Girls swimming: Stevenson bands together, makes a statement
Every athlete in Friday's girls swimming state meet prelims session shared at least one goal: To earn an additional swim on the meet's second day.
So the pressure was on for Stevenson heading into the final event, the 400-yard freestyle relay.
Of the Patriots' competitors who had a good chance at competing again in Saturday's finals, senior Irune Andres was the only one still in pursuit of a last-day-of-the-season race. She'd narrowly missed, finishing 14th on the medley relay, 14th in the 200 IM and 20th in the 500 free in her earlier races.
"These girls got together and decided to dedicate the relay to Irune," said Stevenson coach Kevin Zakrzewski. "And then they went out and got it done."
The Patriots wrapped up their day with an 11th-place relay finish. That means they'll race again when the championship finals resume at noon Saturday.
It's quite an upgrade over the previous season, when Stevenson had no finals contestants. This year the Patriots will have four performances - sophomore Iza Pelka in the 200 free (seventh, 1:51.61), junior Rachel Song in the 100 butterfly (eighth, 56.64), senior Casey Kirby in the 100 backstroke (8th, 56.73) and the 400 free relay.
It wasn't a perfect day for Stevenson, as a slipped start on the medley relay probably cost that foursome a spot in at least the consolation finals.
"Ups and downs - which is what this meet ususally is about," said Zakrzewski said. "I thought we did a good job of bouncing back in the few cases where things didn't go our way."
Song delivered a lifetime-best efffort to earn her first consolation finals swim. Likewise for Pelka, who's performing more like a senior than a sophomore.
"Iza's a little bit ahead of the game in terms of how she approaches things," said Zakrzewski. "She's really goal-oriented and focused, and that's the kind of thing that helps your block the other stuff out if something doesn't go your way."
Warren junior Courtney Barker earned a pair of Saturday swims. She'll race in the consolation heat of the 50 free after finishing in 23.53 (ninth), and had a breakthrough effort in the 100 backstroke, finishing fifth in 56.18 to earn a spot in the championship heat.
"This is my first time where I'm on my full taper at state instead of sectionals, so it feels a little different," she said. "I think I like it."
Last year, Barker finaled in the 50 free. But her biggest gains this season have been in the backstroke.
"She's always been skilled in the backstroke," said Warren coach Chris Bertana, "but this year we were able to devote a little bit more time to it and focus on it a little bit more. She feels like she might be able to go even faster (in finals). Going 55 has been her goal, so she'll get a chance at that.
"We're all excited for her. She's such a great competitor."
Junior diver Morgan Paul got Libertyville's day started in style. She'd finished one spot out of the point-scoring top 12 in last year's state meet but didn't come close to missing a final set of dives this year, instead taking spot No. 6 with 312.45 points heading into Saturday's final three rounds.
The Wildcats' swimmers also met with success.
The medley relay of junior Meredith Robbins, senior Macey Neubauer, senior Staci Herchenbach and junior Emma Richert finished seventh in 1:45.08, lopping nearly a second off their state-qualifying performance.
Neubauer went on to come up with a pair of terrific swims in her individual races.
She grabbed the final qualifying spot in the 200 IM, finishing 12th in 2:06.67. And she summoned a lifetime-best in the 100 breaststroke, finishing in 1:04.01.
"Macey's the kind of swimmer you always want," said Libertyville coach Erik Rogers. "She's always positive, always believes in herself, and her teammates pick up on that."
Lake Forest had a pair of top qualifiers - senior Reilly Lanigan in both the 200 free (1:48.49) and the 500 free (4:48.88), and junior Daria Pyshnenko in the 50 free (22.52). The Scouts will certainly be in the thick of the top-three trophy race with Rosary and St. Charles North.