Girls swimming: Local swimmers excited for return of sectionals and state meet

Last weekend’s Fox Valley Conference Girls Swimming Invitational brought back many good memories for area swimmers who missed out on big meets last season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

That feeling of excitement will be amplified Saturday when high school swimmers across the state compete for a chance to swim Nov. 12 at the IHSA Girls Swimming and Diving preliminaries at FMC Natatorium in Westmont.

“It was a nice change of pace and it brought back some of that morale and energy that was missing last year,” said Huntley senior Ella Young, who was named co-Most Valuable Swimmer, along with Woodstock North co-op senior Hannah Blaksley and Crystal Lake South co-op freshman Abby Uhl, at the FVC Invite.

“I’m looking forward to the energy at [sectionals] and all the people that can be there. Last year, spectators weren’t allowed. I know my parents were disappointed they couldn’t come to the meets, and our friends are coming too, so that’s going to be exciting. It should be a lot of fun.”

Huntley, along with Jacobs co-op, Dundee-Crown and individual swimmers from Burlington Central and Marengo, will compete at Saturday’s St. Charles North Sectional.

Cary-Grove, Crystal Lake South co-op, McHenry and Woodstock North co-op will swim at the Barrington Sectional. Individuals swimmers from Johnsburg, Richmond-Burton and Marian Central also will be there.

A state meet was not held last year because of the pandemic, with the season ending after sectionals.

A list of top sectional times was put together to highlight the state’s best swimmers, but there never was a true sense of completion to the season without a state meet.

“We had a sectional meet, which was great, but that was kind of the end,” Huntley coach Jenna Gaudio said. “I know the [IHSA] put together a list of what would have been the top finishers based on sectional results, which was great for the top 12, but the IHSA state meet is like no other swimming I’ve ever been to.

“I think there’s so much phenomenal swimming in the state, and that meet is just a place to really highlight and showcase the talent that the sport has and that these girls have. It was an honor to go two years ago with [Ella Young] and [graduate] Sydney McGuine, and I know that Ella is hoping for another opportunity.”

Young is one of only two local swimmers with state swimming experience. She qualified as a sophomore two years ago and took 30th in the 100-yard butterfly. Young saw significant drops in times at the FVC Meet last week and is hoping for one final state send-off.

“I think I did good, but there’s still lots of improvements to be made, and I’m focusing on that right now,” Young said. “My main goal is to go back to state since I did it sophomore year. I didn’t meet the time junior year, and it would be good to get it my senior year, to really go out on top.

“It was disappointing that last season ended kind of prematurely. This year, since it’s my senior year, it’s good to have it back. If you make it to state, they do a little parade for you [at school] with the band playing. It’s fun to drive down and miss a day of school.”

Richmond-Burton’s Eleni Gewalt will be trying to qualify for state for the third time. She would have gone last season after winning the 100 freestyle and taking runner-up in the 100 breaststroke at sectionals. The senior took fifth in the 100 breaststroke as a sophomore in 2019, the best state finish in school history.

R-B doesn’t have a swimming team, so sectionals and state are the only two times Gewalt has a chance to swim competitively in high school. She has had an exciting past year, despite the limitations caused by the pandemic, and committed to Arizona in April.

Gewalt swims with the Pleasant Prairie Patriots club team in Wisconsin and her times over the past year put her on the radar of many big programs.

“I was actually very stressed out because how my sophomore year ended so abruptly because that’s when the whole pandemic hit and everything shut down,” Gewalt said. “My times were good, but you couldn’t talk to any coaches face to face or go to campuses or anything.”

Gewalt kept swimming and training with her club team and has seen her times improve dramatically.

“Everything was completely virtual. I basically was just selling myself and training really hard,” Gewalt said. “The next season hit ... and I basically got all of my best times. I just missed the 100 breast Olympic trials, and almost broke the state record in the 100 IM, and I just completely dropped a bunch of time in everything. That really changed everything for me.

“A couple of my other times got to the point where I could score at college conference [meets], and that’s what colleges always look for because they like points.”

Gewalt hopes to make cuts in both the 100 free and 100 breaststroke and push for a state title.

“It means a lot to have the state meet back,” Gewalt said. “It’s my last year, and I really want to perform well and qualify again. I want to go out how I came in and just swim good and perform to the best of my abilities to have those last great swims for high school.

“I hope to [reach the finals] in the 100 free, and in the 100 [breaststroke] I hope to to finish top 3, just because my sophomore year I finished fifth and a couple of people graduated. ... For the the rest of my club season, my goals are to get faster and go out with a bang.”

GIRLS SWIMMING

Barrington Sectional

Saturday, Nov. 6

*–individual swimmers only

Barrington

Buffalo Grove

Cary-Grove

Crystal Lake South co-op

Fremd

Hersey

Hoffman Estates

*Johnsburg

*Lake Zurich

*Marian Central

McHenry

Palatine

*Richmond-Burton

Rolling Meadows

St. Viator

*Wauconda

Woodstock North co-op

St. Charles North Sectional

Saturday, Nov. 6

*–individual swimmers only

Bartlett co-op

*Burlington Central

DeKalb co-op

Elgin

Dundee-Crown

Glenbard North co-op

Huntley

Jacobs co-op

*Kaneland

Larkin

*Marengo

South Elgin

St. Charles East

St. Charles North

*St. Edward

West Chicago co-op