Girls swimming: Barrington still tops in MSL

As the opener for the championship season, the girls swimming and diving teams of the Mid-Suburban League gathered on Elk Grove's pool deck to face off against some longtime competitors which for some would be the last time this 2018 season.

A sensational singing of the national anthem got the afternoon session started off right and from the first chime of the starter both the East and the West showed they were ready to compete.

Almost every event came down to the last 5 yards, always resulting in thunderous cheers from both teammates and spectators alike. After some intense relays and tons of upsets the Barrington girls secured the win, maintaining their title of MSL champions.

The Fillies finished with a score of 291, followed by Hersey in second (238) and Fremd in third (140). Buffalo Grove secured fourth with a score of 134, Schaumburg was fifth with 92, Prospect claimed sixth with 84.5, followed by Palatine (70), Elk Grove (57.5), Conant (39), Rolling Meadows (29), Hoffman Estates (28), and Wheeling (6).

The morning's diving session gave the Fillies the push they needed to start the day with Anna Mae King posting an impressive score of 401.20. Anais Gonzalez of Palatine was not far behind with a score of 376.35, followed by Gillian Karsten of Buffalo Grove (375.40).

The medley relay set the tone for the rest of the meet, as Hersey and Barrington fought tirelessly for the lead. In the final stretch, the Barrington medley team of Bridget O'Leary, Catherine Kitzman, Emma Pritchett and Adelaide Reader took the lead and posted an impressive time of 1:48.38. Not far behind was the Huskie relay of Mollie Lumsden, Natalia Plewa, Bianca Teves, and Clair Lutz, who broke a Hersey school record with a time of 1:49.00.

Starting things off right for the Huskies and helping contribute to their success throughout the meet was the freshman Lumsden, who won both the 200 free (1:56.09) and the 100 back (58.49), while also contributing to the successes of the medley and 400 free relays.

"I've got great teammates who support me and push me," said Lumsden, "I just wanted to give it my all and make them proud."

Other standout swims for the Huskies included Teves, who won the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:15.45 and secured second in the 100 butterfly (59.39), Ella Salm who placed third in the 50 free (25.02), and Shannon Blumenfeld in who secured third in the 500 (5:17.15).

"I had a lot of younger girls who really stepped it up today," said Hersey coach Dick Mortenson, "We've been working hard, but our attitudes were good and we found our drive to race. I'm very proud of them."

Athletes across the East and West were making strides and pushing through the pain of weeks of hard training to make their teammates and coaches proud.

Schaumburg stole a lot of top spots throughout the meet, showing it was certainly a contender for the championship season ahead.

Saxon swimmer Nina Mollin claimed the top spot in 200 IM with an impressive time of 2:08.6, while her sister Hana Mollin was not far behind posting a time of 2:11.19 and snagging third place. Nina Mollin also placed second in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:07.66.

Sneaking some top spots for Buffalo Grove was senior Emily Shulstad, who placed sixth in the 200 free and fourth in the 500 (5:22.29).

Conant's Megaumi Komoto placed third in the 100 fly (59.87), outtouching some Hersey and Barrington swimmers to snag a top spot for the Cougars.

Rolling Meadows' Ashley Hintz and Fremd's Sarah Rothmeyer grabbed top spots in the 100-yard free, posting times of 55.68 and 56.13 respectively.

The Viking 200 relay team of Lauren Savage, Megan Helsdingen, Rothmeyer, and Kristina Buzuloi (1:43.51) and the 400 relay team of Sophia Keuhn, Rothmeyer, Elizabeth Serino, and Lauren Savage (3:47.59) helped secure third overall for the Vikings, giving Barrington and Hersey a run for their money.

Despite some very fierce competition, the Fillies proved they had the right attitude and energy to place high and secure top spots across the board.

Ellie Graves and Rebecca Galovich stayed long and strong during the 200 free posting times of 1:56.39 and 1:57.63, securing second and third for the Fillies and maintaining their lead from the diving portion and previous relay.

The Fillies continued to battle for top spots as Sophia Kuehn placed second in the 200 IM (2:11.19), Emily Bucaro secured fourth (2:13.78), and Catherine Kitzman claimed sixth (2:15.80).

Alyssa Schwengel and Adelaide Reader rounded out the first half of the meet for the Fillies by going first and second in the 50 free, speeding to the wall with times of 24.72 and 24.83.

After a short break Allison Penrod won the 100 free for Barrington with a time of 52.58 with teammate Grace Roper not far behind (54.57) obtaining another one-two victory for the Fillies.

Lilian Reader would win the 100 fly in a time of 57.81, while Maria Pritchett fought hard for fourth (1:00.31).

A third one-two finish in the 500 led by Maggie Graves (5:07.38) and Ellie Graves (5:07.49) kept the momentum going for the Fillies and helped them climb ahead of the competition.

Barrington remained undefeated in the relays throughout the meet with the 200 free relay team of Julie Vega, Adelaide Reader, Emily Bucaro, and Schwengel posting a time of 1:39.03.

The final individual event winner was the Fillies' Penrod who won the breaststroke in a time of 1:06.51.

The Fillies the finished the meet with the 400 free relay team of Roper, Galovich, Pritchett, and Ellie Graves finishing the meet with a time of 3:38.03 assuring their title as MSL champions once again.

"I've got a lot of gamers on my team, "said Barrington coach Alex Mikolajewski." When I ask them to step up, they hop up on the saddle and they race. The girls did what they had to do today and we're excited for some rest."