Fox swimmers finish in style at state
Rosary's first-year head coach, Glenn Brown, said that he couldn't have been prouder of his team's performance at Saturday's final day of the girls state swimming finals at New Trier.
"This was a long weekend for everybody," said Brown, "but our girls swam their hearts out."
Elyssa Brault led the way for the Beads. She was part of a third place medal winning 200 yard medley relay team, along with Jessica Geriane, Izzy Pytel and Sara Jess, that posted a time of 1:42.99.
Brault also took home the fifth place medal in the 200 IM, and earned another, ninth, in the 100 breaststroke.
"Honestly, I think that our team came out here with a positive attitude," said the junior. "We're a small team this year so we wanted to make the most of it."
"That 200 relay was just so much fun," added Brault. "The word sisterhood is used a lot, but I think it really applies to our team. We're all super close, we hang out with each other, and we feel like we have to be there for each other."
Brault also gave props to her coach for the stellar job that he did this season.
"Coach Brown really stepped it up," said Brault. "He's someone I admire, he's done a fantastic job and he rallies everyone together. He's always telling us that we're a team and we're going to do everything together as a team."
Jessica Geriane of Rosary finished seventh in the 100 free in a time of 50:48.
The St. Charles East relay teams earned two medals Saturday in Winnetka, placing 11th in the 200 free (Lauren Swartz, Hannah Murray, Olivia Furmanek and Molly Yetter), and 12th in the 200 medley (Yetter, Swartz, Sophia Mruk and Mary Jania).
St. Charles North also posted some strong placements at the two-day tourney.
The North Stars were fifth in the 200 medley relay (1:44.10) behind Megan Armstrong, Angelina Messina, Izabella DelRosario and Julia Fifer; and medaled as well in the 200 free rely with Megan Armstrong, Fifer, Sydney Maxwell and Mary Ellen Wolff.
In the 400 free relay, St. Charles North grabbed seventh (Paige Armstrong, Megan Armstrong, Wolff and Fifer.)
Megan Armstrong also stood out in the 100 backstroke, taking the runner-up position in a time of 54.79, just missing out on a repeat state title (she won the crown in 2018).
"I always say the words that you 'get' to the finals," said St. Charles North coach Rob Rooney. "In other words you 'get' to do something instead of 'having' to do something. We were very fortunate that we got to come back and swim today in the finals, and there's not many teams or kids who can say that.
"Megan (Armstrong) was very excited to be out here swimming for the chance at another state title," added Rooney. "She was racing against a girl (Carly Novelline of New Trier, the 100 backstroke winner) with a lot of talent, but Megan is always up for the challenge and that's great to see."