State success 'came down kind of quick' for North boys swimmer Myhre

WINNETKA – St. Charles North boys swimmers praised a healthy seasonlong dose of training yardage for fueling them throughout this weekend's IHSA state meet at New Trier.

Summoned to give the North Stars 50 more yards some 20 minutes after he ostensibly earned a long break, junior Joe Myhre gamely obliged on Saturday afternoon.

"It wasn't really that bad," Myhre said, "but it came down kind of quick."

Already in possession of individual medals for his sixth-place swim in the 50 freestyle (20.99) and fifth-place clocking in the 100 free (45.62), Myhre joined North's 200 freestyle relay after not competing in the event during Friday's prelims.

The second leg of a quartet that opened with Stephan Hutchinson and continued with Nathan Bawolek and anchor Ben Sherman placed fifth in 1:25.55, producing one more shot of elation on a day when North enjoyed its share.

"We placed fifth at a state meet," said Sherman, a senior. "I never thought I could place at a state meet, ever. So the journey is what matters. We accomplished something amazing."

North tied for 10th as a team, climbing 24 spots from 2014.

Sherman, Hutchinson, Bawolek and Myhre – in that order – later collaborated on a 12th-place swim in the penultimate race of the day, the 400 free relay consolation final. They finished in 3:10.50.

Marmion was the only other Kane County Chronicle-area school with multiple finalists. Freshman Will Kamps took 12th in the 500 freestyle in 4:39.32. His self-described "big brother" and card counter for the meet's most grueling race, senior Andrew Kasper, closed his career earlier by taking 10th in the 200 free in 1:42.85.

Kasper, a Batavia resident who'll compete at NCAA Division III Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, sensed some measure of relief after reaching the junior nationals cut for his event Friday. It trickled down Saturday.

"It was a great swim, definitely. I thought [Friday's] swim, I had a lot more pressure on me, which is usually what I thrive on," Kasper said. "But overall, I'm really proud of my swim. I definitely left everything out there. … I loved my last race here."

Fellow Batavian Garrett Clasen, a freshman with the West Chicago-Batavia co-op, took 11th in the 200 individual medley. His time of 1:54.94 was nine hundredths of a second faster than his prelim time, capping a solid debut season in which he qualified for prelims in two events.

"I thought it was a really, really fun meet," said Clasen, one of six Batavia students on the boys co-op. "By far the most exciting meet of the whole season. Really nerve-racking, though, because, I mean, all your hard work in the season just comes down to one race."

Myhre, who transferred from Indiana before his sophomore year, thrived on that urgency.

After qualifying for two individual swims and two relays last season – without advancing out of any individual prelims – Myhre challenged himself during a busy offseason and high school season.

North coach Rob Rooney long has lauded Myhre's skill set, making special note of the strides he's shown in the past year.

In the next breath, though, Rooney often pinpoints one small rub.

"I don't think that it's a matter of his talent," Rooney said. "It's a matter of him being relaxed. He swims very well in a relaxed setting. He swims awesome in a relaxed setting."

Myhre channeled his mellow side after the 50 free. Seeded first after a blazing, prelim-best time of 20.55, he struggled with his flip turn midway through the finals race, making awkward contact with the wall.

"It was a little rough," Myhre said. "Just didn't hit it right."

Diving finals followed the 50 free, and the event plus the requisite prep work before and after created precious extra time for Myhre to rest.

About an hour passed before he dove in for the 100 free. The lag time was far shorter the rest of the day, but the sound of four medals dangling from his neck ultimately offered enough salve.

"That was my only goal this year, was to be able to just make finals," Myhre said. "I did that and was really happy with that."