WOODSTOCK – Cary-Grove co-op’s Danial Sanahurskyj stood on a starting block next to Woodstock North co-op’s Quinn Cynor before the start of their 200-yard freestyle relay race and exchanged a few light jokes with the three-time Northwest Herald Boys Swimmer of the Year.
“We mostly talk just trash to each other, but it’s nothing too serious,” Sanahurskyj said. “We just like to joke around and have a good laugh after. At the end of the day, he’s still my friend.”
Sanahurskyj, a sophomore, and Cynor, a senior, both won two individual event during Monday’s Fox Valley Conference boys swimming dual meet, but it was Sanahurskyj’s Trojans who got the last laugh.
Sanahurskyj swam to first-place finishes in the 50 freestyle (22.85 seconds) and 100 backstroke (55.39), and C-G co-op defeated Woodstock North co-op, 116-58, to end the first half of the conference season undefeated at 4-0.
C-G co-op, which also draws swimmers from Crystal Lake Central, Crystal Lake South and Prairie Ridge, won nine of 11 events. The only two events it didn’t win were the 200 individual medley and 100 free, both easily won by Cynor.
Cynor won the 200 IM in 1:52.21 and 100 free in 46.36.
Ben Castro was first in the 100 butterfly (51.85) for the Trojans, while Kameron Fadden won the 200 free (1:53.73), Hunter Pearson won the 500 free (5:50.45), and Ben Fejer won the 100 breaststroke (1:05.65).
C-G co-op also finished first in all three relays, winning the 200 medley relay (Drew Watson, Fejer, Castro, Pearson) in 2:12.18, the 200 free relay (Fadden, Pearson, Dexter Zielinski, Sanahurskyj) in 1:34.76, and the 400 free relay (Zielinski, Fadden, Sanahurskyj, Castro) in 3:22.77.
C-G co-op coach Scott Lattyak said that Sanahurskyj and Castro already are under last year’s state-cut time in the 100 butterfly. Lattyak also made special mention of Zielinski’s swims after he matched Castro’s time in the 400 free relay, and pointed to the dependability and consistency of Fadden as one of the Trojans’ top sprinters.
“They train really hard, and they work for everything you see,” Lattyak said. “They can’t have any of it naturally. They work for it, and it shows. It’s always fun to see them perform at a high level and do this.”
Sanahurskyj was named FVC Newcomer of the Year last season, and that has given him plenty of confidence going into his sophomore year. He and Cynor swam together on the YMCA/DeKalb County Swim Team during the summer when getting pool time in Illinois was a challenge because of COVID-19 restrictions.
Getting pool time still is a challenge, Sanahurskyj said, as is getting full training for a shortened season that only has three weeks remaining.
“Last year, I would swim, and then right after I would have weight training,” Sanahurskyj said. “Now, it’s just the swim practice ... so you need to try and make sure to get the best quality of training when you’re there.”
Cynor, who has earned four state medals over the past two seasons, said Monday’s times weren’t his best, but he’s hardly had a disappointing season.
Far from it.
In North co-op’s first meet of the season against McHenry, Cynor set the program record in the 100 breaststroke. He also broke his own 50 free record in that meet, and he now owns all eight individual records for the Thunder. Against Huntley, he beat his 100 butterfly record and topped it again against Jacobs co-op.
“It was an awesome moment,” Cynor said of winning the 100 butterfly in the opening meet to own all eight individual records. “I looked up, saw my time and heard my mom upstairs screaming. It was a great way to start the year.”