The final week of the regular season didn’t result in any victories for the Fenwick High School boys swimming team, but coach Luke McGuire is cautiously optimistic as the postseason gets underway.
The Friars took third in a home triangular meet with St. Ignatius and Brother Rice on Jan. 27 and lost to the state’s top-ranked team, New Trier, 125-61 in a dual meet Saturday in Winnetka.
Fenwick wasn’t expected to beat New Trier, especially head-to-head, but McGuire was satisfied with the team’s performance.
“We won the medley relay and we had some generally good swims,” McGuire said. “The state meet is at New Trier this year so it’s good preparation for state.”
Against the Trevians, Hill won the 100 free in 49.06 and teamed with Hill, Daggs, Smith and McGuire to win the medley relay in 1:40.43. Hill was second in the 50 free in 21.97. Smith equaled that feat in the butterfly in 53.15, as did Ryan Clark in the 200 free with a time of 1:51.42 and Andrew Hipskind in the backstroke in 58.66.
The 200 free relay team of McGuire, Bartecki, Smith and Hill was second in 1:31.16.
Fenwick will host the Catholic League championships this weekend, with the diving starting at 6 p.m. Friday and the swimming portion at noon Saturday.
If the Lyons Township High School boys swimming team ends February the way it did January, the Lions are going to be happy campers.
LTHS beat four other teams in winning their own invite on Saturday. The Lions scored 316.5 points. Oak Park and River Forest was a distant second with 248. Marmion (223), Hinsdale South (201) and York (183.5) rounded out the field.
The Lions dominated the relay events, always a good sign as the postseason nears.
The 200-yard medley relay team of freshman Spencer Walker, junior Westin Credit, freshman Henry Claesson and sophomore Matt Linden timed 1:39.55 to beat runner-up Marmion by nearly four seconds.
LTHS won the 200 freestyle relay in 1:31.73, with the quartet of senior Nick Bonneville, Claesson, senior Lucas O’Brien and Linden edging OPRF by .24, while the 400 free relay of Bonneville, Claesson, Credit and Linden prevailed in 3:18.36, two seconds ahead of OPRF.
The individual events produced two champions for the Lions as Credit captured the 100 breaststroke in 1:02.77 and sophomore Seamus Scotty won diving with 455 points.
LTHS produced a slew of top-5 finishes, with most races ending with two Lions near the top.
In the 200 freestyle, Bonneville was second in 1:49.29 and junior Chris Phillips fourth in 1:53.26.
In the 200 IM, Credit finished second (2:02.92) and sophomore David Rak took fourth (2:09.57). Linden was second (23.06) and senior Lucas O’Bryan third (23.44) in the 50 free.
In the 100 butterfly, Claesson took second (55.6) and O’Bryan third (56.57), a showing matched in the 100 backstroke by Walker (54.49) and senior Jack Garrow (56.55).
Bonneville clocked 49.79 to finish second in the 100 free, just .30 behind OPRF junior Joshua Fluharty, while Garrow was fourth in 51.11.
In other results, Phillips was third in the 100 breaststroke (1:04.25), Walker placed fourth in the 500 free (5:03.89) and senior Matthew Benz was third in diving (432 points).
