Boys swimming: Making the grade in Cougar Classic
Maine South's boys swimming and diving team took top honors in the eight-team Cougar Classic hosted by Conant on Saturday, finishing with 321 points to edge out the District 300 co-op team (313).
Mundelein (251) was third, followed by Deerfield (244), Rolling Meadows (228) and Conant (226) in a meet that rewards three-swimmer depth via points awarded for A, B and C heats.
The field included a pair of top seniors - St. Viator's Michael Balcerak and Rolling Meadows' Josh Dellorto - and both produced a pair of excellent winning individual swims.
Balcerak broke the pool record in the 100-yard butterfly, cruising to a victory in 49.98. He also won the 200 freestyle (1:43.80) and produced fast split times on the winning 200 and runner-up 400 freestyle relays.
On the 200 relay Balcerak split 20.60 on the fourth leg; he was joined by Tyler Coupe, Marcus Lannie and Michael Ruben in a 1:30.61. And on the 400 relay, Balcerak anchored in 45.21 to complete a 3:22.04 effort with Richard Rinka, Michael Wendling and Ruben.
Dellorto had winning efforts in both the 100 free (47.26) and the 50 free (21.69). He also supplied a 24.82 leadoff split on the second-place medley relay and a 46.70 anchor leg on the Mustangs' third-place 400 free relay. On the medley, Dellorto joined Jake Pors, Lukas Slifierz and Nate Pardini for a season-best 1:42.09, and the same quartet finished the free relay in 3:23.16.
The D300 team started with a victory in the medley relay from Harold Ogaban, Alexander Le, Eric Boysen and Elijah Stuart (1:40.02) and finished with a win in the 400 free relay with Reid Coyle, Boysen, Stuart and Ogaban (3:20.57).
St. Viator junior Michael Ruben was a winner in the 200 IM (2:02.47) and took second in the 500 free (5:00.31).
Conant junior Justin Lim placed second in both the 100 fly (52.82) and 50 free (22.35), and Dylan Pokorny was third in the 100 breast (1:03.86). The Cougars had the B-level winner in diving (Kyle Jones, 360.40) and the third-place finisher at the A level (Caleb Savoy, 371.95).
Downers Grove North had the champion in the 100 back as Benjamin Ellstrom won in 54.09.