Rock-solid Neuqua Valley, other teams ready for a different looking girls swimming season

Neuqua Valley, a rock in high school girls swimming, added a precious piece.

A Stone. McKenna Stone.

As a junior for Metea Valley last November, Stone rocked the 100-yard butterfly, winning her first IHSA state title. A California-Berkeley commit, her move from the Aurora school to the Naperville school boosts a Neuqua Valley squad that already boasts Georgia-bound senior Rachel Stege, the defending state champ in the 200 and 500 freestyles, and senior Jane Riehs, who won the state diving title last season.

“We have an arsenal, for sure,” said Jason Niforatos, coach of the two-time defending state champs.

Niforatos' Wildcats — and all IHSA girls swimming and diving teams — also have a season to compete this fall.

But like fellow fall sports golf, cross country and tennis, swimming will look different due to COVID-19. While considered a low-risk sport by the IHSA, swimming's social-distancing guidelines will include no relays and, likely, no invitationals. Handshakes, fist bumps and hugs will not be allowed. There will be fewer people allowed on deck and in the stands, as student participants, coaches and officials will be restricted to a combined total of 50 per “wave” — an apropos term for the sport of swimming.

“I'm a little crushed that we're not doing relays,” Niforatos said of the 200 medley, 200 free and 400 free. Stege swam on Neuqua Valley's state-champion 200 and 400 free relays each of the last two years. “Our relays looked just stifling. I know that they were super excited about doing those relays, but it is what it is. We're trying to keep everybody — coaches, parents and athletes — in a mind set that we're very grateful of this opportunity, more so because this is some level of normalcy for these girls.”

Hersey coach Dick Mortensen notes that since there are no relays, the new guidelines allow swimmers to compete four individual events. That means with only eight events, a team could load up a postseason lineup with just four elite swimmers. Competitions are allowed to start on Aug. 24, and the scheduled end of the season is set for Oct. 24.

“I do think relays can be done safely,” Mundelein coach Rahul Sethna said. “Hopefully as time goes on (the IHSA) will reevaluate and maybe put relays back in there. But we're happy that we get to swim.”

Mortensen will not have star Maggie Papanicholas, however. As a freshman last year, Papanicholas finished third in the 100 breaststroke at state. But she couldn't compete during the pandemic and is only .03 seconds off the U.S. Olympic Time Trials cut in the breaststroke, Mortensen says, so she will swim with her age-group team. He understands.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity maybe for her,” he said.

Another reality for Hersey is its school district will allow the Huskies to have only one swimmer per lane in practice. In a normal year, there would be 9 or 10 swimmers using a lane. Like Neuqua Valley, Hersey will use staggered practices to allow more girls to swim.

“This year is about including as many kids as we can, not necessarily about being ultracompetitive, because the meets are going to look different,” Mortensen said. “We're not going to have a ton of them, I would guess.”

Hersey might not have a ton of swimmers, either.

“That's my biggest struggle with this right now,” Mortensen said. “We've always prided ourselves on being a no-cut sport, and now we have to reevaluate that.”

At Mundelein, per IHSA and IDPH guidelines, the Mustangs will follow USA Swimming guidelines, meaning they can have four swimmers per lane at practice. Coaches and swimmers will be required to wear face-coverings when not in the pool and follow social-distancing protocol.

“It is different,” said Sethna, whose Mustangs return senior Adry Kasemets, last season's state runner-up in the breaststroke. “We are going to have to stagger practices because we don't want to cut anyone.”

The big question for all teams is whether there will be a state meet.

“I think there are different ways to do a state meet,” Sethna said. “I don't think the traditional state meet that we're used to in Illinois, where you have 500-some swimmers and 2,000 people in that one pool [is realistic], but I think there are ways to do it, whether it's virtually or [another way]. USA Swimming has done things like that, and I think now is the time to be creative to hopefully have something like that.”

While Niforatos says a third state championship would mean a lot for his Wildcats, they will approach the season one day and one week at a time, enjoying being together, regardless of what the future holds. A Zoom conference with his girls reminded him of what's most important.

“Man, I really miss my team,” Niforatos said. “We can think about planning for a third state title and a lot of really just insane-level swims, but I think if something has really resonated with me the most the last three months it's seeing all the girls on the entire team who are looking forward to coming back.

“This is an opportunity for us to be teachers first,” he added, “and coaches and drivers of sport second.”