Prairie Ridge alumna Val Tarazi made her Olympic debut Friday when she took part in the 200-meter individual medley in Paris.

Prairie Ridge graduate Valerie Tarazi is not done with competitive swimming, although her eligibility at Auburn is exhausted. She trained with her college team and will swim for Palestine in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. "It’s been my dream my whole life."

Crystal Lake South co-op's Abby Uhl beat her own expectations by placing in all four of her events at state this fall. For her accomplishments, Uhl was named the Northwest Herald's Girls Swimmer of the Year.

Cary-Grove's Maggie Bendell put herself in position for back-to-back state diving titles after placing second during Friday's preliminary and semifinal rounds at the IHSA Girls Swimming and Diving State Meet. Marian Central's Abby Hill was second in the 500-yard freestyle.

Crystal Lake South co-op's Abby Uhl will compete in four events at this weekend's IHSA Girls Swimming and Diving State Meet at the FMC Natatorium in Westmont, beginning Friday. Marian Central's Abby Hill is seeded first in the 500-yard freestyle.

Here is a list of Northwest Herald area athletes who can sign their National Letters of Intent this week with NCAA scholarship schools, and those who are headed to other colleges.

West Chicago, which co-ops with Batavia and Geneva, scored 275 points to win Saturday’s St. Charles North Sectional. The host North Stars were second with 256 points. It was the first sectional championship for West Chicago since 1992.

We've got our team-by-team girls swimming preview for the 2023 season with the top returners, newcomers and information on each team in the McHenry County area here

Here are 5 girls swimmers/divers to watch in the Northwest Herald area for the 2023 season.

Maggie Bendell became the first Cary-Grove student to win a diving state championship. For her accomplishment, she is the 20222 Northwest Herald 2022 Girls Swimmer of the Year.

Cary-Grove's Maggie Bendell followed in her father Curt's footsteps and won a state diving title on Saturday at the IHSA Girls Swimming and Diving State Meet.

Cary-Grove’s Maggie Bendell will compete for her second state diving medal in as many years after taking first in the IHSA Girls Swimming and Diving State Meet preliminaries on Friday at the FMC Natatorium in Westmont.

Crystal Lake South co-op's 400 free relay of Avery Watson, Bella Fontana, Mackenzie Resch and Abby Uhl enter the IHSA Girls Swimming and Diving State Meet with the third-fastest time. The preliminaries begin at 3:30 p.m. Friday, with the top 12 moving on to Saturday's finals.

Crystal Lake South co-op’s Avery Watson won four events and was named Most Valuable Swimmer at the Fox Valley Conference Invite on Oct. 29. The Gators junior was voted Northwest Herald Athlete of the Week by readers.

Check out the team-by-team girls swimming preview with the top returners, newcomers and information on each team in the McHenry County area.