November 24, 2024
Sports

Girls Swimming: Previewing teams from around the Suburban Life area

By Joshua Welge

Tabitha Torres of Benet competes in the 100-yard breaststroke during the IHSA Girls Swimming and Diving preliminaries on Nov. 22 at New Trier High School. (Sandy Bressner)

The girls swimming season gets underway this week. Here are previews of teams from around the Suburban Life coverage area.

BENET

Coach: Sue Welker

Top swimmers: Tabitha Torres, sr.; Maura Fitzgerald, jr.; Jackie Yap, jr.; Sophia Gastolek, fr.

Outlook: Welker, the Naperville Waves Swim Club head coach who coached at Naperville Central for eight seasons and then took a seven-year break, is back in the mix with high school swimming. She takes over a Benet team with 31 swimmers led by two state-level girls. Torres qualified for state last year in the 100 breaststroke and swam at state her sophomore year in a relay. "She is in great shape and looking to have a good season," Welker said. Fitzgerald was a state qualifier last year in the 100 backstroke and swam in a relay her freshman year. "She is a great young lady with a great attitude," Welker said. Welker expects a standout season for Yap, who has strong technique in all four strokes. Gastolek is a promising freshman with potential in all strokes.

"We look forward to a rebuilding year and and are just happy to be in the water swimming and staying healthy," Welker said.

FENWICK

Coach: Steve Thompson.

Top swimmers: Angelina Cakuls, sr.; Lindsey Drumm, jr.; Kailyn McHugh, so.; Baileigh Racky, so.; Anastasia Lerma, so.; Tatum Burek, sr.; Ryann Grasser, jr.

Outlook: Cakuls, a returning state qualifier in the 100 backstroke and three relays, anchors a Fenwick team that last year won its 18th consecutive sectional championship for retiring coach Renee Miller. Drumm is a returning state qualifer in the 100 butterfly and joined Cakuls in state-qualifying 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays. Racky was a state qualifier as a freshman in the 100 backstroke and 400 freestyle relay and McHugh was part of the state-qualifying 200 freestyle relay. Lerma is a returning state diving qualifier. Burek and Grasser have state championship experience from previous years.

With 16 seniors and 10 freshmen in the fold, the Friars will feature a strong roster with 50 swimmers and divers.

"We feel very fortunate to be able to participate this year, even with a modified IHSA schedule," Thompson said. "Our team will have several quality opportunities to compete this fall against nine MCAC opponents. We will progress through our competitive schedule and we anticipate a culminating effort in October."

HINSDALE SOUTH

Coach: Beth Walker.

Top swimmers: Bryn Larson, sr.; Lexi Smith, jr.; Maggie Johnston, fr.

Outlook: The Hornets had a very positive season last year with 98% of their best times in the postseason. Standout returning swimmers are Larson in the sprint freestyle, butterfly and breaststroke and Smith in the backstroke, individual medley and freestyle.

LYONS TOWNSHIP

Coach: Scott Walker.

Top swimmers: Eleanor McMeen, sr.; Margaret Meehan, sr.; Keegan Casella, sr.; Maura Ferguson, sr.; Nina Barcelona, sr.; Katie Kelly, jr.; Maggie Adler, so.; Mia DiBraccio, so.; Annie Petrak, so.; Becky Phillips, so.; Evie Reinisch, so.; Emily Jacobs, sr.; Avery Mavon, sr.

Outlook: The Lions are in a rebuilding season. Callahan Dunn, who won a record 16 medals at Lyons and a state championship in the 200 individual medley, has moved on to Wisconsin. She's among those who graduated off last year's team that took fourth in the state. In addition, Emily and Sarah Claesson moved to Virginia. But Walker is just happy his athletes have a chance to compete.

"With the season being so short and and not knowing if we'll have a state series, we're just going day by day," Walker said. "My philosophy is we're happy to be together to get the kids together to train because they desperately need that outlet from being online in school all day."

The Lions' roster is 40-45 deep, which Walker said is workable and safe. He has 24 swimmers at the South campus with 12 lanes, and another 18 in a pod at the North campus. "We're spread out and I don't know if you can get any safer than that," Walker said. "I'm disappointed that we had to make cuts. We never had to cut and we had to this year."

Among the returnees, McMeen and Meehan have state experience. The versatile McMeen will likely swim the butterfly, backstroke and sprint events, Meehan also multi-dimensional the beaststroke, IM or 500. Casella is a butterfly or 500 girl, Ferguson backstroke or 200/500 freestyle, and Barcelona breaststroke or IM. Adler is a sophomore in the sprint events, DiBraccio the 200/500, Petrak a flyer or backstroke, Phillips sprint or freestyle and Reinisch distance or freestyle. Jacobs and Mavon are the top two divers.

"And we have a good little core of freshmen that will be a good base to rebuild," Walker said. "It's definitely reload and rebuild. We have been in this position numerous times and it's actually a neat place to be in."

NAZARETH

Coach: Kevin Milos.

Top swimmer: Isa Byczek, sr.

Outlook: Nazareth has just one swimmer competing this fall, but she's a good one. As a junior Byczek just missed state, finishing seventh in the 100 freestyle and ninth in the 50 freestyle at the Lyons Sectional. She trains with Lyons Aquatics, her club team.