearson will compete in backstroke and freestyle. Freshmen Natalia Mack (fly, breast, free), Ingrid Hay (back, breast, free) and Cassy Salvadore (free) will help offset the loss to graduation of terrific competitors such as Sydney Skibinski, Abigail and Ellen Madeline Langlotz and Ellen Nolley. Coach Tim Kasper is looking forward to a season of development, saying, "With the senior leadership of the Grubbs and a group of talented freshmen, we hope to see huge improvement thoughout the year."

St. ViatorThe Lions have a new head coach in Jamie Klotz, who for many years coached boys cross country, boys swimming and boys track and field at Buffalo Grove. Klotz is excited for this opportunity and is hopeful a small but capable team can continue to show progress. Junior Jackie Rose leads the way; she excels in the breaststroke and 200 free and has a chance to make state individually. Senior Bridget Hulseboch (IM) and junior Gianna Chu (back) will also be lineup mainstays, and Klotz says junior Susie Lambesis could also play a big role in the freestyles. Three freshmen with strong club backgrounds also join the mix - Ashley Alteri, Maggie McDermoot and Georgia Christy - and will certainly help at the varsity level. Klotz is also happy to be getting a big coaching assist from Tiffany Barson, who son Jake was an all-stater at Rolling Meadows last year. "Dual meets could be difficult in terms of depth, but I believe these young ladies will prove their metttle over the course of the next 14 weeks," Klotz said.

WheelingThe Wildcats won't have the depth to challenge for a divisional title, but there's no doubt about Wheeling's top-end swimmers. Start with Theresa Godlewski, who is back for her senior year after steadily breaking her own team records through the previous three seasons. Godlewski is the defending conference champ in both the 50 free and 100 back, and she qualified to the state meet in both events. The logical goal would be to take one more step forward and score points for Wheeling in those races. "She had a phenomenal summer season," said Wheeling coach Lisa Poynor, "and I am excited to see that momentum carry on into the high school season." Godlewski is also terrific in the butterfly and makes any of Wheeling's relays dangerous. Other key contributors thisseason will be junior Adrienne Rozmus (distance), senior Shannon Richards (free, back, breast) and junior diver Jenny Zieger. "Our varsity squad is small," said Poynor, "but I am looking forward to a fun and successful season."