Girls swimming: St. Charles North is Upstate Eight champ
One last time before they go their separate ways into different conferences, the Upstate Eight Conference gathered its girls swim teams, and the meet showed the kind of top-to-bottom high-caliber competition that will be missed.
St. Charles North, with hopes of gathering one of the trophies when the state meet is held at New Trier in three weeks, won the meet, 325-249 over crosstown rival St. Charles East. Those second-place Saints showed that their youthful team is putting its pieces together. Bartlett-Streamwood finished third and proved it has been building a program in recent seasons. West Aurora and West Chicago-Batavia engaged in a meet-long battle for fourth place, which West Aurora claimed on the final event of the meet.
Overall, it was a strong effort from all competing schools, especially the host North Stars, who won 10-of-11 swimming events.
"I think we've got to keep our focus," St. Charles North coach Rob Rooney said. "We saw that waver a bit with some of the kids. It's the end of the year and there are a lot of distractions, but we've got to make sure we keep that going."
St. Charles North also won the junior-varsity conference title, defeating St. Charles East 319-266 for that crown.
"Everyone here in the water today for me were varsity swimmers," Rooney said. "Even the JV-level kids, those are varsity swimmers. I'm excited today from what I saw today from a lot of them."
In addition to a sweep of all three relays, the North Stars got individual event wins from Audrey Guyett (100 free and 500 free), Mallory Jump (200 IM and 100 butterfly), Julianna Engesser (50 free) and Megan Armstrong (100 free and 100 back.)
"There's some really good teams out there, and I think we can compete with them," Rooney said.
St. Charles East has a very young team group this year, and Saints coach Julia Oelslager said she used the conference meet as a dress rehearsal for the IHSA sectional, which takes place Nov. 11 at St. Charles North.
"Tonight was exciting to watch and I can't wait to see what happens in two weeks," Oelslager said. "I like that even though we were tired, they were going on their season times, or some of them went a little off a season-best time."
Though still a sophomore herself, Mary Jania has blossomed into the latest St. Charles East swimming star. She won the 100 breaststroke, one of two Saints conference titles. Diver Lauren Carne won Friday night's diving competition.
"When you look at the composure of someone who's still a young kid, it gives you chills to think what she's going to be in the next two years. The best thing about (Jania) is that she loves to race," Oelslager said.
Although she was a state qualifier as a freshman in 2017, Bartlett-Streamwood's Sydney Kelly had a breakthrough kind of conference meet. She finished second in the 200 freestyle and second in the 500 freestyle.
"This was a good, solid third place finish," Bartlett-Streamwood coach Jeremy Meserole said. "We were right at or a little faster than our best times. (Kelly) had a great meet. She got a taste last year as a freshman. She's taken more of a role as a leader and a go-to person this year."
Kellsie Krisch also claimed a second-place finish for Bartlett-Streamwood in the 100 breaststroke.
West Aurora edged West Chicago-Batavia 169-167 for fourth place, continuing the Blackhawks' rise in recent seasons.
Junior Gina Jenkins had another solid conference meet, finishing fourth in the 200 freestyle and fourth in the 500 freestyle. A year ago, Jenkins qualified for the state meet in the 500 free.
"The girls did what they needed to do," West Aurora coach Chris Ranallo said. "(Jenkins) is two seconds faster than where she was a year ago and now she's three seconds faster in her 200 free."
The Blackhawks' breakout swimmer was Sophie Bastian, who was second in the 100 butterfly and fifth in the 100 butterfly.
"She's a competitor and for her to break out like that and race while tired, that was big for us," Ranallo said.
West Chicago had strong moments of its own. Sophomore Kelly Sego, the team's lone state qualifier in 2017, was second in the 100 backstroke and third in the 200 IM. Annabelle Kinerk added a fourth-place finish in the 100 freestyle.
"For (Sego), she was up for her in-season time in both events, but she's working her way back down to where she needs to be at the sectional. She just needs to be positive and know that if the process is right, the result will be there in the end," West Chicago-Batavia coach Nick Parry said.